Joseph Chalom, former head of digital assets at BlackRock, has emphasized that the future of financial markets will be built on the Ethereum network.
Chalom stated, “Ethereum is evolving beyond a blockchain—it is becoming the digital infrastructure of Wall Street.” He noted that traditional financial institutions increasingly rely on Ethereum for trust, liquidity, and security.
Currently serving as co-CEO of digital asset management firm Sharplink, Chalom previously led BlackRock’s Aladdin portfolio management platform and played a pivotal role in the company’s expansion into the cryptocurrency space. His past initiatives include investments in Circle, partnerships with Securitize, and the successful launch of the IBIT spot Bitcoin ETF.
According to Chalom, Ethereum has become the foundation for the digitalization of finance, hosting the majority of stablecoins, tokenized assets, and smart contracts. Additionally, Ethereum’s staking mechanism provides an annual yield of around 3%, making it a “productive asset.”
Sharplink’s portfolio includes over $3 billion in Ether, with the company actively staking a significant portion to generate additional returns. Chalom predicts that Ethereum will transform the financial industry: “Eventually, we won’t distinguish between DeFi or TradFi; it will simply be finance, and Ethereum will be its underlying infrastructure.”
