Huobi Founder Li Lin and Ripple Labs Launch Rival $1 Billion Digital Asset Treasuries in Ethereum and XRP

Two landmark treasury initiatives mark a turning point in institutional crypto accumulation

TL;DR

• Huobi founder Li Lin spearheads a $1 billion Ether treasury with Asia’s top crypto veterans to acquire and hold ETH through a regulated vehicle.
• Ripple Labs prepares a $1 billion digital-asset treasury to accumulate XRP via a SPAC-backed structure, signaling long-term confidence despite recent market volatility.
• Both initiatives highlight growing institutional interest in using digital assets as corporate and investment treasuries amid a shifting global crypto price index.

Reports on October 17 2025 revealed that Li Lin, the founder of Huobi and chairman of Avenir Capital, is leading a new $1 billion Ether-focused investment trust supported by some of Asia’s earliest and most influential crypto pioneers. The group includes Fenbushi Capital co-founder Shen Bo, HashKey Group CEO Xiao Feng, and Meitu Inc. founder Cai Wensheng. Their collective plan centers on establishing a regulated digital-asset treasury designed to accumulate Ether as a long-term balance-sheet reserve, rather than as a short-term speculative holding.

Funding commitments for the initiative already total approximately $1 billion. Avenir Capital reportedly contributes about $200 million, while regional investors such as HongShan Capital Group add around $500 million. Discussions are underway to acquire a Nasdaq-listed shell company as the operating vehicle for the trust, providing a regulated pathway for institutional exposure to Ether. Li Lin, who founded Huobi in 2013 and exited following China’s 2021 crypto trading ban, now oversees one of Asia’s largest Bitcoin ETF portfolios exceeding $1 billion in assets. The new Ether trust aims to expand institutional participation in Ethereum at a moment when the crypto price index shows sustained volatility and ETH trades below $4,000—most recently near $3,874.

Public data cited by multiple sources indicates that roughly 14 publicly listed firms together hold 4.43 million ETH, valued at around $16.9 billion. The emergence of Li Lin’s vehicle underscores a growing trend among corporate and fund treasuries treating Ethereum as a digital reserve asset akin to gold or sovereign bonds. Observers describe the structure as a regulated gateway for institutional ETH accumulation, expected to reinforce market depth and long-term liquidity even amid a subdued coin market cap.

Parallel to the Ethereum move, Ripple Labs has embarked on its own $1 billion fundraising campaign to establish an XRP-centric Digital Asset Treasury (DAT). The company plans to deploy the funds through a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC), blending capital investment with on-chain accumulation. Ripple intends to contribute part of its existing XRP holdings—estimated at 4.5 billion tokens—with a further 37 billion locked in escrow. That stockpile represents roughly 41 to 42 percent of total XRP supply, highlighting the firm’s dominant position within its ecosystem.

Market analysis suggests that at a prevailing crypto price near $2.30 per XRP, a $1 billion allocation would equate to about 435 million XRP, or roughly 0.75 percent of the circulating 60 billion tokens. If accumulated steadily across 90 days, the purchase flow could average $11 million per day—equivalent to more than 20 percent of visible liquidity within near-market order books. Analysts estimate potential short-term upward pressure of 10 to 40 percent depending on execution speed. Ripple’s effort follows its $1 billion acquisition of treasury-management software provider GTreasury, further signaling its transition from payments infrastructure to a comprehensive liquidity and treasury operator for the XRP network.

Both treasuries emerge during a turbulent period for digital markets. The global crypto price index reflects heightened volatility following roughly $19 billion in liquidations earlier in October, yet major corporate initiatives continue to attract capital. Together, the Ether and XRP treasuries represent a combined $2 billion commitment to digital-asset reserves, a sign that institutional conviction may be deepening despite short-term market drawdowns. Analysts view these developments as milestones in the evolution of digital assets from speculative instruments toward structured corporate and sovereign-grade treasury assets—an inflection point that could reshape how institutional investors engage with the coin market cap in the months ahead.

This article has been refined and enhanced by ChatGPT.