Tom Lee’s associated firm, Bitmine, just purchased another 13,412 ETH, adding to a buying streak that has already made it one of Ethereum’s largest corporate holders.
The Ethereum price (ETH USD) surged back above the critical $3,000 level after the news, as traders debated whether this represented a strong vote of confidence or just another large whale move. All of this happens while institutions quietly build ETH positions, and staking yields stay attractive compared to government bonds.
What Is Bitmine Doing With All This Ethereum, in Simple Terms?
Bitmine follows a simple playbook: buy ETH every week, regardless of market conditions, and store it in a growing corporate treasury. Writing in CoinDesk, Krisztian Sandor said the firm already holds more than 3.5 million ETH and keeps adding, including weeks where it grabbed over 96,000 ETH in one shot. Think of this like a company deciding to keep its savings in oil or gold but here, the “barrels” are ETH tokens.
Tom Lee himself said, “We acquired 110,288 ETH tokens over the past week, 34% more than the week prior.” Bitmine wants to reach 5% of all circulating ETH, which would give it a MicroStrategy-style grip on Ethereum the way Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) did with Bitcoin. For beginners, that means one company aims to become the reference name for corporate ETH exposure.
Bitmine also plans to plug this ETH into staking through its MAVAN validator network. Staking is similar to locking your ETH into the network to help run it, and in return, you earn yield, much like earning interest from a savings account. That means Bitmine doesn’t just sit on ETH, it turns it into an income stream while it waits for price appreciation.
While Bitmine holds 4.066M ETH, the stock (BMNR) has been trading at a 1.08x multiple to its Net Asset Value (NAV). This suggests that the market is already pricing in the success of the MAVAN staking platform, even though it won’t be fully deployed until Q1 2026
(Source – Arkham, Bitmine Ethereum Holdings)
How Could Bitmine’s ETH Grab Affect Everyday Investors?
First, this kind of consistent accumulation tightens supply over time. Every week Bitmine removes more ETH from the open market, which matters if you buy ETH on exchanges like Coinbase or Binance because there is simply less “loose” ETH floating around. According to Naga Avan-Nomayo in The Block, Bitmine already owns approximately 3% of all ETH and has no plans to sell.
Second, it reinforces the idea of Ethereum as a long-term asset, not just a trading coin. We already see big players circling ETH through products like JPMorgan’s fund, which we covered in our piece on Tom Lee’s ETH forecast. When large firms treat ETH like digital oil that powers future finance, it builds a narrative that beginners can latch onto: buy, stake, and hold for years, not days.
Third, Bitmine’s staking plans underscore the importance of Ethereum’s roadmap. Upgrades like the upcoming changes we explained in Ethereum’s 2026 upgrade aim to make the network cheaper and easier to scale. If Ethereum keeps improving and Bitmine keeps buying, long-term holders enjoy both scarcity and better tech.
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What Are the Risks Behind Following This “Institutional ETH” Signal?
This story sounds bullish, but you should stay grounded. Ethereum still trades in a market where sharp drops can occur rapidly, as we demonstrated when ETH experienced a significant decline in our recent report on ETH crashes. Big buyers like Bitmine often have long-term horizons, access to cheap capital, and higher risk tolerance than a normal person trying to pay rent.
Also, Bitmine’s strategy concentrates power. If one firm aims for 5% of supply and stakes a lot of it, it gains more influence over Ethereum’s validator set and network rewards. That doesn’t break Ethereum by itself, but it raises questions about decentralization and the extent to which large corporate treasuries should have influence.
For you, the healthy move is simple: treat Bitmine’s accumulation as a confidence signal, not as financial instructions. If you like Ethereum’s long-term story, build a small, regular position that fits your budget, and learn how overusing leverage on ETH turns normal volatility into disaster. Never copy whale-sized bets with everyday money, especially money you need in the next 6–12 months.
As more firms chase Ethereum exposure and staking income, stories like Bitmine’s will likely become common, but your edge comes from staying calm, sizing your bets modestly, and letting the big players fight over supply while you quietly learn the game.
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The post Tom Lee’s Bitmine Grabs 13,412 ETH as It Chases 5% of All Ether appeared first on 99Bitcoins.
