Famous investor and Fundstrat co-founder Tom Lee predicts that banks will buy Ethereum (ETH) not only for speculative gains but also to secure their infrastructure. Lee states that this strategy will initiate institutional-level Ethereum accumulation, similar to MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin investments. According to Lee, the financial sector and the cryptocurrency world will become increasingly intertwined by 2025. The basis of this convergence is stablecoins, which are rapidly being adopted and used by both consumers and large institutions. The majority of these stablecoins are built on the Ethereum infrastructure. Lee, who says, “ETH is the backbone of the stablecoin ecosystem,” argues that banks will aim to ensure the security of the network by investing in Ethereum. Lee predicts that stablecoins will be one of the key components of the future banking infrastructure. Stating that especially large banks such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan will start issuing their own stablecoins using the ETH network, Lee stated that these institutions will contribute to network security by staking Ethereum. In the Ethereum network, which operates with the Proof-of-Stake (PoS) mechanism, institutions that stake ETH on the network become transaction validators, which both ensures network security and provides income to the staking institutions. According to Lee, this will play a critical role, especially in ensuring the security of stablecoins. Lee also said that Ethereum currently hosts 51% of stablecoins and 30% of network fees come from stablecoin transactions. He stated that this situation will further increase the dominance of the US dollar in global finance. “If the stablecoin market reaches $2 trillion from $250 billion, transaction fees and therefore returns on the ETH network will also increase exponentially,” he said. Bitmine Immersion, a company led by Lee, has launched a $250 million private investment round in line with this strategy. All funds raised will be used to purchase ETH. Investors include leading institutions in both traditional finance and crypto, such as Founders Fund, Kraken, Galaxy Digital, and Pantera. The company’s strategy will be evaluated based on the amount of Ethereum earned per share. It is also expected that the company’s value will increase over time through methods such as generating returns by staking Ethereum, financing transactions with ETH in hand, and increasing the price of Ethereum. *This is not investment advice.