In the early hours, the Ethereum staking pool started to stir. Two major institutions took opposite actions: one aggressively poured money in, while the other quietly withdrew, with a combined total of over $300 million in chips competing behind the scenes.

What exactly is going on? Bitmine staked a total of 74,880 ETH, equivalent to $225 million, a move that certainly drew attention. At the same time, SharpLink was unstaking, withdrawing 35,627 ETH (about $107 million). On the surface, it looks like just capital inflows and outflows, but behind the scenes, it reflects two institutions holding completely opposite views on Ethereum's future direction.

This buy and sell activity added nearly 40,000 ETH to the total staked amount. What does this mean? More coins are being locked up, and the supply available for free trading in the circulating market is decreasing.

Speaking of these two companies, they are not unknown players. Both Bitmine and SharpLink belong to the "ETH Micro Strategy" camp. Both are listed on the US stock market and hold large amounts of ETH assets. Bitmine currently holds about 300,700 ETH, accounting for 32% of its total market value. SharpLink, even more exaggerated, holds 358,000 ETH, making up 44% of its total.

Interestingly, behind Bitmine is Wall Street renowned strategist Tom Lee, who has always been a staunch supporter of Ethereum. This large bet may reveal his attitude. On the other hand, SharpLink's unstaking appears somewhat conservative. Both are heavily invested in ETH, but their strategies are worlds apart.