
A new Ethereum-focused marketing firm, Etherealize, supported by the Ethereum Foundation and co-founder Vitalik Buterin, has been launched with the aim of enhancing institutional understanding of blockchain technology. The initiative, which commenced on January 22, is seeing heightened enthusiasm from the Ethereum community as it seeks to build a compelling case for the use of Ethereum on Wall Street.
Anthony Sassano, host of The Daily Gwei and Ethereum advocate, expressed his excitement about the timing of Etherealize’s launch, noting it coincides with the pro-crypto stance of former US President Donald Trump’s administration. Sassano emphasized that the marketing firm could serve as a powerful tool for promoting Ethereum and its native token, Ether (ETH), among Wall Street institutions.
ETH has faced challenges breaking past its high set in late 2021, despite the US introduction of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for Ethereum in July. While Bitcoin has seen new highs due to the success of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the US and positive regulatory signals, Ethereum looks to gain traction through initiatives like Etherealize.
The company’s co-founder, Grant Hummer, previously of Chromatic Capital, identified a gap in institutional education following the launch of US spot ETFs and plans to use Etherealize to bring Wall Street, and eventually global markets, onto Ethereum rails. The firm aims to offer a suite of products for institutions to tokenize real-world assets on Ethereum, akin to the efforts of major financial players like BlackRock and Franklin Templeton.
Etherealize, co-founded by financial veterans Vivek Raman and James Fickel, aims to address tokenization beyond stablecoins, targeting areas such as treasury markets, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, commodities, and real estate to improve institutional efficiency and reduce costs through blockchain technology. This move aligns with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink’s advocacy for rapid SEC approval of asset tokenization, reflected in BlackRock’s $394 million tokenized money market fund on Ethereum — a significant step in the growing trend of digital financial products.
Despite focusing on Ethereum, BlackRock is exploring multi-chain opportunities, expanding its digital liquidity fund to platforms like Aptos, Arbitrum, and others. Meanwhile, the Ethereum Foundation continues to support the decentralized finance ecosystem, recently earmarking 50,000 Ether for this endeavor and undergoing organizational restructuring for better community transparency.