BitMine Adds 48,049 Ethereum, Total Holdings Reach 3.97 Million ETH

Highlights:

• BitMine increased Ethereum holdings, now owning nearly 3.97 million ETH worth $11.6 billion.
• Chairman Tom Lee urges investors to stay positive and focus on long-term growth.
• BitMine remains the top corporate Ethereum holder, far ahead of other public companies.

BitMine Immersion Technologies, co-founded by Tom Lee, has recently added roughly 48,049 ETH to its holdings, worth around $140 million, EmberCN and Lookonchain reported.  The firm made this purchase as Ethereum prices continued to decline across global markets.

BitMine Grows Ethereum Treasury to $11.6B as Price Drops

BitMine now holds about 3,967,210 ETH at an average price of $3,074 each. This makes their total holdings worth around $11.6 billion. It puts BitMine among the largest corporate holders of Ethereum in the world. The company has been buying Ethereum steadily this year. In the first half of December alone, it added 240,711 ETH. BitMine wants to hold 5% of Ethereum’s total supply. They see this as a long-term investment, not a short-term bet.

以太坊最大的财库公司 Bitmine (BMNR) 在今天继续增持了 ETH：
4 小时前从 FalconX 收到 48,049 枚 ETH ($1.4 亿)。https://t.co/jjNeeSKIR0https://t.co/tuCmEEIS5P

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本文由 @Bitget 赞助｜Bitget VIP，费率更低，福利更狠 https://t.co/vOiXbZllWI pic.twitter.com/r0mY9rFXuY

— 余烬 (@EmberCN) December 17, 2025

BitMine Chairman Tom Lee also spoke with investors, encouraging them to have faith in the crypto space. He was optimistic that the developments being seen in Washington and its growing acceptance by Wall Street analysts are enough reasons to buy more Ethereum, despite the prices going lower than $3,000. “These strengthen our conviction that the best days for crypto are ahead and why we continue to accumulate ETH towards our ‘alchemy of 5%’ target,” he added.

Other public companies are also buying Ethereum, but BitMine remains the leader. According to CoinGecko’s Ethereum Treasury Tracker, BitMine holds nearly 3.97 million ETH, about 3.29% of the total supply. The second-largest holder is SharpLink Gaming with 859,853 ETH (0.71%). Ether Machine follows with 496,712 ETH (0.41%).

Ethereum is now trading at $2,848, down 3% in the past 24 hours. The market is under pressure, but BitMine’s actions show a long-term focus on accumulating Ethereum. The company’s stock also slipped 1.52% to $29.83, gaining 515.98% over six months. Investors seem encouraged by BitMine’s steady buying and growing Ethereum holdings.

Debate Grows Over Ethereum and XRP Future

Meanwhile, debate over Ethereum’s future continues. YoungHoon Kim, who claims an IQ of 276, suggested that XRP could surpass Ethereum in market value by 2026. He noted that this was his personal view, not financial advice.

In my view, #XRP could surpass the market cap of #ETH by 2026. (NFA / DYOR)

— YoungHoon Kim, IQ 276 (@yhbryankimiq) December 17, 2025

Kim’s forecast is also in line with comments made earlier this year by Austin King, Harvard-educated engineer and co-founder of the Omni Foundation. King cited structural problems that might confine the growth of Ethereum. King observed that the growth of Ethereum has drifted away from its deflationary model.

Increased activity on Layer 2 networks has made Ethereum inflationary, meaning its total supply is rising instead of decreasing. These perspectives have fueled debate over the future positions of Ethereum and XRP in the crypto market.

King highlighted XRP’s fixed supply of 100 billion tokens and its role in cross-border payments and asset tokenization. While Ripple releases about 200 million XRP monthly, he noted it is still more stable than Ethereum. To surpass Ethereum’s market value, XRP would need a significant price increase. King estimated that if Ethereum stays near current levels, XRP could reach around $6 to overtake it.