Ether Nears Record High as Corporate Buying Frenzy Gains Momentum
Ether prices surged close to an all-time high on Wednesday, driven by a wave of corporate accumulation mirroring the Bitcoin investment strategy popularized by MicroStrategy.
The world’s second-largest cryptocurrency jumped as much as 8.5% to $4,683, approaching its $4,861 peak from November 2021.
This week, several U.S.-listed companies revealed plans to significantly boost their Ether holdings, adopting a playbook similar to Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy Incorporated (NASDAQ:MSTR), which became the largest corporate Bitcoin holder after raising billions through stock offerings to fund purchases.
MicroStrategy’s aggressive buying strategy fueled Bitcoin’s price surge over the past two years, sending its own shares up nearly threefold as investors sought indirect exposure to the cryptocurrency. That success is now inspiring firms to apply the same model to Ether.
Major Players in the Ether Accumulation Race
- Bitmine Immersion Technologies Inc. (NYSE:BMNR) — The largest corporate Ether holder, disclosed Monday it owns over 1.15 million ETH worth $4.9 billion. The company also announced plans to raise a record $24.5 billion, primarily for Bitcoin purchases.
- Sharplink Gaming Ltd (NASDAQ:SBET) — Raised $400 million this week to buy additional Ether, bringing its total holdings to roughly 598,800 tokens.
- 180 Life Sciences Corp (NASDAQ:ATNF) — Backed by billionaire investor Peter Thiel, who recently disclosed a 7.5% stake. The company, soon to rebrand as “ETHZilla,” reported holding 82,186 Ether. Its shares tripled in value following the announcement.
The surge in institutional Ether buying has fueled strong weekly gains, pushing Ether ahead of Bitcoin in year-to-date performance. So far in 2025, Ether is up 39.4%, compared to Bitcoin’s 27.9% rise.
