Key Insights:
- SharpLink Gaming sold 4.5M shares at $17 with a 12% premium to market.
- Investors gained a 90-day option for 4.5M more shares at $17.50.
- The soaring corporate interest in ETH might help in a strong recovery in Ethereum price.
The Minneapolis-based SharpLink Gaming (SBET) priced a $76.5 Million registered direct offering at $17 per share. This move comes as Ethereum price continues to stay in the negative territory over the past few days.
The company paired the sale with a 90-day purchase contract that could add up to $78.8 Million if fully exercised, reinforcing its Ethereum-centric treasury strategy.
Co-CEO Joseph Chalom said the raise attracted institutional demand and supported a long-term plan to hold and stake Ethereum (ETH).
SharpLink described that approach as a way to integrate programmable assets into routine corporate finance rather than treat tokens as idle inventory.
SharpLink Makes Another Bet on Ethereum
SharpLink sold 4.5 Million shares at $17, which sat about 12% above its prior close. The premium indicated that buyers accepted terms that exceeded the latest screen price.
Companies often accept discounts in these deals; SharpLink took the opposite route and still cleared the order.
The 90-day contract allowed investors to buy another 4.5 Million shares at $17.50. If investors exercised the full allotment, SharpLink would receive an additional $78.8 Million in cash.
Management said the company planned to direct proceeds toward more ETH accumulation and operating expansion.
SharpLink reported one of the largest corporate ETH treasuries among public firms. The company said it held more than 840,000 ETH and had staked those tokens to earn on-chain yield.
Staking meant the treasury generated rewards while remaining aligned with Ethereum’s network economics.
Staking refers to locking tokens in a proof-of-stake system to help secure the chain and earn rewards.
This structure created a direct line between capital formation and token exposure. Traditional funds and many exchange-traded products held assets passively and could not stake.
SharpLink framed its treasury as a productive asset that contributed yield and, over time, could influence the firm’s per-share economics.
That connection, by extension, shaped how investors thought about the Ethereum price narrative, since corporate treasuries introduced a demand base that did not trade in and out frequently.
How Staking and Treasury Shape Ethereum Price?
SharpLink said it pursued yield by staking 100% of its ETH. The firm also discussed building revenue streams that referenced Ethereum rather than fiat.
That approach aimed to match cash inflows with the assets that sat on the balance sheet. If successful, it could reduce basis risk between treasury holdings and operating receipts.
The company previously disclosed more than $900 Million in unrealized gains on its ETH position. Unrealized gains reflected the difference between the carrying value and market value of the tokens on paper.
SharpLink linked the decision to raise cash at a premium with its desire to increase exposure while keeping operating flexibility.
The comparison with ETFs mattered. Ethereum ETF tends to replicate exposure but does not stake the underlying assets due to regulatory and operational limits.
SharpLink said its corporate structure allowed it to stake and collect rewards directly. That difference meant the company could potentially realize a higher effective return on held tokens than a passive vehicle.
It also meant corporate execution risk sat at the front of the story. Operations, custody, and validator performance all shaped realized yield.
Investors evaluated whether such treasuries introduced a feedback loop into the ETH price discussion. A company that raised cash and converted part of it into ETH added incremental demand.
If more public companies adopted similar playbooks, the cumulative effect could help in a strong Ethereum price rally.
That said, execution, governance, and market volatility still set the boundaries for outcomes.
What to Watch Next for SharpLink?
SharpLink’s deal offered a few clear checkpoints. First, investors would watch subscription levels and any early exercise under the 90-day purchase contract.
High take-up would validate the premium structure and extend the cash runway.
Second, the staking operations of SharpLink would remain in focus. Validator performance, slashing avoidance, and net reward capture represented core execution metrics.
Consistent performance would support the case for staking as a balance-sheet engine rather than a speculative add-on.
Third, the pace and transparency of treasury actions would matter. Clear reporting on any additional Ethereum accumulation, staking allocation, and yield realization would let investors map treasury decisions to per-share dynamics.
Public disclosures that tie token flows to financial statements could help standardize analysis across companies that hold tokens.
Finally, the competitive landscape could evolve. If more issuers pursued an Ethereum-first treasury, benchmarks would emerge around staking yield, custody standards, and disclosure quality.
In that scenario, investors could compare firms on measurable, repeatable metrics rather than broad narratives.
SharpLink positioned its raise as a way to grow a productive token treasury while funding operations.
The company sold equity at a premium, layered on a 90-day purchase contract, and pointed proceeds toward additional Ethereum holdings and business expansion.
The approach set a template that others could test: use corporate capital markets to build token exposure that earns on-chain yield, then report results with the same rigor expected of traditional assets.
Whether that template scales will depend on execution, disclosures, and continued investor appetite for structures that sit at the edge of decentralized finance and public-company practice.