Institutions are scrambling for it, companies are hoarding it, and Standard Chartered predicts ETH will hit $7,500 by the end of the year?

By Liam Wright, Source: CryptoSlate, Compiled by Shaw Jinse Finance

Standard Chartered Bank raised its year-end target price for Ethereum from $4,000 to $7,500, citing a stronger industry backdrop and renewed demand from corporate treasuries. According to Reuters, Standard Chartered also raised its 2028 Ethereum price forecast from $7,500 to $25,000. On Wednesday, Ethereum traded at around $4,679, its highest level since November 2021.

This revision is a stark reversal from March, when Standard Chartered lowered its 2025 forecast from $10,000 to $4,000. At the time, Standard Chartered attributed the downward revision to structural headwinds, including a shift in revenue to second-layer networks like Coinbase's Base, which it estimated could reduce Ethereum's market capitalization by approximately $50 billion, and a slowdown in on-chain economic activity. Recent developments appear to have changed this assessment. Since June, corporate treasuries have accumulated a significant portion of Ether's supply, a proportion Standard Chartered estimates could ultimately reach 10%. The bank cites the emergence of Ethereum Treasury Reserve and increased industry participation as catalysts for the increased target. This trend mirrors Bitcoin's early adoption patterns, where allocations on corporate balance sheets influenced market perception and liquidity. The current price environment reflects Ethereum's renewed momentum after a prolonged period below its all-time high. The recovery in Ethereum prices to late 2021 levels, coupled with broader institutional participation in staking, decentralized finance activities, and infrastructure development, may further solidify demand. While Standard Chartered's revised targets are forward-looking and subject to market volatility, they outline a market narrative in which long-term holders and money managers are likely to play a more central role in supporting prices. Ethereum's market position remains shaped by its dual role as a settlement layer and foundation of the Layer-2 ecosystem. Previous concerns about fee leakage into scaling solutions remain, but Standard Chartered's latest forecast suggests that new sources of demand could offset some of this pressure. The potential for corporate holdings to lock up a larger portion of supply, intertwined with staking returns and Ethereum's appeal as a yield-generating asset, adds a dimension to the investment thesis beyond speculative trading. Standard Chartered's latest forecast adjustments reflect the evolving interplay between Ethereum's technical landscape and its macro-adoption trends. Raising the 2025 forecast from $4,000 to $7,500 and the 2028 forecast from $7,500 to $25,000, suggests a higher valuation range for Ethereum based on the assumption of continued enterprise engagement and ecosystem activity. Whether these trends can be sustained will depend on regulatory clarity, competitive pressure from other smart contract platforms, Ethereum's development roadmap, and future protocol upgrades. For now, Standard Chartered's forecast reflects renewed confidence in the medium- to long-term outlook for the asset.