The role of institutional investors in the cryptocurrency market has become increasingly prominent, particularly with the rise of innovative treasury companies. Ethereum, a leading cryptocurrency second only to Bitcoin, is being heavily targeted by these new market entrants, predominantly institutional investors. Recent on-chain data reveals that this class of investors has ramped up their Ethereum acquisitions, leading to the purchase of billions of dollars’ worth of ETH within the last month.
What Drives Institutional Interest in Ethereum?
A recent analysis shared on the X platform highlighted that various unidentified institutional players have purchased over 1.035 million ETH tokens, amounting to roughly $4.167 billion since mid-July 2025. Prominent exchanges such as Kraken, FalconX, Galaxy Digital, Binance, and Coinbase facilitated much of this activity, according to the analytics firm EmberCN.
These findings suggest that many of these Ethereum holdings may belong to corporations and institutions accumulating assets for strategic purposes. Notably, the public company SharpLink Gaming is not included in this analysis due to its transparent transactions.
SharpLink’s noteworthy Ethereum accumulation journey has been spotlighted recently, reportedly aiming to increase its ETH treasury to an impressive $5 billion. This strategic move signals confidence in Ethereum’s long-term viability as a key digital asset.
As institutional purchasing accelerates, Ethereum’s price movements reflect this trend, with the cryptocurrency jumping from $2,600 to above $4,000—marking a staggering increase of over 45% in just 30 days. The average purchase price for these transactions has been noted at approximately $3,546, further indicating the growth potential observed by institutional players.
At present, Ethereum is valued around $4,260, having registered an over 5% rise in the past 24 hours. CoinGecko data reveals that the second-largest cryptocurrency has appreciated by more than 25% in the previous week alone.
High-Stakes Moves from Influential Investors
Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX, recently announced that he has purchased back all of his previously sold Ethereum tokens following a substantial market rise. Data indicates that Hayes had sold 2,373 ETH (valued at $8.32 million during the sale) at around $3,507.
Since that sale, Ethereum’s price has climbed over 20%, prompting Hayes to re-enter the market. On August 9, he acquired new ETH tokens, investing around $10.5 million worth of USDC at a price near $4,150.
In his public statement, Hayes humorously addressed his actions, seeking forgiveness from investment analyst Tom Lee, stating:
Had to buy it all back, do you forgive me @fundstrat? (referring to Tom Lee, the chief investment officer at Fundstrat Capital and head of research at FS Insight). I pinky swear, I’ll never take profit again.
