2026-05-17 20:00:48
BitMine Buys Another $197 Million In Ethereum As Tom Lee’s 5% ETH Strategy Presses On
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On-chain data is pointing to another interesting accumulation move by Tom Lee’s BitMine Immersion Technologies, with a whale tracker flagging a $197.64 million Ethereum purchase routed through four newly created wallets. Related Reading: XRP Records Biggest Spike In Network Usage In 2 Months The latest Ethereum buy has come during a period of weakness, which has seen the Ethereum price losing $2,300, and $2,100 is now in focus. BitMine Adds 89,026 ETH As Treasury Accumulation Continues On-chain analytics firm Lookonchain flagged a series of transactions suggesting that BitMine, the cryptocurrency mining and treasury firm chaired by prominent investor Tom Lee, may have quietly acquired an additional 89,026 ETH valued at approximately $197.64 million at current market prices. According to Lookonchain, the funds were routed through four newly created wallet addresses, which received the ETH from major exchanges Kraken and FalconX. Lookonchain noted that the wallets were created shortly before the transfers. The image shared with the transaction data shows a 25,000 ETH transfer from Kraken worth about $55.67 million, three separate 15,000 ETH transfers from FalconX worth about $33.3 million each, and another Kraken transfer of about 19,026 ETH worth $42.28 million. BitMine had slowed its ether purchases in the week ending May 11, buying 26,659 ETH worth approximately $63 million, about a quarter of its recent average weekly pace. Chairman Tom Lee said the firm was moderating its buying as it approached its long-term goal of owning 5% of Ethereum’s total supply. The company has spent the past year building one of the most interesting Ethereum treasury strategies. In its May 11 update, BitMine said it held 5,206,790 ETH, alongside 201 BTC, $775 million in cash, and other holdings. BitMine also revealed that about 4.71 million ETH of its holdings were staked, worth about $11.1 billion. Interestingly, the staking has so far been profitable, with the company also noting its annualized staking revenues have reached $319 million and a 7-day annualized yield of 2.86% from its own staking operations. An Ethereum OG Buys The Dip BitMine is not the only significant player quietly accumulating. On-chain data tracked by Lookonchain reveals that a long-tenured Ethereum early adopter, known as an OG in the community, has returned to the market amid the recent price weakness. According to Lookonchain, this wallet received 11,005 ETH from ShapeShift a decade ago at an entry price of just $3.46 per token. Over a year ago, those holdings were sold for 30.56 million USDC at $2,777, realizing a profit of $30.5 million and an 803x return on the original position. As the market drops, an #EthereumOG who made $30.5M(803x return) is buying the dip on $ETH! 10 years ago, this OG received 11,005 $ETH from ShapeShift at just $3.46 each. Over a year ago, he sold them for 30.56M $USDC at $2,777, making $30.5M in profit – an 803x return. Today,… pic.twitter.com/4N2o9qNpvd — Lookonchain (@lookonchain) May 16, 2026 Now, with ETH prices declining, the same wallet has re-entered the market, deploying 4.26 million USDC to purchase 1,951 ETH at approximately $2,182 per token. Interestingly, Lookonchain noted that the wallet may continue buying. Related Reading: Warren Zeroes In On Crypto Deal Structure As $75M Loan Draws Attention At the time of writing, Ethereum is trading at $2,180. Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView