Ethereum is seeing a surge of interest from major corporations, pointing to a shift in institutional strategy and the search for long-term crypto value. According to a new report by Standard Chartered, corporate treasury firms have accumulated 1% of Ethereum’s total supply since June—outpacing the rate of corporate Bitcoin acquisition over the same period.
This steady accumulation is more than just another trend. Market experts suggest that Ether is benefitting from unique market conditions, including the launch and strong performance of spot Ether ETFs. Unlike Bitcoin ETFs, these new products have incited a faster pace of buying and broader mainstream penetration, propelling Ethereum’s year-end price projections above $4,000, according to the bank’s research.
But Ethereum’s current value is still well below its all-time high of $4,890, leaving significant room for future growth as institutional appetite builds. Standard Chartered forecasts that corporate holdings could eventually reach 10% of total Ether supply—a tenfold increase from today’s numbers—as organizations look to benefit from staking rewards and DeFi leverage opportunities, advantages that U.S.-listed Ethereum ETFs currently don’t offer.
BitMine Immersion Tech, a publicly traded Bitcoin miner, stands at the forefront, holding 625,000 ETH (approximately 0.52% of all circulating Ether). The company recently announced intentions to acquire up to 5% of the total supply, which would require a further massive accumulation of 6 million tokens. Nasdaq-listed Sharplink sits in second place, now owning 438,190 ETH after an aggressive buying spree averaging $3,756 per token. Additionally, a newcomer, the Ether Machine, is signaling plans to build one of the largest on-chain ETH positions for a public entity, targeting over 400,000 ETH and seeking a Nasdaq listing under the ticker “ETHM.”
The rationale behind the institutional push into Ethereum is multifaceted. Not only does Ether offer exposure to programmable assets and decentralized applications, but it also presents unique opportunities for staking and participation in the rapidly evolving world of DeFi—areas where regulatory arbitrage provides an edge over their Bitcoin strategies.
This trend arrives as the digital asset sector welcomes regulatory clarity, with new U.S. laws promising a more stable foundation for institutional adoption. As more corporations seek to integrate digital assets into their portfolios, Ethereum’s expanding role could redefine what it means to be a blue-chip crypto asset. For investors and observers alike, keeping an eye on the ETH corporate accumulation could be key to understanding the future landscape of the global crypto economy.
