SharpLink Deploys $170M ETH on Linea in Institutional-Scale DeFi Move

SharpLink (Nasdaq: SBET), the world’s second-largest corporate holder of Ethereum, said it has deployed $170 million worth of ETH on Linea as part of its $200 million crypto treasury strategy announced last fall.

The move shows a shift in how publicly listed companies may approach crypto treasury management, moving ETH from a passive balance-sheet holding into productive capital deployed on Ethereum-native infrastructure under defined risk, custody, and compliance frameworks.

NEW: We just deployed $170M ETH with first-of-it’s-kind enhanced yield on @LineaBuild.

This combines native Ethereum yield, restaking rewards from @eigencloud and direct incentives from @LineaBuild and @ether_fi, all within an institutional-grade qualified custodian thanks to… pic.twitter.com/kMgB40dKwP

— SharpLink (SBET) (@SharpLink) January 8, 2026

From Balance-Sheet Asset to Productive Capital

For corporates exploring crypto treasury strategies, SharpLink’s deployment offers a concrete example of how ETH can be put to work rather than remaining idle.

Institutional treasuries have largely treated digital assets as long-term stores of value, but SharpLink’s approach illustrates how yield generation and on-chain participation can be integrated without abandoning institutional risk standards.

The deployment was executed on Linea, an Ethereum Layer-2 network designed to support institutional-scale activity by combining Ethereum security with lower costs and higher throughput.

The structure brings together qualified custody and infrastructure partners, including Anchorage Digital, ether.fi, and EigenCloud, according to the companies.

Linea Targets Institutional-Grade DeFi

Declan Fox, head of Linea, explains that the SharpLink deployment demonstrates the type of institutional participation the network was built to support.

“This $170M ETH deployment with SharpLink reflects exactly what Linea is designed to enable: institutional-scale participation in Ethereum that combines productivity, security, and credibility,” Fox said.

“By bringing together enhanced, risk-adjusted yield with qualified custody and trusted partners, we’re showing how institutions can deploy ETH productively while meeting the security and compliance standards they require,” Fox added.

Fox added that the transaction represents a meaningful step forward in how institutions engage with Ethereum at scale, particularly as Layer-2 networks increasingly act as the execution layer for complex on-chain strategies.

A Sign for Institutional DeFi Adoption

Joseph Chalom, CEO of SharpLink, framed the deployment as the beginning of a broader shift in institutional engagement with decentralized finance.

“This is the start of an even more innovative era for institutional DeFi,” Chalom said. “Our deployment on Linea and collaboration with this unique group of partners have unlocked enhanced ETH productivity for institutions at scale, while maintaining the security and risk mitigation practices institutions need.”

He added that SharpLink intends to continue setting standards for institutional-grade activity on Ethereum, as more publicly listed firms evaluate how crypto assets can be deployed responsibly within treasury operations.

Implications for Corporate Crypto Treasuries

As regulatory clarity improves and infrastructure matures, SharpLink’s move may serve as a blueprint for other corporates considering on-chain treasury strategies.

The deployment reflects the growing role of Layer-2 networks in allowing institutions to access DeFi while addressing concerns around cost, scalability, custody, and compliance.

For Ethereum, the transaction shows a potential next phase of adoption—one where institutional treasuries not only hold ETH, but actively deploy it as productive capital within the network’s expanding financial ecosystem.