Institutional players have once again made their presence felt, demonstrating confidence in the long-term potential of digital assets. Last week, three major companies — Strive, BitMine, and Strategy — collectively directed more than half a billion dollars toward acquiring bitcoin and Ethereum. These are not merely speculative trades but part of a well-thought-out business strategy based on converting market demand for their shares into direct investments in cryptocurrencies.
What exactly the companies purchased
Strive, led by CEO Matt Cole, added 1,800 BTC to its balance sheet at an average price of $79,431. The company's total holdings now stand at 23,156 BTC, equivalent to approximately $1.83 billion. The transparency of reporting is impressive: over the week, more than 3.57 million new Class A shares were issued, and the cash reserve grew by $11.6 million, reaching $183.5 million.
BitMine chose a different path, betting on Ethereum. Its portfolio increased by 53,501 ETH, marking the 65th consecutive week of purchases. This streak has been ongoing since June 2025. The company actively uses staking: more than 5.067 million ETH have been sent through its own network of MAVAN validators, accounting for 86% of the entire portfolio. Board Chairman Tom Lee projects annual income of $335–390 million from this strategy. BitMine now holds 4.9% of all issued ether, and to reach the target of 5%, it is short by 133,888 coins.
Strategy resumed purchases after a ten-week pause, adding 4,603 BTC. The average purchase price was $75,412 per coin. Interestingly, the company discloses the average cost of its acquisitions, which adds transparency to its strategy.
Capital flows: a shift toward risk
Such activity correlates with global capital movements. U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs attracted more than $3.3 billion in August, whereas in June they saw outflows of $4.5 billion. Ethereum funds followed a similar pattern, adding about $1.75 billion after two months of outflows. The market response was swift: over the month, bitcoin rose by 25.7%, and Ethereum by 33.3%.
The mechanics are simple: demand for funds pushes up the price of coins, rising coin prices increase the value of fund reserves, and selling reserves allows for the purchase of more coins. This is a closed loop that is currently working in favor of the bulls.
Macroeconomic context
According to Bank of America, crypto funds received $3.2 billion over the past week — the largest weekly inflow since October 2025. The market is clearly charged with optimism. Notably, the money did not come from the AI bubble, as many assume. The timeline does not add up: the most significant crash occurred in July, when the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell by 20.6% and South Korea's KOSPI by 22%. August, however, was calmer: the Nasdaq 100 gained 4.2%.
The redistribution of funds is also visible in other segments. Foreign investors withdrew 10.17 trillion won from Korean stocks, while trading volumes on Upbit, the country's largest exchange, increased roughly eightfold.
The market also received support from the U.S.: on August 19, President Donald Trump called on Congress to pass the CLARITY bill, with a Senate vote scheduled for September 15. On the same day, the Treasury expanded its long-term bond buyback program — from $2 billion to a minimum of $4 billion per operation. The yield on 30-year bonds temporarily fell to 5.19% but then returned to 5.25%.
On Monday, bitcoin traded around $78,818. Currently, companies are not held back by a decline in the coin's price but by a closed funding window.
My conclusion: the institutional base is becoming increasingly robust. Purchases on strength, rather than panic, indicate the maturity of strategies. However, it is worth closely monitoring liquidity and macroeconomic signals — these will determine whether this momentum can evolve into a sustained upward trend.