Tom Lee Sees Ethereum at $7K–$9K by 2026,as BitMine Stakes $1B ETH

Tom Lee said Ethereum could reach between $7,000 and $9,000 by early 2026, citing long-term structural demand rather than short-term price momentum. He said recent volatility does not alter Ethereum’s role in financial infrastructure. Lee framed the outlook around tokenization, settlement efficiency, and growing institutional use across global markets.

In a recent CNBC interview, Lee stated that the crypto market had felt pressure following a liquidation event in October 2025. He compared the episode to previous disruptions that had temporarily reduced liquidity. Those typically take weeks for market participants to normalize, said Lee The current phase, he said, is a recovery and not a not fundamental breakdown

Tokenization Drives Ethereum’s Utility Case

Traditional finance is also increasingly concentrating on the tokenization of assets, he added. This change is being propelled by efficiency gains, rather than speculation.. He cited interest from major financial institutions looking into blockchain-based settlement systems. In his view, Ethereum benefits directly from this trend due to its established network and on-chain activity.

Lee said that Ethereum’s usage makes it easy for him to argue for its value. That demand that’s connected to real-world use is more stable than cycle-driven rallies, he said. All of these factors lead him to believe that there is potential for Ethereum to be trading considerably higher a year from now. A longer term adoption could also support additional upside past 2026, he added.

BitMine Expands ETH Staking Holdings

Yet BitMine Immersion has been aggressive in ramping up its Ethereum staking commitment. In an X post, analytical platform Lookonchain revelaed that the company staked 342,560 ETH, or $1 billion over two days. The move is one of the largest corporate staking moves in recent years.

BitMine has disclosed in its filing that it was in possession of more than four million ETH. That’s equivalent to about 3.4% the circulating supply of Ethereum. On-Chain data shows Ethereum balance rose even further with the firm continuing to accumulate ETH over the week.

Ethereum staking helps the network keep proof-of-stake running. Validators lock up ETH to secure the network by validating transactions and form a consensus. In exchange, participants receive their share of staking rewards. BitMine’s action marks a significant portion of its treasury transitioning from passive holding to active network participation.

The staking is associated with BitMine’s Made in America Validator Network (MAVAN). The firm has evaluated several institutional staking providers. It highlighted security, operational stability and reward performance. A pilot program is being run live with 3 partners chosen to track real-time performance.

BitMine intends to evaluate the pilot results before the commitment of additional ETH. The full MAVAN launch is scheduled for early 2026. The platform is built for native Ethereum staking and long term value creation rather than short term trading exposure.