- Bitmine topped up its Ethereum treasury with a $92 million purchase of ETH over the past week, bringing its total holdings to 5.67 million ETH.
- Bitmine chairman Tom Lee and MN Capital founder and CIO Michaël van de Poppe claimed that the market is already at the early stage of a new bull cycle.
Bitmine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) has been unrelenting in its Ethereum (ETH) accumulation despite the persistently bearish market sentiment. The company’s chairman, Thomas “Tom” Lee, believes the market is already in the early stages of crypto spring, sharing a similar view with Michaël van de Poppe, founder and CIO of MN Capital and MN Fund.
Bitmine’s Ethereum Portfolio
Bitmine disclosed on Sunday its purchase of 52,203 ETH over the past week. The company didn’t say the exact amount at which it purchased the assets, but it valued them at around $1,733 per ETH on Sunday.
On the other hand, on-chain data derived by Blockzeit’s Bitmine Ethereum purchase tracker indicates it acquired them at roughly $1,762.38 per ETH. The figures translate to a total cost between $90 million and $92 million for the additional haul.
The latest development raises Bitmine’s portfolio to 5,672,956 ETH, which it acquired for an aggregate sum of $19.26 billion. It stacks with its 205 Bitcoin (BTC) holdings, $180 million stake in Beast Industries, $104 million stake in Eightco Holdings (ORBS), and total cash and marketable securities worth $601 million.
Ethereum Outlook
Ether’s slump to a $1,644.44 low over the last 24 hours means Bitmine’s unrealized losses in the coin remain at nearly $10 billion. Nonetheless, its continued purchases strongly suggest that the Ethereum-focused digital asset treasury (DAT) company considers the recent drawdowns and tame market sentiment as buying opportunities.
Lee reiterated his forecast that crypto’s best years are still ahead, and Ether is currently navigating the early stages of crypto spring. The chairman is confident that the coin will eventually rebound once investor sentiment recovers.
What’s more, Lee thinks the Ethereum network’s growing demand in tokenization and agentic AI (artificial intelligence) will amplify its upward trajectory. Hence, Bitmine has been capitalizing on the chance to buy it on a discount to accomplish its target of controlling the coin’s 5% supply under its “Alchemy of 5%” goal before the current year ends.
To date, the company controls approximately 4.7% of ETH’s 120.68 million circulating supply. Around 83.18%, or 4,718,677 units, of its Ether holdings have been staked through its proprietary MAVAN (Made in America VAlidator Network) platform and other staking partners to optimize returns. The business expects to generate $223 million annually from staking revenues.
Early Bull Market Signs Detected
Lee’s projection aligns with van de Poppe’s optimistic market perspective. According to him, there’s been a change in investor appetite for altcoins in the past six months.
The MN Capital and MN Fund exec highlighted that despite Bitcoin bordering around the lows, altcoins have been gaining momentum. Others have even achieved yearly or all-time highs.
Van de Poppe pointed out that the trend is not an indicator of a bear market. Instead, it’s a bull market priming up and just waiting for Bitcoin to give it a go signal.
One major catalyst van de Poppe is watching out for is how Strategy’s STRC narrative will play out, which will determine the next inflow of liquidity in the broader crypto market, including Ethereum.
