Author: Olivier Acuna
Compiled by: AididiaoJP
Bitmine Chairman Tom Lee has made his boldest ETH prediction to date: first to $5,000, then a 50x gain. (Image: Olivier Acuna / CoinDesk)
Key Points
- Tom Lee, Head of Research at Fundstrat and Chairman of Bitmine, stated at a conference in Paris that Ethereum could ultimately reach $250,000 as AI and tokenization drive a major shift in financial infrastructure.
- Bitmine recently purchased 111,942 ETH, increasing its holdings to nearly 5.4 million ETH, representing about 4.47% of the circulating supply. Lee believes corporate validators will replace the shrinking Ethereum Foundation as the primary stewards of the network.
- Lee stated that Bitmine now qualifies for inclusion in the Russell 1000 index and argued that its staking-focused model is far superior to directly holding spot ETH. He believes the current bearish sentiment signals a market bottom for both Bitcoin and Ethereum.
The cryptocurrency market is focused on the wrong signals, while a massive shift in how the global financial network operates is quietly taking place.
In a keynote speech at the Proof of Talk conference in Paris, Tom Lee, Head of Research at Fundstrat and Chairman of Bitmine Immersion Technologies (BMNR), told the audience that Ethereum (ETH) is undergoing a significant transformation that will ultimately drive its price to $250,000. While Lee did not provide a specific timeline, he elaborated on the infrastructural shifts propelling the network towards this valuation.
On Tuesday, Ethereum's price fluctuated around $1,906, down 6% in 24 hours.
Lee's Bitmine is one of the largest corporate holders of Ethereum. The company intensified its ETH purchases last week, completing its largest buy of the year—acquiring 111,942 ETH (worth approximately $237 million at current prices). This move increased its holdings to nearly 5.4 million ETH, representing about 4.47% of Ethereum's circulating supply.
"If the thesis is correct, Ethereum is about to break out of consolidation, and the catalyst for this breakout is tokenization and AI, then I think there's about a 50x upside—a significant rally for Ethereum. If ETH achieves that, reaching $250,000, then Bitmine stock would be worth $5,000. At $18, it's an absolute steal right now."
Trillions in Growth
Lee explained that this multi-trillion dollar growth will be driven by artificial intelligence. As advanced software and automated computing take over the internet, machines will need a method for instant payments without relying on slow traditional bank transfers.
"Robots are already about to dominate most of the traffic on the internet," Lee said. "That's why firms like Andreessen Horowitz call it the 'Great Unification.' If you have robotic systems, you must control them. And blockchain is much more effective at controlling robot behavior than traditional systems. Whether it's authentication, identification, or payment speed, all of these work better on a crypto system."
Due to this machine-to-machine economy, Lee believes Ethereum will transform from a speculative digital asset into the primary global currency for paying for automated computing power.
The Ethereum Foundation Loses Its Voice
This systemic growth is fundamentally changing the governance of the underlying blockchain network. Lee pointed out that the non-profit Ethereum Foundation has been scaling down its footprint for years, with its network holdings reduced to just 100,000 ETH—only 0.1% of the total supply.
Instead, major public companies are entering as corporate validators to operate the network. Corporate entities like Bitmine and Sharplink now collectively control about 7% of Ethereum's circulating supply. These corporate treasuries, no longer reliant on foundation grants, generate roughly $500 million in annual staking rewards to self-fund the ecosystem.
To showcase the value of this model, Lee announced a major regulatory milestone for Bitmine—the company trades on the NYSE under the ticker BMNR.
"Bitmine also qualifies for inclusion in the Russell 1000 index," Lee revealed. "The inclusion date is June 26th. Why is this important? The Russell 1000 is the most widely tracked index globally... All portfolio managers globally benchmarked to the Russell 1000—totaling over $4 trillion—will have to decide whether to hold Bitmine."
Using presentation charts, Lee explained that holding shares of active corporate validators significantly outperforms buying spot cryptocurrency directly. Over a benchmark six-month period, holding plain spot ETH returned 22%, while Bitmine's staking architecture delivered a 500% return for investors.
In Lee's view, the massive structural growth from corporate staking and AI utility completely overshadows any temporary market fears. "If you're bearish today, you're selling at the bottom," Lee concluded. "Let me say it again, if you're bearish on Bitcoin and Ethereum today, you're bearish at the bottom."
