Arthur Hayes boldly claims that Ethereum will surge to $20,000! After reducing his position by $13.35 million, he takes the opposite position to buy the dip, while Tom Lee's BitMine co-invests $220 million to increase the position.

Arthur Hayes recently confirmed the repurchase of Ethereum after reducing his holdings of $13.35 million in crypto assets, predicting that ETH will big pump to $20,000 in this cycle. His viewpoint received a positive response from Tom Lee's crypto investment company BitMine— which invested $220 million to increase its holdings by 52,475 ETH, bringing its total holdings to 1.57 million (worth $6.6 billion). Institutional holdings data reveals that corporate groups currently hold a total of 4.1 million ETH, accounting for 3.39% of the circulating supply.

Big shot bets: Why does Hayes "overweight Ethereum"?

After selling 2,373 ETH (worth 8.32 million USD) and tokens like PEPE and ENA, Hayes suddenly reversed to buy the dip on ETH. He provided three bullish reasons:

1. Institutional funds pouring in: corporate treasury continuously allocating digital assets
2. Ecological status is stable: Compared to other public chains like Solana, the institutional demand for ETH is stronger.
3. Macroeconomic policies are favorable: Voters are concerned about economic welfare, and growth policies may stimulate the asset market.

In addition, although he acknowledges that Solana also has room for rise, he clearly states "overweight Ethereum".

Institutional Collaboration: The Strategic Intent Behind BitMine's $220 Million Follow-On Investment

BitMine, a company under Tom Lee, is taking concrete action in response to Hayes' prophecy:

• Recent operations: Paid $220 million to increase holdings of 52,475 ETH
• Total Holdings: Accumulated 1.57 million ETH, valued at 6.6 billion USD, ranking among the largest corporate Ethereum holders.
• Signal significance: Despite BlackRock's recent sale of $25.4 billion in ETH, BitMine chose to increase its Holdings against the trend.

Coinbase Asset Management CIO Eric Peters agreed, stating that "the entire financial system will migrate to the Ethereum base layer."

Data support: Enterprises hold 4.1 million ETH as a price ballast.

On-chain data shows that institutional holdings have become an important stabilizer in the market:

• Total scale: Corporate groups hold a total of 4.1 million ETH, valued at 17 billion USD.
• Proportion: equivalent to 3.39% of the circulating supply.
• Trend: More institutions view ETH as a reliable reserve asset

The current ETH price hovers around 4300 USD, slightly retreating from this month's historical high, with a 32% decrease in 24-hour trading volume reflecting the market's wait-and-see sentiment.

Risk Warning: The assumptions behind the high target price

Hayes' prediction of $20,000 relies on multiple conditions:

1. Macroeconomic Environment: The Federal Reserve's policy shifts to easing
2. Policy Support: The Trump administration continues the crypto-friendly policy.
3. Ecological Development: Breakthrough Progress in Layer 2 Scaling and RWA Tokenization

If the above conditions are not met as expected, ETH may find it difficult to achieve the target rise.

Conclusion

Institutional giants are engaging in a new round of games on the Ethereum battlefield: Hayes's aggressive predictions and BitMine's substantial investment reflect traditional capital's long-term optimism towards the blockchain infrastructure layer. Although facing profit-taking pressure from institutions like BlackRock in the short term, the total of $17 billion in ETH holdings has become an important price support. Investors need to pay attention to two major catalysts in the third quarter: the progress of ETH ETF approvals and the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy trends, as these factors will determine whether Ethereum can start its sprint towards the $20,000 target.