Ethereum Attracts Wall Street Executives to Join, SharpLink Actively Expands into the ETH Market

Recently, an executive who has worked for 20 years at the world's largest asset management company announced joining an Ethereum treasury company, marking a new chapter in his career. The executive, named Joseph Chalom, will serve as the co-CEO of SharpLink Gaming, a publicly listed Ethereum treasury company.

After joining Chalom, SharpLink Gaming quickly took action, purchasing over 77,000 ETH over the weekend and staking all of it. Currently, SharpLink holds approximately 438,000 ETH, following another ETH treasury strategy company, Bitmine. These two companies are competing for the status of "ETH version of MicroStrategy," continuously increasing their ETH holdings.

Under the leadership of Chairman Tom Lee, Bitmine has attracted a significant investment from Cathie Wood's Ark Invest. In contrast, SharpLink's support team primarily comes from the cryptocurrency space and is in urgent need of a leader with traditional financial connections to attract Wall Street capital, making Chalom the ideal candidate.

Joseph Chalom holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins University and a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School. His career began as a corporate and regulatory legal consultant, serving as a senior attorney at several prestigious law firms, providing legal services to investment banks and large corporations.

In 2005, Chalom joined a large asset management company and began to delve into the field of financial technology. He served as the Chief Operating Officer of the company's solutions department, leading the productization and external expansion of a global institutional-level risk control and investment management platform, transforming it from an internal tool into a core financial technology hub serving over one trillion dollars in assets worldwide.

In early 2020, Chalom was promoted to Managing Director and Head of Strategic Ecosystem Partnerships, fully responsible for the company's strategic planning and execution in areas such as data, indices, digital assets, and technology ecosystems. He led collaborations with several leading digital asset infrastructure institutions, deeply connecting traditional asset management platforms with the blockchain ecosystem through cross-industry joint ventures, technology integration, and product promotion.

Rob Phythian, the founder and CEO of SharpLink Gaming, will gradually transition to the role of President while remaining on the board, leading the company's development alongside Chalom. The chairman of SharpLink stated that Chalom has an outstanding influence in promoting institutional-level digital asset applications, and his joining is a strong endorsement of the company's Ethereum treasury strategy and the vision that "Ethereum will become the global financial infrastructure."

To attract Chalom to join, SharpLink offers a generous compensation package, including a fixed base salary, annual performance bonuses, restricted stock units, and long-term incentive plans, with a total value reaching $12.5 million.

During his previous tenure at the company, Chalom promoted several cryptocurrency-related businesses. He led the launch of the world's largest Bitcoin ETF, currently managing assets of over $80 billion, dominating the U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF market. In July of this year, he launched the Ethereum ETF, which reached a management size of $10 billion in just one year, accounting for about half of the total assets managed by Ethereum ETFs.

In addition, Chalom has launched the first Ethereum-based tokenized government bond product, providing institutional clients with an innovative solution that combines compliance and liquidity. He also facilitated and led strategic partnerships with several digital asset infrastructure institutions, deepening the connection between traditional asset management platforms and the blockchain ecosystem.

Chalom maintains a positive attitude towards cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. In an interview with the media, he stated in the face of the market downturn in the second half of 2022: "Although cryptocurrencies have experienced a winter, their market value is still as high as one trillion dollars. We see that the accelerated development of these technologies has created opportunities and improved efficiency."

With the addition of Chalom, SharpLink Gaming's layout in the Ethereum market will become more proactive, reflecting the confidence and expectations of traditional financial executives in the cryptocurrency field.