Ethereum Treasury Company BitMine ($BMNR) has added another 32,977 ETH at a value of around $105 million, in the first 8 days of 2026 alone. Now, the company’s total ETH exposure has pushed past $13.2 billion, out of which the company has staked ETH worth $2.62 billion, making it one of the largest institutional holders of ETH.
Tom Lee’s associated firm, BitMine, has always had an “Ethereum-first” treasury strategy and rather than holding ETH idle, the company is deploying it into its expanding validator operations. It simply means – adding to both its staking footprint and recurring yield base.
Over the past 18 months, BitMine has transformed itself into a de facto Ethereum treasury vehicle. In December 2025, BitMine purchased another 13,412 ETH for $2.44 million.
With the current purchase, BitMine now holds 3-3.4% of the total ETH circulating supply. And the firm shows no signs of stopping.
TOM LEE BOUGHT ANOTHER $100M $ETH
Tom Lee’s Bitmine bought another $105.3M $ETH over the past week, bringing their total holdings to $13.23 BILLION. Bitmine staked $1.46 Billion of Ethereum last week, and now holds 3.43% of the supply.
Tom Lee is still buying and staking $ETH. pic.twitter.com/mLNA6A2EBT
— Arkham (@arkham) January 7, 2026
In Q4 2025, the Ethereum price (ETH USD) saw a 26% pullback. However, recently it surged above the critical $3,000 level after the news to $3091, as traders debated whether this represented a strong vote of confidence or just another large whale move.
BitMine’s ETH acquisition has reinforced the idea of Ethereum as a long-term asset.
Ethereum is evolving too.
BitMine Immersion Technologies @BitMNR now holds ~4.11M ETH and is expanding into staking and validator infrastructure – moving from passive holding to yield.
This is what the next phase of institutional adoption looks like.https://t.co/prNGGPRgU9
— Bitfinex (@bitfinex) January 8, 2026
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Vitalik Butern Says ETH Is Like BitTorrent And Linux
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has once again sparked debate across crypto after comparing ETH to two internet-era giants: BitTorrent and Linux. The comments frame Ethereum not just as a “smart contract chain,” but as an attempt to become foundational infrastructure- similar to how BitTorrent reshaped file distribution and Linux became the backbone of modern computing.
On 8 January 2026, Buterin said, “BitTorrent represents decentralization and scalability, while Linux exemplifies open-source software, public trust, and widespread adoption.”
Though BitTorrent and Linux are not typical “altcoins.” BitTorrent does have a crypto token today (BTT), but the original BitTorrent concept predates crypto by years, while Linux is an open-source operating system used globally. Still, the analogies are useful. They bring Ethereum’s long-term narrative to light – decentralization that can scale, plus open-source trust that can win mainstream adoption.
These Altcoins Are Experiencing Sharp Rises Today! The Reason Could Be Ethereum (ETH) Founder Vitalik Buterin!https://t.co/3QmZJqQOEA
— Bitcoin Sistemi EN (@btcsistemiEN) January 2, 2026
If BitTorrent represents a model for decentralization distribution at scale, Linux represents something else: open-source legitimacy and adoption by major institutions.
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The post Crypto News Today: BitMine’s Ethereum Exposure Pushes Past $13.2B With Fresh $105M Purchase appeared first on 99Bitcoins.
