BlackRock Veteran Jumps Ship to $1.3B Ethereum Powerhouse SharpLink

Joseph Chalom, one of BlackRock’s most senior digital asset strategists and the man behind its $10 billion iShares Ethereum Trust, is heading to SharpLink Gaming — and it’s got people talking. SharpLink isn’t just dabbling in crypto; it holds over 360,000 ETH, worth around $1.3 billion. And now it’s got BlackRock DNA steering the ship.

Chalom’s appointment as Co-CEO comes at a curious time. Ethereum’s use in corporate finance has quietly been rising, but this is a new level. SharpLink’s move is not a stunt — it’s a full-on strategic pivot to treat Ethereum as financial infrastructure, not speculation.

From Wall Street to Web3: A Departure With Meaning

Let’s not sugar-coat it: leaving BlackRock isn’t the kind of thing you do lightly. Especially not if you helped craft one of its boldest digital asset moves. But that’s exactly what Joseph Chalom has done.

For years, Chalom led BlackRock’s efforts in digital asset partnerships. His fingerprints are all over its Ethereum Trust. Now, he’s crossing the fence to a firm that doesn’t just believe in ETH—it bets its balance sheet on it.

Why? In his own words: “I see a powerful opportunity to help shape the future of financial infrastructure and decentralized finance.” That’s not vague mission-statement fluff — it’s a clear bet on Ethereum becoming the financial plumbing of tomorrow.

SharpLink’s Ethereum Play: Not Just Hype, Hard Numbers

SharpLink isn’t shouting from the rooftops. But the numbers speak volumes.

The company now holds 360,807 ETH. That’s not a typo.

• Market value? Roughly $1.3 billion at current ETH prices.

• Passive income? 567 ETH generated from staking.

SharpLink’s ETH holdings eclipse many of the world’s top crypto-native firms. And its playbook looks surprisingly mature. Treasury diversification, yield optimisation, alignment with decentralised finance protocols — this isn’t your average tech start-up crypto fling.

And remember: that 567 ETH from staking is no small bonus. At current rates, that’s nearly $2 million in earned income — from digital yield.

A Table That Says It All

Here’s a snapshot comparing SharpLink with other well-known ETH holders:

What makes SharpLink unique? It’s not a crypto company by origin. It’s bridging sports gaming with DeFi infrastructure, making the Ethereum play even more interesting.

Ethereum’s Quiet Rise as Corporate Infrastructure

This move doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Ethereum is quietly becoming more than just a developer playground.

It’s starting to look like enterprise-grade plumbing.

Chalom’s switch validates something Ethereum backers have claimed for years: it’s not just about tokens or hype — it’s about programmable money, permissionless finance, and a flexible infrastructure layer.

He’s not the only one paying attention. Over the past 18 months:

• Visa ran pilot programs using USDC on Ethereum.

• PayPal launched its own Ethereum-based stablecoin.

• JP Morgan trialled DeFi settlements using Polygon (built on Ethereum tech).

And now, a major exec is leaving the most powerful asset manager in the world to co-lead a company that treats ETH like treasury gold.

What’s Next for SharpLink — and Ethereum?

No one can say exactly how this plays out, but a few things feel likely.

SharpLink will probably lean further into DeFi strategies — think liquidity provisioning, derivatives, perhaps even governance roles in Ethereum DAOs. Having a Wall Street heavyweight at the helm means they’ll likely tread cautiously, but purposefully.

Chalom, too, brings with him more than a resume — he brings relationships, structure, and credibility that Ethereum-native firms often lack. That could mean new partnerships, better risk frameworks, and potentially a new blueprint for other non-crypto firms eyeing digital assets.

One sentence stands out in SharpLink’s announcement: “We are not just investing in ETH — we are building around it.”

That’s big.