Ethereum Could Surge To $7,500 And Leave Bitcoin Behind, Banking Giant Says

[Ben Graham]

Standard Chartered has pushed its base-case price target for Ethereum to $7,500 by the end of the year, a big jump from an earlier $4,000 projection.

According to the bank’s digital assets team, growing demand from corporate treasury buyers and spot ETH products has driven the change in outlook.

Bank Raises Ethereum Target

The bank’s lead analyst expects fee growth on the Ethereum network and stronger institutional adoption to be key drivers for the move higher.

The bank also revised its longer-term numbers, lifting its 2028 target to $25,000 and laying out scenarios that push toward $40,000 by 2030. These wider targets reflect models where stablecoins and tokenized assets expand on Ethereum’s chain.

Institutional Buying Drives Demand

Data cited by market researchers points to heavy accumulation since June, with spot ETF flows and treasury firms together taking close to 4% of Ether’s circulating supply over that period.

ETHEREUM SEEN OUTPERFORMING BITCOIN

Standard Chartered says Ethereum’s outlook has improved and it is likely to outperform bitcoin. While weak bitcoin performance has weighed on the broader crypto market, rising institutional demand for ethereum and its dominance in stablecoins,…

— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) January 13, 2026

Treasury firms alone reportedly bought about 2.3 million ETH in just over two months, a pace that Standard Chartered says outstrips some previous accumulation phases seen in Bitcoin.

Ethereum Vs. Bitcoin

Standard Chartered’s note also argues that Ether could outperform Bitcoin, raising the possibility of the ETH/BTC ratio returning toward levels last seen during 2021’s run-up.

Based on the bank’s scenarios, weaker Bitcoin momentum combined with stronger real-world use of Ethereum might lift Ether’s price faster than Bitcoin’s in the months ahead.

Long-Term Upside Scenarios

Some headlines have pointed to even bigger long-range targets produced by the same models, including forecasts of $30,000 by 2029 and $40,000 by 2030 under more bullish assumptions.

These outcomes rely on a substantial expansion of stablecoin use, tokenized real-world assets, and continued staking demand that would remove supply from the market.

Independent forecasters remain split, and other banks have offered lower year-end projections, offering a reminder that expert views differ.

Meanwhile, market watchers caution, though, that relative moves depend heavily on ETF flows and corporate balance-sheet decisions.

Network Fundamentals And Risks

According to the bank, Ethereum’s large share of stablecoin activity and its role in decentralized finance make fee income and on-chain demand a meaningful part of valuation models.

That said, the bank notes that scale improvements and Layer 1 throughput will matter a lot if big, traditional finance transactions migrate onchain.

The research also warns that shifts in macro conditions, outflows from major ETFs, or regulatory setbacks could change the math quickly.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView