The Nasdaq stock exchange filed an application with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday on behalf of BlackRock to add staking to the asset manager\u2019s iShares Ether (ETH<\/a>) exchange-traded fund (ETF).<\/p>\n If the application<\/a> is approved, the fund would give investors exposure to staking rewards accrued from using the underlying Ether as collateral security for Ethereum\u2019s proof-of-stake consensus algorithm.<\/p>\n In May, the SEC released guidance<\/a> classifying staking rewards earned from validation services<\/a> on proof-of-stake blockchain networks as earned income rather than securities transactions subject to capital gains tax.<\/p>\n The SEC staking guidance<\/a> opened the doors for institutional investors to earn yield on their ETH holdings, a major feature for TradFi institutions that must produce income or cash flow for shareholders.<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong><\/em>Ethereum becomes preferred treasury asset for tech-savvy firms: Ray Youssef<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cEthereum starts to look like a hybrid between tech equity and digital currency,\u201d Ray Youssef, CEO of finance app NoOnes told Cointelegraph in July. \u201cThis appeals to treasury strategists looking beyond passive storage.\u201d<\/p>\n Ethereum treasury companies scooped up 540,000 ETH, valued at $1.6 billion<\/a> using current market prices, in the last month for their corporate reserves.<\/p>\n In June, the amount of staked ETH hit an all-time high<\/a>, with 28% of the circulating supply <\/a>dedicated to the network\u2019s security.<\/p>\n The amount of staked ETH reached a new all-time high of 36,036,981 in July, accounting for over 29% of the circulating supply, according to Dune<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rising demand for ETH is also reflected by Strong ETF flows<\/a> during June and July, following stunted performance earlier this year due to macroeconomic fears and a flight to safety from risk assets.<\/p>\n Capital flows into Ether investment vehicles were positive for 11 out of the last 12 trading days, according<\/a> to Farside Investors, with over $726 million flowing into the ETFs on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n Attracting institutional interest is a major priority for the revamped Ethereum Foundation, which backed the creation of Etherealize<\/a>, a marketing firm tasked with exposing institutional investors to the layer-1 smart contract network.<\/p>\nStaked Ether supply hits all-time high, fueled by institutional buying<\/h2>\n