Ethereum Poised for Institutional Breakout, Says Fundstrat’s Tom Lee
Ethereum could be entering a breakout phase as Wall Street turns its attention to the blockchain’s real-world utility, according to Tom Lee, co-founder of Fundstrat and chairman of Ethereum-focused firm Bitmine Immersion Technologies.
Speaking to CoinDeskTV, Lee said stablecoins have become crypto’s equivalent of a “ChatGPT moment” — a technological inflection point driving mass adoption. “Stablecoins have proven to be a simple, scalable payment alternative,” Lee noted. “That’s resonating with banks, merchants, and consumers.”
Ethereum currently accounts for more than half of the nearly $250 billion stablecoin market, positioning it as a foundational layer for the next phase of institutional crypto adoption. “Wall Street is looking for a chain that is both compliant and proven,” Lee said. “Ethereum fits both criteria — and it already hosts a growing share of tokenized real-world assets.”
While Bitcoin remains the flagship asset for digital gold narratives, Lee believes Ethereum could outperform in the coming years due to its growing use case in financial tokenization and decentralized applications.
Fundstrat has placed a $4,000 near-term target on ETH, with Lee suggesting its fair value could range between $10,000 and $15,000 by the end of 2025. “We believe Ethereum is deeply undervalued. For corporate treasuries, accumulating a token with 10x upside potential is a compelling strategy.”
Bitmine Immersion Technologies (BMNR), formerly a bitcoin mining firm, has realigned its strategy under Lee’s leadership to focus on ETH accumulation. Last week, the firm disclosed it now holds over 300,000 ETH in spot and derivative exposure — currently worth more than $1 billion.
