Ethereum Foundation Sells $24M ETH to Tom Lee's Bitmine

ETH1,7%

The Ethereum Foundation sold 10,000 ether to Bitmine Immersion Technologies on Friday, according to the foundation’s announcement. The over-the-counter transaction was completed at an average price of $2,387 per ETH, totaling nearly $24 million. Bitmine, the digital asset treasury led by Chairman Tom Lee, has added to its growing ETH stockpile through the deal.

Transaction Details and Purpose

The Ethereum Foundation stated that the sale “funds the EF’s core operations & activities, including protocol R&D, ecosystem development, community grant funding and more.” This transaction follows the foundation’s earlier conversion of approximately $11 million worth of ether to stablecoins to fund research and development, grant programs, and other ecosystem activities.

Bitmine’s Growing Holdings

With this purchase, Bitmine has expanded its position as the world’s largest Ethereum treasury holder. Earlier this week, the publicly-listed company reported holding 4,976,485 ETH, equivalent to 4.12% of ether’s total supply, after buying 101,627 ether. This represents Bitmine’s second major purchase from the Ethereum Foundation; the company spent approximately $10 million to acquire 5,000 ETH from the foundation the previous month.

Foundation’s Strategic Shift

The Ethereum Foundation has faced recurring criticism over its ETH sales to fund operations. In response, the foundation unveiled plans last year to limit future ETH sales through alternative strategies, including deploying capital in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols and staking ETH to generate income. In January 2025, the foundation seeded its DeFi Ecosystem wallet with 50,000 ETH as part of this new approach.

Market Context

Ethereum had declined approximately 1% to trade at $2,315.26 as of 11:34 a.m. ET on Friday, according to The Block’s price tracking data.

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Comment
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Orange-FlavoredBlockvip
· 6h ago
Selling to companies like Bitmine that build vaults feels more like fund allocation/partnership rather than a bearish view on Ethereum.
View OriginalReply0
NotYourExitvip
· 15h ago
Approximately $24 million is not small, but OTC trading indeed won't directly push the price down; retail investors, don't be misled by the headlines.
View OriginalReply0
GoldfishUnderTheIcevip
· 19h ago
The average OTC price is 2387. Is there a discount? If there's no discount, liquidity is quite strong, indicating that institutional demand is still present.
View OriginalReply0
GateUser-ffe7bee5vip
· 19h ago
The key question is: what is the purpose of selling? Operating expenses, funding, or opportunities to exchange for stablecoins? I want to see a more complete disclosure.
View OriginalReply0
OneUnfilledOrdervip
· 19h ago
Average price of $2387, roughly the market price at that time, right? Doesn't seem like a dump.
View OriginalReply0
HotspotChaservip
· 19h ago
Bitmine takes over 10,000 ETH; will they later publicize “Strategic Reserve ETH” and, in the process, ride the wave of the narrative?
View OriginalReply0
GateUser-9008328fvip
· 19h ago
Every time EF sells tokens, someone yells "collapse," but actually the foundation also has to spend money on research, development, and ecosystem building. Don't overreact.
View OriginalReply0
RouterRunnervip
· 19h ago
If the foundation sells off continuously over the long term, it can be interpreted as a "top signal"; but an occasional transaction is actually quite normal.
View OriginalReply0