Tom Lee, chairman of ether treasury company Bitmine Immersion Technologies, says a transfer of as much as $2 trillion to younger investors between 2026 and 2028 could become a new source of demand for digital assets. His comments came as Bitmine reported another large ether purchase and moved closer to its target of holding 5% of the token’s total supply.
According to CoinDesk, Lee cited estimates from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and Fundstrat, the financial research and asset management firm he co-founded in 2014, for the potential wealth transfer. The estimates put the amount changing hands at between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion over the three-year period.
Lee argued that the recipients of inherited wealth are likely to be younger than the people transferring it. That difference could matter for markets because younger investors may have a greater appetite for higher-risk assets, including cryptocurrencies and equities. However, the amount of inherited money that would actually be allocated to digital assets remains uncertain.
Why the wealth transfer matters to crypto
The potential inheritance flow is being discussed as one possible source of future crypto demand rather than as a guaranteed investment inflow. If some younger beneficiaries choose to place part of their newly received wealth into digital assets, that could add to demand for tokens such as ether. The source material does not specify how much of the projected wealth transfer might reach crypto markets.
Lee’s view is part of a broader discussion about generational changes in asset ownership. Vlad Tenev, chief executive of digital brokerage Robinhood, said in an interview with CNBC’s Jim Cramer last month that more than $100 trillion could pass from older to younger generations over the coming decades. That longer-term figure is broader than the $1.5 trillion-to-$2 trillion estimate Lee referenced for 2026 through 2028.
Lee also identified several other developments that he believes could support a new crypto rally: Wall Street’s increasing use of blockchain technology to represent financial assets, the expansion of artificial-intelligence applications and the emergence of treasury companies that hold digital tokens over the long term.
Lee is a Wall Street veteran and serves as chief investment officer at Fundstrat. His comments therefore link the possible generational wealth shift with both traditional financial-market developments and corporate strategies focused on holding cryptocurrency.
Bitmine moves closer to its ether target
Bitmine’s latest holdings update showed that the company bought 12,532 ETH during the previous week. The purchase was valued at approximately $32 million at Monday’s price, according to the report.
The additional ether increased Bitmine’s holdings to 6,028,946 ETH, with a reported value of about $15.3 billion. Ether’s total supply was stated at approximately 122.1 million tokens, meaning Bitmine held around 4.9% of the supply after the purchase.
The company was roughly 76,000 ETH short of its stated objective of owning 5% of ether’s total supply. Based on the pace of its purchase during the previous week, Bitmine could reach that level in about six weeks. That is an estimate based on the reported buying pace, not a confirmed completion date.
Lee said Bitmine intends to stop accumulating ETH once it reaches the 5% threshold. The company has reported buying ether every week since it shifted to an ether-focused strategy in June 2025.
Staking adds another part of Bitmine’s strategy
Bitmine has staked approximately 5.07 million ETH, equal to about 84% of its holdings. Staking generally involves committing tokens to support the operation and security of a blockchain network. In return, participants can receive rewards, although the amount depends on the applicable network and market conditions.
At current yields, Bitmine projects annualized staking revenue of roughly $336 million. That figure is a projection supplied by the company and is not a reported realized profit figure.
The scale of Bitmine’s holdings means its accumulation strategy is closely tied to ether’s market value. The company’s reported holdings were worth about $15.3 billion at the price used in the source report, so changes in ETH’s market price can affect the dollar value of the treasury even if the number of tokens does not change.
Current market picture
Moneyiar market data recorded Ethereum at $2,502.6733872784 at 09:34 on October 13, 2026, Tehran time. ETH was down 1.97% over 24 hours and 7.34% over seven days.
The same Moneyiar data showed Compound at $23.4684723143, down 6.62% over 24 hours and 3.57% over seven days. REAL ASSET was priced at $0.1927052765, up 3.26% over 24 hours and down 2.28% over seven days, based on data recorded at 18:54 on October 8, 2026. Altlayer stood at $0.0080220074, down 5.71% over 24 hours and up 2.03% over seven days, according to Moneyiar data recorded at 09:34 on October 13, 2026.
