Standard Chartered has sharply increased its year-end Ethereum (ETH) forecast, now expecting the cryptocurrency to hit $7,500 by December, up from its prior $4,000 target. The bank cites growing industry participation and a supportive stablecoin market as key drivers that could boost Ethereum’s network demand.
ETH recently touched a 3.5-year high near $4,700, with staking yields adding an extra income layer to price gains. A major catalyst, according to the bank, is the proposed U.S. stablecoin legislation known as the GENIUS Act. If passed, the bill could expand on-chain activity significantly. Since most stablecoins operate on Ethereum, rising transaction volumes would likely lead to higher ETH usage and fee generation.
Looking further ahead, Standard Chartered raised its long-term target to $25,000 by the end of 2028. The bank’s outlook assumes the stablecoin market will grow eightfold, cementing Ethereum’s role in mainstream finance.
Why the Bank is Bullish on Ethereum
The bank’s optimism rests on several overlapping trends:
- Ethereum’s broad utility, spanning settlement, decentralized finance (DeFi), restaking, and tokenization—activities that tend to surge in risk-on markets.
- Attractive staking yields that encourage investors to hold ETH for both capital gains and income.
- A more favorable policy environment for fiat-backed stablecoins, which fuel most on-chain commerce.
If stablecoin settlement grows as expected, Ethereum could secure a larger role in payment-like activities, increasing the demand for its blockspace and, ultimately, for ETH itself.
Potential Risks to the Outlook
The bullish case is not without challenges. A sudden downturn in crypto-wide liquidity, unexpected regulatory hurdles, or delays in scaling Ethereum’s throughput and lowering fees could all hinder the path to $7,500. Still, with ETH trading around $4,780 and nearing its all-time highs, the bank believes new records are within reach if supportive flows and favorable macro conditions persist.
Market commentary from other outlets echoed the same themes, pointing to ETF and treasury accumulation, stablecoin expansion, and steady network upgrades as key ingredients for long-term growth. Both institutional adoption and regulatory clarity could act as the next big accelerators for Ethereum demand.
