Joseph Chalom, the CEO of SharpLink, declared on July 6, 2026, that an “Ethereum supercycle” has officially begun, marking a definitive shift in the asset’s market maturity.
Speaking during a live interview on the crypto media platform Coinage, Joseph Chalom argued that the bear case for Ethereum and the broader cryptocurrency market has become “very small” as institutional adoption reaches a tipping point.
Institutional metrics signal a shift in Ethereum market value
He emphasized that the network is moving into a new era where development and utility are driven by corporate participation beyond the scope of the Ethereum Foundation.
The announcement follows a strategic accumulation phase by SharpLink, formerly known as SharpLink Gaming, Inc. On June 26, 2026, the firm acquired 5,000 Ether (ETH) from digital asset prime brokerage FalconX for approximately $7.85 million. This purchase occurred as ETH hit its lowest price of the year at $1,537.
As of that same date, SharpLink reported total holdings of 876,285 ETH and ETH equivalents, reinforcing its position as a Nasdaq-listed pioneer in Ethereum-based treasury strategies. Joseph Chalom attributes past price suppression to macro forces, such as elevated oil prices and the Federal Reserve’s interest rate stance, rather than a failure of network fundamentals.
Joseph Chalom has maintained for months that Ethereum is entering an “institutional adoption supercycle.” During an interview on the RollUp platform in May, he dismissed criticism of the network as “noise,” asserting that the asset is “winning by a large margin” on core institutional metrics. This bullishness is grounded in Ethereum’s dominance in regulated finance.
The network currently supports over 50% of global stablecoin settlements and the vast majority of tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), providing a strengthening outlook for the Ethereum network as decentralized activity rises.
To further bridge the gap between blockchain protocols and regulated finance, Joseph Chalom announced the launch of Ethereum Institutional on July 2, 2026. This nonprofit organization aims to enhance institutional engagement by providing a structured framework for interaction. This initiative is a continuation of the firm’s long-term conviction; on June 2, 2025, SharpLink Gaming, Inc.
closed a $425 million private placement and formally pivoted to an Ethereum-based treasury strategy. This move made it one of the first Nasdaq-listed companies to adopt ETH as its primary treasury reserve asset.
Despite the recent price volatility, the long-term risk-to-reward ratio for ETH remains compelling for major players. While the market frequently reacts to institutional ETF outflows, SharpLink’s leadership maintains that these are temporary technical setbacks.
Joseph Chalom has consistently rejected the narrative that ETH’s value accrual is broken, positioning the current environment as a “new institutional supercycle” where the technology is no longer experimental but actively utilized by global institutions for settlement and security.
Developing a corporate ecosystem beyond the Ethereum Foundation
A core part of Joseph Chalom’s thesis is that Ethereum’s future will be shaped by independent research and corporate funding. On June 22, 2026, SharpLink, Bitmine Immersion Technologies, Inc., and Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin led the funding effort to launch Ethlabs.
This independent, nonprofit research and development organization was established specifically to prepare Ethereum for massive institutional adoption. Joe Lubin, who also serves as the Chairman of the Board for SharpLink, has been instrumental in professionalizing the ecosystem to meet the compliance and scalability needs of large financial entities.
The scale of this transition is reflected in the ambitious forecasts shared by SharpLink’s leadership. In late 2025, Joseph Chalom predicted that Ethereum’s Total Value Locked (TVL) could surge tenfold by 2026.
By treating ETH as a primary treasury asset, SharpLink provides public market investors with exposure to this growth without the technical hurdles of self-custody. This strategy is part of a broader trend where major financial players seek reliable digital assets, even as Bitcoin exchange supply reach multi-year lows, driving interest toward Ethereum’s unique utility.
Looking ahead, the success of this supercycle will be measured by the continued migration of traditional finance to the blockchain. Joseph Chalom described the current phase as “going back on offense,” suggesting that the foundational work of 2025 and early 2026 has set the stage for a period of sustained growth.
As Ethereum Institutional and Ethlabs continue their operations, the focus remains on transforming the network from a platform for experimental dApps into the permanent infrastructure for the global internet of value.