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BitMine Immersion Technologies just made one of the boldest Ethereum moves seen so far in 2026. On January 3, the company added another eighty two thousand five hundred sixty ETH to its staking position, an investment worth roughly two hundred fifty nine million dollars. With this latest move, BitMine now has more than five hundred forty four thousand ETH locked into staking, valued at around one point six two billion dollars at current prices near three thousand per ETH.
This massive staking activity is not just a headline grabber. It is already being felt across the Ethereum network. The surge in new validators has pushed the entry queue close to one million ETH, meaning anyone trying to stake now may need to wait up to seventeen days before their validators go live. That level of congestion highlights how aggressively large players are positioning for long term exposure.
BitMine began this staking push in late December and committed over half a million ETH in just over a week. Even more striking is the scale of its overall holdings. The company controls roughly four point one one million ETH, worth more than twelve billion dollars, making it the largest publicly disclosed Ethereum holder in the world. Only about thirteen percent of that treasury is currently staked, leaving plenty of room for further expansion.
This strategy reflects a deep conviction in Ethereum’s future. Since shifting its treasury focus toward ETH in mid twenty twenty five, the company has effectively become a gateway for traditional investors seeking Ethereum exposure through public markets. Its chairman, Tom Lee, has repeatedly stated his belief that ETH could climb into the seven to nine thousand dollar range in early twenty twenty six as demand accelerates from tokenization, payments, and institutional adoption.
A key part of this vision is the upcoming launch of BitMine US based validator infrastructure, scheduled for the first quarter of twenty twenty six. The goal is to run native validators at scale and turn long term ETH holdings into a steady revenue stream. At current yields of roughly two and a half to three percent, full deployment could generate more than three hundred seventy million dollars per year, or over one million dollars per day.
This wave of institutional staking shows how far Ethereum has come. Nearly thirty percent of the total ETH supply is now staked, and even with modest yields, large investors are clearly prioritizing network security and predictable returns. BitMine’s stock has already benefited from this momentum, rising alongside discussions around future growth initiatives and possible share restructuring.
While some critics worry about centralization as large holders increase their influence, others see this as proof that Ethereum is becoming a trusted asset for regulated and publicly listed companies. The growing validator queues suggest the system is working as designed, rewarding long term participants willing to commit capital and time.
BitMine aggressive bet sends a clear message. Ethereum is no longer just a speculative asset. It is becoming core infrastructure for the next phase of digital finance, and twenty twenty six may be the year that transformation becomes impossible to ignore.
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