Who Just Dropped $1 Billion on Ethereum? Mystery Whale Fuels Rally Past $4,000

A shadowy institutional player just went all-in on Ethereum—triggering a market frenzy as ETH smashes through $4,000. Here’s why Wall Street’s suddenly sweating over decentralized ledgers.

The billion-dollar question

No name, no logo—just a nine-figure buy order that lit up trading desks. Either BlackRock’s getting sneaky, or a sovereign wealth fund finally read past page one of the Bitcoin whitepaper.

Gas fees? Worth it.

Somebody paid premium network rates to move this stack fast. That’s institutional-grade FOMO—the kind that makes goldbugs mutter into their bourbon.

Watch the suits ‘discover’ DeFi now that there’s serious money on the table. (Funny how blockchain suddenly makes sense at $4K.)

TLDR

• A mysterious institution bought nearly $1 billion worth of Ether in one week, purchasing 221,166 ETH through six different wallets
• Ethereum’s market cap reached $523 billion, surpassing Mastercard’s $519 billion valuation
• Public companies added over 304,000 ETH worth $1.3 billion to their treasuries in the past week
• BitMine Immersion Technologies led corporate purchases with over 208,000 ETH worth $900 million
• Technical analysts predict ETH could reach $20,000, while Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin warns against overleveraging

An unidentified entity has purchased nearly $1 billion worth of Ethereum in just one week. The mysterious buyer acquired 221,166 ETH as the cryptocurrency rallied 21% during this period.

Data from analytics platform Lookonchain shows the institution bought $212 million worth of Ether in the past 24 hours alone. The entity uses six different wallets to store its holdings.

This mysterious institution accumulated another 49,533 $ETH($212M) today.

Over the past week, they have accumulated 221,166 $ETH($946.6M) from #FalconX, #GalaxyDigital, and #BitGo.https://t.co/k99BomKVq5 pic.twitter.com/u3j2LJ9M1H

— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) August 11, 2025

The whale tracker identified Galaxy Digital, FalconX and BitGo as the sources for these purchases. The largest wallet contains $181 million worth of Ether while the smallest holds $128 million.

This buying activity coincided with ethereum addresses holding over 10,000 ETH reaching 868,886 on Saturday. This represents the highest level in one year according to Glassnode data.

The aggressive accumulation pushed Ether past the $4,000 milestone during its recent rally. The cryptocurrency was trading at $4,332 at the time of publication.

Ethereum Market Cap Surpasses Mastercard

Ethereum’s market capitalization reached $523 billion on Monday following the 21% weekly price surge. This valuation now exceeds payments company Mastercard’s market cap of $519 billion.

The milestone represents a shift in relative market values between traditional finance and cryptocurrency sectors. Ethereum now ranks among the largest assets by market capitalization globally.

Public companies also increased their Ethereum treasury holdings during this period. More than 304,000 ETH worth over $1.3 billion was added by publicly traded firms in the past week.

BitMine Immersion Technologies led corporate purchases with over 208,000 ETH worth more than $900 million. SharpLink Gaming followed with $303 million worth of Ether acquisitions.

These corporate purchases contributed to the overall demand driving Ethereum’s price higher. The combined institutional and corporate buying created substantial upward pressure on the asset.

Technical Analysts Project Higher Prices

Technical analysts have turned optimistic on Ethereum’s price prospects following the recent breakout. Some predict the cryptocurrency could reach $20,000 for the first time in coming months.

Analyst Nilesh Verma believes ETH can hit $20,000 within six to eight months based on historical price patterns. His analysis uses previous price fractals to project future movements.

Technical analyst Merlijn The Trader also predicted Ethereum might surpass $20,000. His analysis suggests the cryptocurrency could potentially MOVE even higher beyond that level.

However, some industry figures are urging caution despite the bullish sentiment. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin expressed support for companies holding Ether in their treasuries.

Buterin cautioned that corporate adoption should not become an “overleveraged game” that could harm the asset. His warning highlights potential risks from excessive leverage in institutional adoption.

The recent price action has also restored Vitalik Buterin’s status as an “onchain billionaire” as his Ethereum holdings increased in value. This milestone coincided with Ether crossing above $4,200.