The Ethereum Foundation (EF) is entering a phase of "mild austerity," announced co-founder of the leading altcoin network, Vitalik Buterin. To support this initiative, he has contributed 16,384 ETH (approximately $43 million at current rates).

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

According to him, this is necessary to achieve two key objectives:

  1. Implementing an aggressive development roadmap for Ethereum.
  2. Ensuring the long-term sustainability of the nonprofit organization itself.

EF will focus on keeping the blockchain a performant and scalable "world computer" without sacrificing resilience and decentralization. At the same time, the foundation must ensure its own stability and protect Ethereum's core mission.

Buterin will work on creating an open, secure, and verifiable full stack of software and hardware to protect privacy and public environments.

This includes applications such as finance, communications, governance, blockchains, operating systems, secure hardware, biotechnology (covering both personal and public health), and much more,” he added.

All the funds allocated by the programmer will go towards financing this work.

Buterin also shared that he is exploring options for secure decentralized staking. In the long run, rewards from locking coins will be directed towards the same goals.

“Ethereum for Those Who Need It”

The project co-founder emphasized that Ethereum is an integral part of his vision for "full openness and verifiability."

EF will continue to develop the network with a focused approach. The main priority will not be mass adoption but rather the creation of a foundational infrastructure for self-sovereignty and cooperation without dominance.

“In a world where many have the mindset of competing to become the biggest and strongest bully, or else existing big and strong bullies will eat you first, our path represents a necessary alternative. Achieving success will require much more than technology, but the technical layer is something we can implement,” Buterin explained.

The main goal of his work is to provide tools for autonomy and security as a fundamental right for everyone.

Recall that in January, the Ethereum co-founder stated that by 2026 he would fully transition to decentralized software.