Wintermute calls the Ethereum OTC market "a coin hard to find": signals that investors should understand.

Wintermute claims that the OTC market has run out of ETH, indicating that institutions are scrambling to buy? (Background: Ethereum has broken $3,424, reaching a new high since February this year! The ETH to BTC exchange rate has rebounded by 50% in nearly three months.) (Background information: Palantir founder Peter Thiel has acquired a 9.1% stake in BitMine, optimistic about betting on Ethereum.) Well-known crypto market maker Wintermute's founder and CEO Evgeny Gaevoy posted that there is "almost no Ether available for sale" on its OTC trading platform (OTC). This reveals a rare supply shortage in the OTC market. "Currently, we can hardly find any ETH for sale on our OTC platform." there is (clearly) almost no #ETH available for sale on Wintermute OTC desk — wishful_cynic (@EvgenyGaevoy) July 16, 2025 OTC inventory is in urgent shortage: institutional buying pressure emerges. Wintermute provides block trading services to institutional investors, and the inventory is nearly sold out, indicating that large funds are continuously absorbing market liquidity. Recently, ETH has surpassed the $3,400 mark, and the fluctuation has widened. The reduction in supply and the concentration of holdings have intensified simultaneously. Taking the publicly listed company SharpLink Gaming as an example, the company has accumulated over 280,000 ETH through the OTC market; BitMine has also invested hundreds of millions of dollars to buy ETH. The locking behavior of large holders has directly compressed the circulating supply on exchanges and OTC. Rising demand: ETF funds and corporate coin hoarding are dual engines. On the other hand, demand is also strong. The U.S. spot Ethereum ETF has recorded high net inflows for several consecutive days, with a cumulative scale exceeding $5 billion, driven by asset management giants such as BlackRock and Fidelity. ETF products provide a simplified allocation channel for institutions, making ETH regarded as an option for long-term asset allocation (or a current speculative topic). The corporate "coin hoarding yield" strategy is also taking shape; for example, SharpLink Gaming not only holds a large amount of spot but also increases returns through staking and DeFi operations, which will become a standard operation for publicly listed companies in the future. Related reports Polymarket predicts Ethereum trend: 76% of investors believe it will break $3,300 in July Palantir founder Peter Thiel acquires a 9.1% stake in BitMine, optimistic about betting on Ethereum. This article titled "Wintermute Claims Ethereum OTC Market 'Hard to Find Coins': Signals Investors Should Understand" was first published in BlockTempo, the most influential blockchain news media.