Sharplink Welcomes BlackRock Veteran as Co-CEO Amid Ethereum Treasury Race
Sharplink, a prominent public corporation known for its substantial Ethereum holdings, has brought a seasoned executive from BlackRock on board. This move comes as competition intensifies in the corporate Ethereum treasury space.
Joseph Chalom Joins Sharplink
Joseph Chalom, a former senior executive at BlackRock, has accepted the position of co-CEO at Sharplink. His tenure with the company began on July 24, as declared by the company last Friday.
In his new role, Chalom will be leading the charge in shaping and driving Sharplink’s global strategy in public markets and Ethereum-based digital infrastructure. This information was gleaned from his LinkedIn profile.
Chalom’s appointment at Sharplink is particularly noteworthy as it comes in the wake of BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) becoming the third quickest exchange-traded fund (ETF) in history to surpass $10 billion in assets.
BlackRock’s Crypto ETF Dominance and Chalom’s Role
Chalom’s recruitment holds great significance considering his extensive work experience of 20 years at BlackRock, the largest crypto ETF provider globally, with a whopping $95.7 billion in crypto assets under management.
As the former managing director and head of strategic ecosystem partnership at BlackRock, Chalom was instrumental in building and managing BlackRock’s digital assets strategy, index and data relationships, investments, among other things.
Sharplink’s announcement points out that Chalom played a crucial role in the launch of BlackRock’s ETHA in July 2024. He also held board positions at the tokenized asset platform Securitize and ClarityAI, an AI-based data analytics platform.
Joseph Chalom’s work experience at BlackRock and the new Sharplink role. Source: LinkedIn
Chalom expressed his enthusiasm about joining Sharplink and aligning its strategic direction with the Ethereum ecosystem, a move he described as bold and forward-thinking.
Rivalry Heightens Between Sharplink and BitMine
Sharplink’s announcement comes hot on the heels of its competitor BitMine Immersion Technologies revealing a significant Ether acquisition.
BitMine Immersion Technologies, a Bitcoin mining firm, announced the purchase of an impressive 566,776 ETH, valued at over $2 billion. This was after declaring plans to establish an Ethereum treasury back on June 30.
This latest Ether acquisition has allowed BitMine to leapfrog Sharplink’s total Ether holdings of 360,807 ETH, announced just a couple of days prior as part of its recent $259 million ETH purchase.
Sharplink is not resting on its laurels though, having also appointed Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin as board chairman when announcing its Ethereum treasury last May. In a countermove, BitMine appointed Fundstrat founder and well-known crypto enthusiast Tom Lee as board chairman in June.
