MrBeast receives R$ 1 billion in Ethereum treasury from Tom Lee

Source: PortaldoBitcoin Original Title: MrBeast receives R$ 1 billion in Ethereum treasury from Tom Lee Original Link: BitMine Immersion Technologies, an Ethereum treasury company chaired by Tom Lee of Fundstrat, announced this Thursday (15) a $200 million (R$ 1 billion) investment in Beast Industries, a company founded by YouTube content creator Jimmy Donaldson, known worldwide as MrBeast.

In a press statement, Lee described Donaldson, whose videos and social media posts generate millions of impressions and views daily, as a creator of his generation “with unparalleled reach and engagement among Generation Z, Generation Alpha, and Millennials.”

Lee also characterized Beast Industries as “the largest and most innovative creator-based platform in the world,” overseeing the creation and distribution of products related to MrBeast, including various types of merchandise and Feastables, a snack and candy brand.

BitMine stated that the deal, one of the most innovative signed by a crypto treasury company since the trend intensified on Wall Street last year, is expected to be completed within a week.

In a note, Jeff Housenbold, CEO of Beast Industries, said the company intends to explore ways to “incorporate DeFi into our future financial services platform.” DeFi, or decentralized finance, involves creating blockchain-based financial services such as trading or lending that do not rely on traditional intermediaries like banks.

BitMine’s shares traded at around $31.50 on Thursday, a decline of over 3% for the day, according to Yahoo Finance. Despite being the largest corporate holder of Ethereum, with an estimated stock value of $13 billion, the company’s shares have fallen 21% over the past six months amid broader signs of investor fatigue regarding companies that buy cryptocurrencies.

Beast Financial Operations

In October, Beast Financial filed multiple trademarks in the US, indicating that the company intends to offer crypto exchange services, payment processing, banking, and insurance services. At the time, not all 52 trademarks registered by the company had turned into actual products.

Alex Choi, Donaldson’s thumbnail strategist, warned on X in December that social media posts promoting “MrBeast coin” were not legitimate. The crypto sector has a long history of scams, many linked to celebrity endorsements or social media account hacks.

It is not yet clear how BitMine’s investment will be integrated into its business, which includes creating a “Made in the USA Validator Network.” Validators play a crucial role in the Ethereum network by validating transaction blocks and earning rewards for doing so.

Earlier this month, Rumble, positioning itself as a free speech alternative to YouTube, integrated a crypto wallet into its platform for payments and tips. The feature, supported by stablecoin issuer Tether, offers support for Bitcoin and tokenized gold.

Donaldson has been involved with crypto since at least 2021, when he purchased NFTs from the famous CryptoPunks collection during the peak of the crypto boom during the pandemic. He also promoted a gaming league in 2023 that generated controversy for its use of digital assets.

In September, BitMine made its first “moonshot” bet, investing $20 million in Eightco Holdings, a crypto treasury company that accumulates Worldcoin — the native token of World Chain, a network co-founded by Sam Altman of OpenAI.

Months earlier, the company had indicated in a shareholder presentation that it would make “selective investments in bold ideas that increase the value of the Ethereum network.”