While the steadily declining prices have stolen virtually all headlines over the past month, Ethereum (ETH) on-exchange supply has also fallen back to levels not seen since mid-2016.
Specifically, the total Ethereum supply on cryptocurrency exchanges sat at 16 million ETH on February 9, according to data available on CryptoQuant, while the asset itself was trading at around $2,000, down 34% on the monthly chart.
The drawdown has unfolded gradually rather than through a sharp drop, pointing to a sustained change in how holders are positioning their assets. Notably, the data shows that reserves continued to fall even as ETH prices pulled back.
This suggests the withdrawals are not driven by short-term price swings, but by long-term holding behavior. Likewise, it must be noted that the ETH leaving exchanges is not being sold. Instead, we are witnessing large investor-owned batches being moved into self-custody, staking, or backup holdings.
Etheruem on-exchange supplies drop
Of the 16 million ETH currently available on crypto-trading platforms, 7.4 million are on spot exchanges, while 8.5 million are on derivatives exchanges, according to the same data.
Binance remains the place with the largest holdings, 3.58 million ETH, to be precise, although this figure also illustrates the overall negative trend, as it was last recorded in September 2024. Bitfinex, which commands 2.6 million ETH, is also noteworthy, considering it boasted nearly 3.7 million ETH back in May 2025.
The balance tightening has implications for liquidity and price formation. Namely, with fewer tokens readily available on trading platforms, more notable upticks in demand could lead to sharper and faster price moves.
However, declining exchange reserves during periods of price stress have historically indicated that selling pressure is being absorbed rather than intensifying. That is, instead of moving ETH onto exchanges to sell into weakness, holders appear to be doing the opposite by pulling Ethereum away from trading venues.
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