jakiro
From Tom Lee’s many interviews, we can probably see the core logic of his long-term optimism about Ethereum:
1. Ethereum is the core settlement layer of the future financial foundation.
ETH is not only a digital currency, but also the infrastructure for building and operating DeFi, stablecoins, NFTs, on-chain markets, RWA, etc.Especially in terms of RWA, this will be the biggest narrative in the future.Wall Street is chaining trillions of assets (bonds/stocks, etc.) to Ethereum. Ethereum, as the dominant settlement layer, will generate a lot of demand and drive up the value of ETH.Tokenization is not a short-term hype, but a structural shift that will drive a bull run for ETH independent of BTC.
2. Institutional adoption and ecological maturity.
Currently, there are approximately 4 million BTC wallets in the world holding assets exceeding US$10,000, while there are approximately 900 million stock/pension accounts worldwide holding similar amounts, a gap of more than 200 times.In comparison, crypto adoption is still in its early stages; Ethereum has the strongest developer community; and the Ethereum network is the most robust.
In addition, unlike BTC, ETH has actual utility, such as pledge income, DeFi, etc., which makes it more suitable for long-term holding by institutions.
3. Non-consensus opportunities.
Tom Lee has always liked “non-consensus” investing (made 100x in telecom stocks in the 90s as a young man).Currently many OGs (early players) find crypto “boring” and move to AI or stocks, but this is precisely because they have matured, while the industry is still in its infancy – and a new group of investors is about to pour in.
4. It’s not just talk but not action, it’s talk and action.
BitMine (BMNR) is the world’s largest ETH treasury company, and Tom Lee is its chairman. BitMine already holds approximately 3.86 million ETH (accounting for approximately 3.2% of the total supply), with a target of 5%.In December 2025, BitMine continued to buy ETH in large quantities (even if the price fluctuated), and had a cash reserve of US$1 billion + staking income.
(Note: In fact, 3.2% is already a lot, 5% is slightly more)
Tom Lee’s price prediction part (you don’t need to take this part too seriously, after all, price prediction is God’s business)
• The most “crazy” long-term goal: If the ETH/BTC ratio returns to 0.25, ETH can reach $62,000 (extreme scenario, based on super cycle).
• A more realistic 2026 target: $7,000–$9,000 (2026), or even $20,000 (if tokenization explodes).
• He believes that ETH has bottomed out at the end of 2025/early 2026 and there may be short-term fluctuations, but 2026 will be a “big year” for the L1 chain (especially ETH).
