The post Vitalik Buterin Withdraws $44.7M in ETH to Support Ethereum Growth Through ‘Mild Austerity’ appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

In brief Vitalik Buterin has withdrawn $44.7 million of his own ETH as he declares that the Ethereum Foundation is entering a period of “mild austerity” over the next few years. The funds will be used to support Ethereum’s growth and development, with funding focusing on genuine utility, and avoiding “Ethereum everywhere” hyperbole. Experts suggest that increased funding from Buterin may be necessary at a time when the wider market is prioritizing real-world assets, stablecoins and other commercial uses of blockchain. Vitalik Buterin has withdrawn 16,384 ETH (c. $44.7 million) to support the ongoing growth and development of Ethereum, declaring that the Ethereum Foundation has entered a period of “mild austerity” in which some goals may be prioritized over others. In a lengthy tweet, the Ethereum co-founder argues that such austerity is necessary for the Foundation to achieve two interrelated goals: the realization of an “aggressive” roadmap that advances Ethereum’s utility as a decentralized “world computer”; and the protection of users’ ability to access Ethereum “with self-sovereignty, security and privacy.” In these five years, the Ethereum Foundation is entering a period of mild austerity, in order to be able to simultaneously meet two goals: 1. Deliver on an aggressive roadmap that ensures Ethereum’s status as a performant and scalable world computer that does not compromise on… — vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 30, 2026 Coming as the price of Ethereum falls to a six-month low of $2,710, Buterin’s post also revealed that he will taking more of a leading role in special development projects, with a particular focus on producing open-source applications in such areas as finance, communication, governance, operating systems, biotech, and secure hardware. He said, “If you have seen […] my own enthusiasm and use for privacy-preserving, walkaway-test-friendly and local-first software (including operating systems), then you know the general spirit…

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Filed under: News - @ January 30, 2026 5:29 pm