VanEck Digital Assets requested the SEC on October 14, 2026, to withdraw its registration statement for the proposed Lido Staked Ethereum ETF.
The proposed VanEck Lido Staked Ethereum ETF was designed to hold stETH directly to track its price after expenses using a MarketVector benchmark.
VanEck Digital Assets provided no specific reason or rationale for withdrawing its Lido Staked Ethereum ETF application.
VanEck Digital Assets confirmed that the Lido Staked Ethereum ETF never issued or sold any shares and never distributed a preliminary prospectus.
The proposed ETF aimed to allow brokerage investors to earn Ethereum staking yield without directly managing crypto wallets, validators, or private keys.
VanEck's October 2025 prospectus stated that its sponsor believed the ETF's planned staking activities were consistent with the SEC staff's liquid staking guidance.
In August 2025, the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance issued staff guidance indicating certain liquid staking arrangements may not require securities registration.
VanEck's October 14, 2026 SEC withdrawal filing pertained specifically to its Lido fund and did not request the withdrawal of its other cryptocurrency ETF applications.
VanEck's prospectus acknowledged that a different regulatory interpretation of liquid staking could create legal risks for the proposed ETF and its service providers.
VanEck requested withdrawal of registration number 333-290918 for its Lido Staked Ethereum ETF pursuant to Rule 477 of the Securities Act of 1933.
The VanEck Lido Staked Ethereum ETF proposal was abandoned before finalizing operational details such as its exchange ticker and named custodians.
VanEck asked the SEC to grant consent making the withdrawal of registration number 333-290918 effective on October 14, 2026, or as soon as practicable.
Matthew A. Babinsky, vice president of VanEck Digital Assets, signed the October 14, 2026 withdrawal document for the Lido Staked Ethereum ETF.
