BitMine has indicated it may adjust the pace of additional Ethereum purchases.

On May 7 local time, BitMine chairman Tom Lee (톰 리) said in a keynote speech at Consensus 2026 in Miami that the company is nearing its goal of securing 5 percent of Ethereum supply and may not keep up its current aggressive buying pace. The blockchain outlet CoinDesk reported this.

BitMine currently holds more than 5.1 million ETH. At current prices, the holding is worth about $11.9 billion. Lee explained that the company originally expected it would take five years to accumulate 5 percent of total Ethereum supply, but it has secured 4.29 percent in less than a year.

"At this pace, we will reach 5 percent within six weeks," Lee said. "We are reviewing ways to slow the accumulation pace somewhat." As BitMine has been among the few large digital asset treasury companies that continued buying during a weak market, the remarks are seen as a signal of a strategy shift.

The market environment is also influencing the decision. Many rivals recently stopped buying cryptocurrencies or slowed the pace. Strategy, the largest corporate holder of bitcoin, has also signalled it could sell bitcoin to meet dividend obligations. BitMine, by contrast, said it is not under strong pressure to quickly dispose of its holdings, based on staking income and cash-generating capacity.

Its profit structure was also cited as background to its Ethereum holding strategy. BitMine is staking about 85 percent of its total Ethereum holdings. Annualised staking income exceeds $300 million, and is about $1 million a day. Lee explained that this structure reduces the need to sell cryptocurrencies even in volatile markets.

BitMine is also reviewing other ways to use secured capital. The company recently announced a $4 billion share buyback programme and is also looking at further expansion of MAVAN, an institutional staking platform launched in March. The service is currently staking digital assets worth about $14 billion, including Ethereum, Solana and Canton.

The company also mentioned investments beyond Ethereum. Lee said BitMine is also investing in artificial intelligence and consumer platforms, including Eightco Holdings and MrBeast's Beast Industries. He introduced Eightco Holdings as one of the few listed companies that could have indirect exposure to OpenAI and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's World project.

BitMine also reaffirmed its existing view on medium- to long-term demand for Ethereum. Lee said Ethereum could benefit from two trends: tokenisation of financial assets and the spread of AI payments and verification based on public blockchains. While leaving open the possibility of adjusting the purchase pace, it kept its investment rationale for Ethereum.