The decline in Ethereum is irreversible due to the immutability of the blockchain. More than 913,111 ETH have been permanently lost, equivalent to approximately 3.4 billion USD at current prices.

With a decentralized design, transactions on Ethereum, once confirmed, cannot be undone. The main causes of lost ETH are user error and technical vulnerabilities, accounting for about 0.76% of the circulating supply.

MAIN CONTENT

  • More than 913,111 ETH (3.4 billion USD) have been permanently lost, accounting for 0.76% of the total circulating supply.

  • Causes include sending to the wrong address, smart contract errors, and multi-signature wallet failures.

  • Lost ETH cannot be recovered due to the immutable and decentralized characteristics of the blockchain.

How much Ethereum has been lost?

Conor Grogan, Director of Coinbase in 2025, estimates that more than 913,111 ETH worth approximately 3.4 billion USD have been permanently lost due to user and technical errors. This figure accounts for about 0.76% of the current total circulating supply of Ethereum, around 120.7 million ETH.

This shows that the level of loss in the cryptocurrency community is significant, while reflecting the limitations of the ecosystem in handling errors and refunding transactions.

Why is Ethereum lost?

The main causes of lost Ethereum include:

  • Sent to the wrong address: Users send ETH to the wrong, invalid, or unrecoverable address due to typos or confusion over the Blockchain network.

  • Smart contract error: Bugs in the Smart Contract lead to ETH being locked or lost permanently due to security vulnerabilities and source code errors.

  • Multi-signature wallet failure: Multi-signature wallets misconfigured, destroyed, or lost important private keys render the ETH inside inaccessible.

Ethereum is an immutable system, so transactions, once confirmed, cannot be reversed. Therefore, security and accuracy in transactions are very important.

Conor Grogan, Director of Coinbase, 2025

Notable Ethereum losses

Major incidents resulting in significant ETH losses include:

34 million USD ETH loss event Causes Wallet error Parity 306,000 ETH Wallet destroyed due to software error QuadrigaCX incident 60,000 ETH Poor management after CEO's death Smart contract error Akutars NFT Two bugs in the smart contract Wrong burn address ~25,000 ETH Sent to an unrecoverable address due to typing errors Can lost Ethereum be recovered?

Lost ETH cannot be recovered due to the immutability of the Ethereum blockchain. When sent to an invalid address or when the user loses the private key, ETH will be locked and cannot be retrieved.

Conor Grogan states that the actual number of lost ETH could be much higher due to many incidents that have not been disclosed or discovered.

With a decentralized and immutable design, no one can reverse transactions on Ethereum, not even developers or exchanges.

Conor Grogan, Director of Coinbase, 2025

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are the most common causes of lost Ethereum?

Most ETH is lost due to sending to unrecoverable addresses, smart contract errors, and multi-signature wallet failures. These incidents are all related to technical errors or user mistakes.

Is there any way to recover mistakenly sent Ethereum?

ETH sent to the wrong address cannot be recovered due to the immutable and decentralized nature of the blockchain, with no central organization to reverse transactions.

How does lost Ethereum affect the market?

Lost ETH reduces the actual circulating supply, affecting liquidity and may impact the value of ETH according to the supply and demand principle.

What sources are used to calculate lost ETH?

Conor Grogan, director of Coinbase, published figures based on transaction data analysis and incident reports from 2025, ensuring high accuracy and expertise.

How to avoid losing ETH in transactions?

Users need to carefully check the address, avoid using unverified multi-signature wallets, and be cautious when using smart contracts to reduce the risk of loss.

Source: https://tintucbitcoin.com/nguyen-nhan-mat-hon-913-000-eth/

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