Ethereum Foundation Unveils CROPS Framework, Plans to Sell Less ETH in Strategic Shift

The Ethereum Foundation, or EF, has funded core protocol research and ecosystem development since Ethereum’s 2014 crowdfunding campaign, when it was allocated about 6 million ETH. Its holdings have since fallen to roughly 0.16% of the network’s total supply. The foundation has long sold ETH to fund operations, repeatedly drawing accusations that it was weighing on the market. Its treasury policy shift has implications for governance neutrality, long-term funding and confidence in ETH, as well as Ethereum’s prospects of becoming a “refuge technology” in the AI era.

On May 24, 2026, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin published a roughly 1,500-word post saying EF would prioritize “longevity over breadth,” sell less ETH and focus on the CROPS framework, encompassing censorship resistance, resistance to control, open-source technology, privacy and security. At least eight veteran contributors departed during the year, including five in May. On June 7, Consensys CEO Joe Lubin described the changes as a necessary evolution rather than a crisis.