I recently learned about Tom Lee, one of the most interesting figures in today’s finance and crypto world. He’s not just some ordinary name—he’s known as the “Wall Street numerologist” for his ability to forecast market trends based on data.

Tom Lee was born into a Korean immigrant family in Michigan and graduated from Wharton with a major in finance and accounting. His career began in the 1990s at Kidder Peabody, then he worked at Salomon Smith Barney, before joining JPMorgan in 1999. From 2007 to 2014, he served as Chief Equity Strategist. Notably, he has always been steadfast about data, and he wasn’t afraid to confront others—such as when he issued a report in 2002 that questioned the integrity of Nextel’s finances.

What I find truly impressive, however, is Tom Lee’s shift into the crypto space. In 2014, he co-founded Fundstrat Global Advisors, an independent research organization that manages assets exceeding $1.5 billion. He’s become well known for accurate calls—for example, forecasting the V-shaped recovery of the U.S. stock market after the 2020 pandemic, and predicting that the S&P 500 would reach 5,200 points in 2024 (which has come true).

In the cryptocurrency field, Tom Lee was the first Wall Street strategist to introduce Bitcoin into mainstream valuation models. In 2017, he published a Bitcoin valuation framework as an alternative to gold, proposing that Bitcoin could partially replace gold, with a central forecast of $20,300 in 2022.

By 2025, Tom Lee serves as Chairman of the board at BitMine Immersion Technologies (BMNR), pushing the company to shift from Bitcoin mining to an Ethereum reserve strategy. The goal is to hold 5% of the total Ethereum supply, and by August 2025, the company had already accumulated more than 833,000 ETH, worth approximately $3 billion.

Why is Tom Lee so bullish on Ethereum? He believes this is the biggest macro trading opportunity in the next 10–15 years. First, stablecoins are booming—the market has surpassed $2.5 trillion, and more than 50% are issued on Ethereum, accounting for about 30% of the network’s transaction fees. Tom Lee predicts the stablecoin market will grow to $2–4 trillion, which will drive increased usage and higher fees for Ethereum.

Second, the convergence of traditional finance and AI. Ethereum, as a smart contract platform that supports on-chain finance, tokenized assets, and AI-driven applications, will become the infrastructure connecting these two worlds.

Third, institutional participation. Wall Street is participating in the consensus through staking Ethereum—like a “governance gateway,” not just simple buying and selling. BitMine’s strategy of issuing shares and staking profits will increase net asset value per share.

Overall, Tom Lee is building a long-term vision for Ethereum’s role in the future of finance. That’s why he’s making a big bet on this cryptocurrency.