ETH Treasury Disaster: 96% Crash Forces Total Pivot

One of the biggest changes to have occurred in the crypto-equity crossover area is the abandonment of an ETH based treasury strategy on the part of ETHZilla due to a massive stock crash. The firm will now change its name to Forum Markets and shift to tokenized real-world assets. This move comes after its share price dropped by an unbelievable 96 percent since its 2025 peak, which is one of the most apparent failures of the so-called public crypto treasury concept.

🚨 ETHZILLA ABANDONS ETH TREASURY STRATEGY, REBRANDS AS FORUM AFTER STOCK COLLAPSES 96%

ETHZilla is dropping its Ethereum balance sheet model after shares plunged -96% from 2025 highs, and rebrands to Forum Markets ($FRMM) – pivoting to tokenized real world assets. pic.twitter.com/SeWgkPlaP5

— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) February 26, 2026

ETH Bet to Strategic Exit

They established ETH as their main treasury reserve, and created the identity of ETHZilla, which is similar to corporate Bitcoin strategies. It sought to earn the long-term crypto returns and to act as a high conviction ETH proxy on behalf of the public market investor. Nevertheless, the situation on the market changed rapidly, and the volatility of ETH revealed the threat of holding corporate reserves on one digital token. The balance sheet of the company was being undermined and the confidence of the investors was shattered as a result of the sharp fluctuation in prices. Sell-off of the stock was strong, and the company lost almost all its market value as compared to the peak.

To address the failure, the company declared a complete re-strategy and affirmed that it will rebrand itself as Forum Markets with the ticker FRMM beginning in March 2. This shift is in line with the more general industry transition to blockchain-based representations of stable cash-generating assets. The rally indicates that the market is more inclined towards a stability-oriented and diversified business model.

Why the Crypto Treasury Model Failed

The ETH treasury strategy seemed to be appealing in bullish market cycles due to the fact that the increase in the asset prices increased the corporate valuations. The model was however unstable in downturns and put the shareholders at risk to concentrated volatility. The organization depended on one asset and therefore all the significant changes made on the cost of the asset directly lowered the corporate worth. This structure did not provide much flexibility in risk management and had low hedging ability as compared to diversified treasury structures. There is also a tendency of the investors in the public market to select the predictable cash flows and operating revenue which the passive crypto holdings are not always able to offer. The strategy continued to become less sustainable as volatility continued.

Crypto treasury models were not doing well, but tokenized real-world assets were on the rise throughout the blockchain industry. The institutional investors are more interested in such instruments as they earn yield and are less volatile than speculative crypto holdings. This action is a strategic re-alignment and not a short term response.

ETH and Market Implications

The shift is a good indication to the market at large that single-asset treasury strategies are associated with high structural risks. Crypto businesses should also develop flexible frameworks to survive extended ETH volatility in the case of public companies. Simultaneously, this turn confirms the increase in the relevance of the tokenization as a viable business line. Other companies can reconsider their treasury policies and go down the same diversification. The investors now will be watching whether Forum Markets will be able to implement its new plan and regain credibility.

The downfall of ETHZilla underscores a bigger shift in the crypto industry with firms moving beyond the world of purely speculative exposure into hybrid financial structures. Companies are starting to merge ETH and other blockchain effectiveness with the performance of standard investments to capture investment. With volatility persisting in defining technology-driven asset markets, the approach, which combines real-life value with decentralized infrastructure, stands a greater chance of survival.