The Ethereum team has revived TheDAO to create a $220 million security fund, utilizing unclaimed ETH from the original hack.
Key figures from the Ethereum development team have announced the revival of TheDAO, a project originally launched in 2016 that was famously hacked, to bolster the security of the Ethereum network.
TheDAO is back. BULLISH
A decade later, we’re opening a new chapter.
TheDAO Security Fund: activating 75,000+ ETH to strengthen Ethereum security.
— thedao.fund (@thedaofund) January 29, 2026
The revived initiative will transform TheDAO into a blockchain security fund valued at $220 million, utilizing a significant portion of the unclaimed ETH from the original hack.
Of this amount, around $13.5 million is earmarked for grants to third-party developers, which will be allocated through decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) governance mechanisms.
The remaining assets are intended for staking, projected to generate approximately $8 million annually based on current Ethereum prices.
The newly established fund will manage assets from two primary sources:
- About 70,500 ETH from the ExtraBalance contract, where users can claim a share of the assets;
- Approximately 4,600 ETH from the TheDAO Curator Multisig wallet.
Prominent Ethereum developers, including Vitalik Buterin, are among the new curators overseeing the project.
According to representatives, the vision for TheDAO fund is to enhance Ethereum's security to the point where it becomes more advantageous for users to store their savings in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols instead of traditional banks.
Additionally, it was reported that during January, despite low transaction fees, the main Ethereum network experienced higher activity levels compared to layer two solutions.
