SharpLink Gaming: The World’s Largest Corporate Holder of Ether

SharpLink Gaming, formerly a sports betting affiliate technology provider, has undergone a significant transformation to become the world’s largest corporate holder of Ether. In a recent interview, Joseph Chalom, Co-CEO of SharpLink, discussed the rationale behind this strategic overhaul, why Ethereum was chosen over other assets, and how the company plans to activate its ETH beyond simple buy-and-hold.

A New Era for SharpLink

The pivot was led by a $425 million private placement led by ConsenSys, founded by Ethereum co-creator Joseph Lubin, who also chairs SharpLink’s board of directors. With a position valued at around $1.65 billion, the company has already staked a significant portion of its holdings and is actively exploring other ways to generate yield, including restaking and selective participation in DeFi protocols.

Ethereum: The Future of Finance

As Ethereum cements its role in tokenization, stablecoins, and the broader financial stack, SharpLink is positioning itself not just as a passive holder but as a corporate operator within the Ethereum economy. In this new era, SharpLink aims to leverage its deep ties to the Ethereum ecosystem, maintain investor confidence, and build long-term value beyond speculative appreciation.

Q&A with Joseph Chalom

Why Ethereum?

We believe in Ethereum as a transformational technology and a long-term opportunity. We have to credit Michael Saylor and Strategy for the inspiration to adopt an ETH treasury strategy for SharpLink. After doing research into the idea around the turn of the year, Joseph Lubin, SharpLink’s Chairman, Co-Founder of Ethereum and Founder and CEO of Consensys, came to the determination that this is an optimal way to maximize returns on Ethereum while driving shareholder value.

Deployment of Funds and Monetizing ETH Treasury

Our mission aims to drive shareholder value by becoming the most trusted corporate holder of ETH and activating it for yield. It is our intention to leverage our institutional experience, resources, and strategic relationship with Consensys to accelerate institutional adoption of Ethereum, putting it at the center of global finance. We will focus on earning distinction as one of the largest ETH treasuries of any public company; seeking to acquire ETH at the lowest blended cost to increase our ETH Concentration; execute strategies to capture long-term price appreciation, staking yield, and accretive returns from our active, disciplined treasury management.

Partnership with ConsenSys

ConsenSys’ investment in SharpLink enables a powerful partnership that has strengthened both organizations and created new opportunities. SharpLink is benefitting from our Chairman’s – Joe Lubin – leadership as well as from guidance of other key executives who have years of experience at Consensys. While separate and distinct companies, SharpLink and Consensys enjoy a robust strategic collaboration.

Beyond Staking: Exploring DeFi Opportunities

Staking is the baseline mechanism for us to generate productive yield on all of our ETH holdings. There are further opportunities to deploy ETH across the DeFi stack in ways that manage our risk while supporting sustainable growth in the Ethereum ecosystem, which we will continue to explore and evaluate. Selective DeFi participation is the natural next step beyond staking.

Security and Safeguarding ETH Treasury

Security is our top priority. SharpLink utilizes best industry practices to safeguard our treasury, supported by relationships with leading industry providers, such as Galaxy Digital, ParaFi, Anchorage, and Coinbase.

Legacy Operations and Blockchain Integration

We believe that the investment led by Consensys made possible our pioneering ETH treasury strategy and expect that it will strengthen our affiliate marketing business. We will always look to leverage blockchain technology where it’s a value-add for our investors and partners.

Competitive Edge and Unique Value Proposition

Fortunately, there are fantastic leaders who share our outlook on the value of digital assets like BTC and ETH, and we are working in the same direction to make blockchain the bedrock of the financial system. SharpLink’s differentiation from other ETH treasury companies is our unparalleled on-chain expertise, which derives from the top with Joe Lubin’s leadership.

The Future of SharpLink

As SharpLink continues to navigate its new role as a corporate operator within the Ethereum economy, it is clear that the company is committed to driving shareholder value and building long-term value beyond speculative appreciation. With its unparalleled on-chain expertise and strategic partnership with ConsenSys, SharpLink is well-positioned to maintain a competitive edge and unique value proposition in the Ethereum treasury space.