BitMine deposits 460,000 ETH in four days, institutions continue to increase holdings, Ethereum momentum remains strong

On the early morning of December 31, on-chain monitoring data showed that Ethereum treasury company BitMine has once again executed a large-scale staking operation, depositing 118,944 ETH into the Ethereum proof-of-stake staking contract. Based on the transaction price at the time, this is worth approximately $352 million.

Meanwhile, the company also increased its holdings by 32,938 ETH through institutional trading service provider FalconX, valued at about $97.6 million.

01 Whale Action

BitMine’s Ethereum holdings and staking operations have become one of the most closely watched institutional moves in the recent cryptocurrency market. Since initiating its first large-scale staking on December 27, the company has, in just four days, staked a total of 461,504 ETH into Ethereum’s PoS staking network.

This accumulated staking amount, estimated at recent Ethereum prices, has a total value of approximately $1.368 billion, signaling a significant market indicator.

On-chain analysis further reveals that this over 460,000 ETH staked accounts for only about 11.2% of BitMine’s current 4.11 million ETH total holdings. This indicates that the company possesses an extremely large reserve of Ethereum assets, and its current staking activity may just be the beginning of its long-term profit strategy.

02 Market Impact

Such large-scale and continuous staking activities have multiple direct effects on the Ethereum network and market. The most immediate effect is the reduction of ETH’s circulating supply.

Over 460,000 ETH are locked in staking contracts, meaning this portion of assets will exit market circulation before being unstaked. Under unchanged or increasing demand, this reduction in supply can potentially support the price.

This series of actions conveys a strong long-term bullish confidence to the market. BitMine is not engaging in short-term trading but is instead acquiring assets through compliant channels (such as FalconX) and immediately staking them to gain long-term network benefits.

This “buy and stake” model is a typical long-term value investment strategy rather than short-term arbitrage. Analysts estimate that, with an annualized staking yield of about 3.12%, the assets staked by BitMine could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in ETH rewards annually.

03 Institutional Trend

BitMine’s actions are not isolated; they reflect a broader institutional adoption trend. Large entities are incorporating Ethereum and other crypto assets into their balance sheets and transforming them into productive assets through staking and other methods.

This shift from “simple holding” to “active management for yield” marks the maturity and strategic deepening of crypto market participants.

For ordinary investors, the continued entry and locking of assets by such institutions may indicate a change in the underlying market volatility structure. The long-term holdings of whales reduce available circulating supply, potentially giving the price stronger upward momentum during bullish cycles.

04 Industry Ecosystem

Against the backdrop of the entire Ethereum ecosystem actively seeking breakthroughs, institutional bets are particularly significant. Ethereum underwent major upgrades in 2025 aimed at enhancing scalability, security, and decentralization, with more significant improvements planned for 2026.

These technological developments, especially those focusing on parallel transaction processing and enhanced privacy and censorship resistance, are key fundamentals attracting long-term capital.

Meanwhile, the regulatory environment for the entire crypto industry became clearer in 2025. Progress in regulation of stablecoins and other areas across multiple jurisdictions worldwide has provided more explicit compliance pathways for institutional participants like BitMine.

The increased transparency in regulation is one of the key drivers encouraging traditional financial institutions to deepen their involvement in the crypto market.

05 Asset Strategy

On mainstream trading platforms like Gate, investors can easily access the Ethereum ecosystem. GT is Gate’s platform token, and as of December 31, its price was around $10.31.

By participating in activities related to the Gate platform, such as contract point airdrops, users have opportunities to earn additional rewards beyond trading.

For investors interested in Ethereum staking trends, besides directly holding ETH, they can also explore financial products or services related to staking yields. However, any investment decision should be based on thorough research of the project, market risks, and personal financial circumstances.

Before making a choice, it is crucial to carefully assess your own risk tolerance.

Future Outlook

BitMine has staked ETH worth $1.368 billion, leaving a clear institutional footprint on the Ethereum blockchain.

As Ethereum’s network upgrades in 2025 and regulatory frameworks improve gradually, traditional capital is increasingly allocating crypto assets as core assets capable of generating sustained returns.

As more institutions emulate BitMine’s “buy and stake” strategy, hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars of liquidity will quietly be withdrawn from the circulating market, consolidating as a foundation supporting network security. This structural change may be reshaping Ethereum’s value logic.