BitMine has bolstered its Ethereum holdings with a $65 million purchase, with Chairman Tom Lee calling itt a “1971 moment” for Ethereum, a structural inflection he believes will reshape institutional engagement.
Key Takeaways:
- BitMine acquired $65M worth of ETH, signaling a bold strategic move into building an Ethereum corporate treasury.
- Tom Lee believes historical parallelism to 1971’s transformative U.S. monetary shift, which he implies Ethereum may now enter mainstream financial constructs.
- ETH price modestly up as of 7:00 UTC, trading around $4,378.8, a slight gain of 1.7% in the day.
Earlier today, September 4, 2025, BitMine purchased $65 million worth of Ethereum, reinforcing its position as a major corporate crypto treasury holder. This follows months of aggressive accumulation by the company, which is increasingly stacking ETH as part of its balance sheet strategy, which is now often done by other institutional explorers.
Via Arkham Intelligence, a blockchain analytics platform, Lookonchain flagged the token accumulation in their X post earlier today, emphasizing that institutions ”keep buying $ETH” as Falcon X also made an ETH purchase worth $293M on the same day.
BitMine accumulated a total of 14,665 ETH, which equates to roughly $65.3 million, in six separate transactions from Galaxy Digital.
BitMine’s $65M worth of ETH purchase on Thursday, September 4, 2025. Source: Arkham Intelligence
Chairman Tom Lee Frames Ethereum as a Monetary Inflection
Meanwhile, Chairman Tom Lee seized attention by likening the moment to “1971”, the year the U.S. broke the gold standard, suggesting the token purchase could be viewed as a comparable pivot for Ethereum’s integration into institutional finance.
Tom Lee appeared as a guest on a podcast titled Medici Presents: Level Up, where he emphasized ETH’s potential of reaching $60,000 range in the long term. This is also where he said that ETH gaining the interest of Wall Street might become a “1971 moment.”
Wall Street moving onto crypto rails I think is like a 1971 moment for Ethereum. So I think it’s creating enormous opportunities to move a lot of things onto the blockchain. And Ethereum won’t be just the only winner, but it’s one of the primary winners. Lee said to his co-host David Grider.
Ethereum Market Reaction Remains Muted
As of this writing (7:00 UTC, September 4, 2025), Ethereum is trading around $4,378.8, with a modest daily increase of approximately 1.7% while spanning an intraday range of $4,296.53 to $4,486.12, according to TradingView and CoinGecko’s real-time market data.
While the price movement is not dramatic, analysts highlight that consistent institutional purchases like this one can gradually strengthen investor sentiment and liquidity in crypto exchanges, potentially paving the way for longer-term appreciation.
Institutional Confidence in ETH Grows
BitMine’s ETH accumulation is not an isolated case. In July, news of its Ethereum-focused strategy and Tom Lee’s leadership drove a 3,000% rally in its stock price, later stabilizing near +20% gains. Coupled with renewed institutional participation from firms such as Founders Fund, the move underscores the perception of Ethereum as a core asset in modern crypto portfolios, valued for both smart contracts utility and long-term store of value potential.
Outlook: Ethereum’s Institutional Phase May Just Be Starting
BitMine’s $65 million Ethereum purchase, paired with Tom Lee’s bold “1971 moment” comparison, positions the asset as increasingly integral to institutional strategies. If other corporations adopt similar investing strategies, ETH could transition from its current modest reaction into a new phase of accumulation-driven momentum. Investors and analysts alike will be watching for further treasury disclosures and on-chain data to gauge whether Ethereum is indeed at the dawn of its institutional era.
Summary
BitMine acquired 14,665 ETH (~$65M) in six transactions from Galaxy Digital, further cementing its role as a leading Ethereum corporate treasury. Chairman Tom Lee compared the moment to 1971’s gold standard exit, framing Ethereum’s growing institutional adoption as a structural inflection point. While ETH’s price reaction was modest (~$4,379, +1.7% daily), analysts highlight that steady institutional accumulation builds long-term support. Combined with BitMine’s prior treasury strategy and stock rally, the purchase underscores Ethereum’s emerging role in institutional portfolios.
