Alibaba's Jack Ma Takes Leap into Crypto with Yunfeng's $44 Million ETH Acquisition

Yunfeng Financial Group, co-founded by Alibaba's Jack Ma, has acquired 10,000 ETH, valued at $44 million, to diversify its assets and boost confidence in its long-term role in global finance. The move is part of the company's strategy to expand into Web3 technology, real-world assets, digital currency, and artificial intelligence. Despite China's crypto ban, Ma can invest through Yunfeng, a Hong Kong-based company, and his move may influence the global crypto markets by bridging the gap between conventional markets and blockchain technology.

Yunfeng Financial Group, a Hong Kong-listed financial services firm with close ties to Alibaba founder Jack Ma, has made a significant move by acquiring 10,000 ETH, valued at approximately $44 million. This acquisition, disclosed in a voluntary filing on Tuesday, marks one of the largest Ethereum acquisitions by a publicly traded company in Asia this year [1].

The purchase, funded entirely from Yunfeng's internal cash reserves, reflects the company's strategic expansion into Web3, real-world assets (RWAs), digital currencies, and artificial intelligence. The ETH will be booked as an investment on Yunfeng's balance sheet and serve as part of its reserve assets [1]. This move aligns with Yunfeng's long-term strategy to support tokenization activities for RWAs, provide infrastructure for Web3 innovation, and enhance its ability to integrate financial services with emerging technology [1].

Yunfeng's acquisition places the company alongside a growing group of corporate and institutional entities treating ETH as a strategic reserve. According to Strategic ETH Reserve (SER) data, structured entities now hold 4.44 million ETH valued at around $19 billion, representing 3.67% of Ethereum's total supply [1]. The largest single holder is Bitmine Immersion Tech, which controls 1.8 million ETH worth roughly $7.7 billion, accounting for more than 40% of all SER reserves [1].

Analysts warn that sustained redemptions could temporarily weigh on prices, even as long-term accumulation by corporations like Yunfeng suggests growing confidence in Ethereum as an institutional-grade asset. The concentration of reserves also remains a key market factor, with Bitmine and SharpLink together accounting for over 58% of all ETH held by SER entities, raising questions about liquidity risks if these major players adjust their positions [1].

Despite China's crypto ban, Ma can invest through Yunfeng, a Hong Kong-based company, and his move may influence the global crypto markets by bridging the gap between conventional markets and blockchain technology. Yunfeng's $44 million move may be small compared with the billions held by global giants, but it carries symbolic weight in Hong Kong, a market positioning itself as a digital asset hub [1].

Yunfeng Financial confirmed its acquisition of 10,000 ETH on the open market using internal cash reserves. This allocation reflects the firm's decision to shift part of its reserves into blockchain-based assets. The company classifies the ETH holding as an investment within its financial statements [3].

References:
[1] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/jack-ma-linked-yunfeng-buys-172820741.html
[2] https://cointelegraph.com/news/yunfeng-financial-10000-eth-web3-expansion
[3] https://coincentral.com/hong-kongs-yunfeng-financial-joins-ether-treasury-trend-with-44m-purchase/