A leading global bank sees Ethereum skyrocketing. Standard Chartered recently updated its price targets, forecasting a remarkable climb for the digital asset. They believe Ethereum, or ETH, could hit $7,500 per unit by the end of this year. Looking further out, they anticipate a jump to $25,000 by 2028, if current growth trends continue.
This optimistic outlook comes from a new analysis by Geoffrey Kendrick. He’s the head of digital asset research for Standard Chartered. Kendrick points to several key drivers behind these impressive figures. He highlights strong demand from companies buying ETH for their financial reserves. He also notes significant interest from big investors in new exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, that hold actual Ethereum. Added to this are hopes for clearer rules around crypto investments in the United States.
Companies and ETFs Drive Demand
Kendrick suggests that Ethereum’s price behavior indicates a strong upward path. He predicts ETH could even surpass its all-time high of $4,866 before the third quarter of 2025 ends.
Since early June, companies with Ethereum in their treasuries and the new spot ETFs have bought a significant amount. They’ve snapped up about 3.8% of all the Ether in circulation. This buying pace is almost twice as fast as the highest rate seen when similar buyers were acquiring Bitcoin.
The bank estimates that firms like BitMine Immersion and SharpLink Gaming purchased around 2.3 million ETH. That’s roughly 1.9% of the total supply, acquired in just two and a half months. ETFs contributed the rest. This year, Ethereum has surged over 41%, while Bitcoin has seen a 29% increase.
Stablecoin Rules Boost Ethereum
Government policy is another big factor. In July, President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law. This act creates a federal framework for stablecoins. Standard Chartered argues this regulation will directly help Ethereum.
More than half of all stablecoins already run on Ethereum’s network. These stablecoins generate a significant portion of the network’s fees, accounting for about 40% of all blockchain commissions. The bank, along with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, expects the stablecoin market to reach $2 trillion by the end of 2028.
Such growth would directly increase Ethereum’s fee income. It would also boost activity in decentralized finance, known as DeFi. About 65% of all locked value in DeFi is held on the Ethereum network.
Technical Upgrades and Future Adoption
On the technology front, Standard Chartered sees more activity from the Ethereum Foundation. Various contributors are working to improve the core network’s performance. The goal is for high-value transactions to be settled directly on the main Ethereum network. Meanwhile, high-volume operations will move to faster “Layer 2” solutions, like Base and Arbitrum.
This system, the bank says, strengthens Ethereum’s position. It suggests Ethereum will capture a larger share of real financial activity in the future. This, in turn, will provide even more momentum for its price.
Long-Term Outlook
The bank has consistently supported the idea of companies holding Ethereum in their treasuries. They believe the combination of institutional products, public company balances, and clear regulations makes Ether very appealing for traditional investors. Standard Chartered has even suggested that corporate treasury investments might be more attractive than US spot ETFs in some cases.
The bank’s updated forecasts include a price of $12,000 for Ethereum by the end of 2026. Then $18,000 for 2027, and $25,000 for both 2028 and 2029. In parallel, they maintain their Bitcoin predictions. They still project Bitcoin to hit $200,000 by 2025 and $500,000 by 2028-2029.