Ethereum Foundation Finalizes 5,000 ETH Sale In $10M OTC Deal — Details

bitcoinistPublished on 2026-03-16Last updated on 2026-03-16

Abstract

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has completed an over-the-counter (OTC) sale of 5,000 ETH for approximately $10.21 million to BitMine Immersion Technologies, the world's largest corporate holder of Ether. The tokens were sold at an average price of $2,042.96. Proceeds from the sale will be directed toward the EF's core operations, including protocol R&D, ecosystem development, and community funding. This transaction is part of the foundation's ongoing treasury management strategy, which also includes staking and supplying ETH to validators. This marks the EF's second such OTC deal in less than a year, following a 10,000 ETH sale in July 2025. The OTC method avoids the bearish market pressure typically associated with public exchange sales. At the time of writing, ETH is trading around $2,086.

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) announced that it has completed an over-the-counter (OTC) sale of 5,000 ETH over the weekend. According to the organization’s disclosure, proceeds from this sale will be directed towards its core operations and other activities.

Ethereum Foundation Sells $10 Million In ETH To BitMine

In a March 14 post on the social media platform X, the Ethereum Foundation said that it finalized a 5,000 ETH OTC deal, valued at roughly $10.21 million. The EF identified BitMine Immersion Technologies, the world’s largest corporate holder of Ether, as the counterparty (buyer) in this over-the-counter deal.

The Ethereum Foundation revealed that the Ether tokens will be sold to BitMine at an average price of $2,042.96. Hence, this deal could be viewed as a fresh acquisition for BitMine, an ETH treasury company currently holding more than 4.5 million Ether valued at approximately $9.3 billion.

The EF disclosed that the on-chain transaction will come from a Safe multisig wallet, with proceeds from the sale directed toward the foundation’s core operations and activities, including protocol research and development (R&D), ecosystem development, community grant funding, and so on.

The organization also mentioned that the transaction is part of ongoing treasury management activity based on a recently published policy. In its treasury policy in June 2025, the foundation revealed that Ether tokens will be sold to maintain its fiat-denominated assets from the Opex (operating expense) Buffer target.

Other strategies for their Ether holdings include staking, with over 2,000 ETH deployed so far, and plans to supply around 70,000 ETH into validators using open-source infrastructure from third-party providers.

This latest sale to BitMine would represent the second deal of this nature in less than a year. In July 2025, the Ethereum Foundation sold 10,000 ETH over the counter to SharpLink Gaming — another ETH treasury firm — at an average price of $2,572.37 in a transaction worth $25.7 million.

Ethereum Price Overview

The over-the-counter path of this deal means that the Ethereum price will not face the bearish pressure typically associated with centralized exchange sales. Last September, the foundation announced plans to sell 10,000 ETH via public exchanges, sparking criticism from the crypto crowd.

As of this writing, the price of ETH stands at around $2,086, reflecting an over 1% decline in the past 24 hours. This past-day decline is not enough to wipe the altcoin’s weekly gain, which stands at nearly 7% over the past seven days.

The price of ETH on the daily timeframe | Source: ETHUSDT chart on TradingView

Trending Cryptos

ctr
CitreaCTR
wstusdt
wrapped stUSDTWSTUSDT
apr
aPrioriAPR
ctx
Cryptex FinanceCTX
audio
AudiusAUDIO
comp
CompoundCOMP
mantra
MantraMANTRA
waxl
AxelarWAXL
bill
Billions NetworkBILL
pyth
PYTH (Pyth)PYTH
rune
THORChainRUNE
velodrome
Velodrome FinanceVELODROME
brev
BrevisBREV
cake
PancakeSwapCAKE
jst
JUSTJST

Related Questions

QHow much ETH did the Ethereum Foundation sell in the OTC deal and what was the total value?

AThe Ethereum Foundation sold 5,000 ETH in an over-the-counter deal with a total value of approximately $10.21 million.

QWho was the counterparty (buyer) in the Ethereum Foundation's OTC sale of 5,000 ETH?

AThe counterparty (buyer) in the OTC deal was BitMine Immersion Technologies.

QAccording to the article, what will the proceeds from the ETH sale be used for?

AThe proceeds from the sale will be directed towards the foundation's core operations and activities, including protocol research and development (R&D), ecosystem development, and community grant funding.

QHow does an over-the-counter (OTC) sale differ from a sale on a public exchange in terms of market impact, according to the article?

AAn over-the-counter (OTC) sale means the transaction does not occur on a public exchange, so it avoids the bearish selling pressure typically associated with large sales on centralized exchanges.

QWhat was the average price per ETH in this OTC deal with BitMine?

AThe Ether tokens were sold at an average price of $2,042.96 each.

Related Reads

Must-Watch Events Next Week｜CLARITY Act Could Face Senate Vote; SpaceX, Circle to Report Earnings (8.3-8.9)

**Summary: Key Events and Developments to Watch (August 3-9)** The upcoming week is marked by significant financial disclosures, key legislative deadlines, and notable product updates. **Major Financial Events:** Several companies are scheduled to release their Q2 2026 earnings. American Bitcoin (ABTC) will report on August 3, followed by SpaceX and Hut 8 Mining Corp. on August 4, and Circle on August 5. Notably, a significant portion of SpaceX shares (up to 12% of total shares) will be unlocked on August 6 following their earnings release. **Key Legislative Deadline:** The U.S. Senate faces an August 7 deadline to secure 60 votes for the CLARITY Act, a bipartisan bill aiming to establish a federal regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies. The Senate may hold a full vote on the bill during the week. **Economic Data:** The U.S. July Non-Farm Payrolls report will be released on August 7, providing crucial labor market data. **Technology & Product Updates:** * **Shutdowns:** DeFi portfolio tracker Zapper and wallet app Ctrl Wallet will cease operations on August 3. * **Upgrades:** LayerZero will deprecate its v1 relayers on August 3. XRP Ledger's new version 3.3.0, featuring five new functions, is expected next week. * **AI:** Elon Musk announced that the advanced Grok 4.6 AI model is set for release around August 7. * **Bitcoin:** The BIP-110 forced signaling for a potential Bitcoin network change is scheduled to begin around August 8. **Other Notable Events:** Chinese robotics firm Unitree Tech has set its preliminary price inquiry for its IPO for August 5. South Korean exchange Upbit will delist AQT and AERGO tokens on August 3.

marsbit8m ago

Must-Watch Events Next Week｜CLARITY Act Could Face Senate Vote; SpaceX, Circle to Report Earnings (8.3-8.9)

marsbit8m ago

Stocks Are Plummeting More Sharply Than Cryptocurrencies. Where Has the Money Gone?

Stock Markets Plunge Deeper Than Cryptocurrencies: Where Did the Money Go? In late July, Seoul's Kospi index triggered circuit breakers for two consecutive days, plummeting over 40% from its June high. The collapse was led by heavyweight stocks like SK Hynix, whose record profits still disappointed investors, and devastating leveraged ETFs, with one major product losing over 83% of its value. This signaled a global, forced deleveraging targeting the most crowded trades. Interestingly, while stocks exhibited extreme volatility akin to crypto markets, Bitcoin rose nearly 15% in July after a prior steep drop. Analysis shows the money fleeing equities did not flow into Bitcoin. Instead, Bitcoin had already absorbed its sell-off in May-June, when U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw historic outflows. The true safe-haven beneficiary was gold, whose price rose over 20% year-on-year, highlighting a decoupling between Bitcoin and gold as "digital gold." The sell-off was a targeted unwinding of leveraged positions in tech and semiconductors, accelerated by broker-dealer risk management and shifts in the AI narrative, including new competition from Chinese memory chipmakers. The retreat path was clear: from high-valuation tech stocks to cash and U.S. Treasuries, then to gold. For Bitcoin to attract sustained institutional inflows, conditions like eased global liquidity pressure, a "soft-landing" Fed rate cut, and U.S. regulatory clarity via legislation like the stalled CLARITY Act are needed. Currently, Bitcoin is not a safe haven but an already-cleared asset. Its low correlation with tech stocks, however, makes it a potential diversification play for institutional portfolios once the storm passes. The money isn't here yet, but the positioning is underway.

marsbit8m ago

Stocks Are Plummeting More Sharply Than Cryptocurrencies. Where Has the Money Gone?

marsbit8m ago

In Conversation with Ray Dalio: We Are Currently in an AI Bubble, with 1% of My Portfolio in Bitcoin

Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, warns in an interview that the current AI boom shows classic bubble characteristics, which could lead to significant economic downturns as seen in past cycles like 1929 or 2000. He explains that speculative enthusiasm, fueled by debt and overvaluation, often precedes a crash when rising rates or taxation force asset sales, causing widespread losses and recession. Dalio also outlines his "Big Cycle" theory, describing an approximate 80-year pattern where widening wealth gaps, massive government deficits, and shifting geopolitical power (like China's rise) create internal conflict and global instability. He emphasizes that we are in a late-cycle, transitional phase where traditional powers like the US and UK face decline. For personal wealth protection, Dalio advises diversification beyond cash into assets like stocks, bonds, real estate, and particularly gold, which he prefers over Bitcoin. While he holds about 1% of his portfolio in Bitcoin as a non-printable hard asset, he views gold as more secure from technological or governmental threats. Regarding AI's impact, Dalio believes it will disproportionately benefit capital owners, worsening inequality by replacing both physical and cognitive labor. He suggests that human intuition and emotional intelligence, combined with AI, will be key for future workers. On taxation, Dalio argues that wealth taxes are impractical and risk triggering asset sell-offs, reducing productive investment. He points to the UK as a cautionary example of debt, low productivity, and political strife. Geopolitically, Dalio foresees a more regionalized world, with the US showing weakness in prolonged conflicts like with Iran, akin to past imperial declines. The ideal outcome, he suggests, is coexisting powerful blocs (e.g., Americas, China-Asia Pacific) without major war.

marsbit4h ago

In Conversation with Ray Dalio: We Are Currently in an AI Bubble, with 1% of My Portfolio in Bitcoin

marsbit4h ago

Daily 7.2 Trillion KRW: Foreign Capital's Record Net Buying on Friday! Wall Street Says Headwinds for Korean Stock Fund Flows Have Subsided

South Korean stock market sees a dramatic shift in fund flows. On July 31, foreign investors made a record net purchase of approximately KRW 7.2 trillion in KOSPI stocks, marking a fundamental reversal from the persistent large-scale net outflows seen in previous months. This contributed to a significant narrowing of foreign net selling in July to KRW 9.8 trillion, down sharply from KRW 48.4 trillion in June and KRW 44.5 trillion in May. Simultaneously, domestic institutional pressure eased. South Korean pension funds and asset managers turned to a net buying position in July, purchasing KRW 1.0 trillion worth of KOSPI shares, contrasting with net sales in May and June. Market volatility is expected to be dampened by new financial regulations. Effective July 31, the Financial Services Commission tightened access for retail investors to single-stock leveraged ETFs by raising the minimum cash deposit requirement. Trading volumes for these products subsequently dropped to about 50% of their monthly average. Citigroup Research maintains its year-end KOSPI target of 10,000 points. The firm cites several supportive factors: the substantial easing of headwinds from capital outflows, a robust fundamental outlook for the semiconductor sector, historically low market valuations, strong economic fundamentals, and the potential for policy support from financial authorities if needed.

marsbit4h ago

Daily 7.2 Trillion KRW: Foreign Capital's Record Net Buying on Friday! Wall Street Says Headwinds for Korean Stock Fund Flows Have Subsided

marsbit4h ago

Breaking! OpenAI's Next-Gen AI Solves 10 Fields Medal-Level Problems

OpenAI's next-generation AI model Astra achieves breakthroughs in 10 long-standing mathematical conjectures. The results, including constructing the first known infinite, finitely presented non-sofic group—resolving a major question since 1999—and advancing the high-dimensional sphere packing problem beyond a 46-year-old barrier, are detailed in a 249-page paper. Key proofs have been formally verified using Lean 4. The AI also refuted a rigidity conjecture by Fields Medalist Alain Connes. According to OpenAI, generating these proofs cost under $2,000. Experts describe the findings as potentially Fields Medal-worthy and a landmark moment for both mathematics and AI, showcasing the model's ability to produce profound, human-like reasoning across diverse fields like group theory, geometry, and operator algebras.

marsbit5h ago

Breaking! OpenAI's Next-Gen AI Solves 10 Fields Medal-Level Problems

marsbit5h ago

Trading

Spot

Hot Articles

Discussions

Welcome to the HTX Community. Here, you can stay informed about the latest platform developments and gain access to professional market insights. Users' opinions on the price of ETH (ETH) are presented below.

活动图片

Top Questions