Ethereum (ETH), institutional funds pouring in… Companies such as Bit Digital are buying in large numbers

Institutional investors are turning their eyes to Ethereum (ETH) instead of Bitcoin (BTC). As its utility in the real economy, ETF inflows, and role in tokenized finance strengthen, ETH's position is growing. The recently surged corporate ETH buying has further fueled this trend. The most notable case is Bit Digital's comprehensive strategic shift. After recently raising funds of about 239 billion won (17.2 million dollars), the company converted all its assets to ETH. The currently held Ethereum amounts to 100,603, evaluated as one of the largest among listed companies. The company CEO told CNBC that "Ethereum is a next-generation strategic asset", suggesting that the developer ecosystem, tokenization, and stablecoin demand will drive long-term value. The Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC) in Cannes, France, also drew industry attention. This city famous for its film festival has transformed into a blockchain hub. Particularly, Robinhood led ETH ecosystem expansion by launching a tokenized US stock service based on Arbitrum for European users. Following this news, Robinhood's stock price broke through 100 dollars. Traditional financial sectors are also spreading Ethereum-based solutions. Deutsche Bank is developing a platform to tokenize real assets, funds, and stablecoins on ZkSync, an Ethereum Layer 2, while Coinbase and Kraken are preparing tokenized stock trading services. BlackRock's BUIDL fund also provides real-time yield products on Ethereum. According to data provider CoinGecko, about 65% of USD Coin (USDC) is currently transferred on Ethereum, with nearly half the market share of stablecoins. This reliability provides differentiated competitiveness from faster new chains. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said, "Institutions prioritize reliability, privacy, and long-term stability over speed." Corporate ETH buying is also intensifying. SharpLink recently purchased 188,478 ETH (about 49 billion won), Bit Digital secured 100,000 ETH worth about 260 billion won, and BitMine plans to additionally buy ETH worth about 250 billion won. Consequently, the ETH held by these three companies reaches 388,000, far exceeding the monthly issuance of 70,000. Funds are also flowing into Ethereum ETFs. Coinglass reported continuous ETH ETF net inflows for two consecutive months. The current asset size is 11 billion dollars (about 15.29 trillion won), which is small compared to Bitcoin's 138 billion dollars (about 191.2 trillion won), but gradually narrowing the gap. Glassnode revealed that the ETH spot ETF has raised funds for 8 consecutive weeks, with over 61,000 ETH inflows. In terms of market price, Ethereum is showing a rebound trend. It has risen about 3% in the past week, with ETH-linked stocks also showing concurrent strength. BitMine Immersion's stock price surged 1,200% after ETH conversion, Bit Digital rose over 34% in a week, and SharpLink's stock price soared 28% in a day after additional ETH purchase. Market analyst Carl Moon pointed out that ETH needs to break through 2,700 dollars (about 3.75 million won) for a full-scale price rally to begin. Currently, ETH is at 2,553 dollars (about 3.55 million won), slightly down in the past 24 hours. The institutional shift towards Ethereum is not a short-term trend. Considering its practical financial tool utility, reliability, and developer base, Ethereum is evaluated to be on a long-term growth path. Beyond Bitcoin's digital gold image, it is emerging as an 'economy-linked asset'.