Standard Chartered Calls 2026 ‘Ethereum’s Year’: Will ETH USDT Reclaim $5,000?

Ben Graham · 5 horas atrás

Ethereum crypto is usually the laggard. Case in point: In late 2023, when Bitcoin was ripping weeks before the approval of the first batch of spot Bitcoin ETFs, ETH USDT struggled. They also underperformed in 2024-2025, and never really extended gains above all-time highs. This underwhelming and disappointing price action occurs even when Ethereum remains the home of DeFi and the next 100X coins.

The Ethereum price might be back above the $3,000 mark in January 2026, but unless there is a wave of bullish action lifting ETH USDT above $3,500, downside risks remain. At press time, the psychological floor remains at $3,000, and this, according to some analysts, could be the floor of even more gains in 2026.

Standard Chartered analysts are convinced 2026 will be “the year of Ethereum,” arguing ETH will beat Bitcoin as real-world crypto use grows. Bitcoin is evolving to become a store of value, a digital gold, while Ethereum is the home of DeFi and tokenization. The call lands as banks, ETFs, and stablecoins pull crypto closer to traditional finance.

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

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What is Standard Chartered actually saying?

Standard Chartered, led by Geoffrey Kendrick, the Global Head of Digital Assets Research, has been one of the most vocal and bullish institutional voices on Ethereum. The bank says Ethereum’s building blocks look stronger than Bitcoin’s going into 2026. Translation: More financial activity is happening on Ethereum, and that activity creates steady demand for ETH, boosting some of the next coins to explode in the process.

Specifically, their optimism is rooted in several specific catalysts they identified during the 2025 cycle. On top of their list is the expected expansion of tokenization. They project the sector will hit $2T by 2028. If this forecast remains, Ethereum, being the primary settlement layer for these assets, will benefit immensely.

Standard Chartered has dropped a bold long-term $ETH view:

• 2029 ETH target raised to $30,000
• New 2030 target: $40,000

Not a trade call. Not cycle timing.
It’s a structural bet on Ethereum’s role in global onchain finance.

Does ETH earn that valuation over the next 5… pic.twitter.com/cKMxQd6JMP

— Kyledoops (@kyledoops) January 12, 2026

Additionally, the bank said the passing of the GENIUS Act into law in July 2025 was a win for DeFi and the industry as a whole. The GENIUS Act provided guidelines for stablecoin issuers, giving them direction on what the law expects. The provision of regulatory clarity necessary for traditional financial institutions to move assets on-chain could fast-track tokenization and adoption of stablecoins.

There is also another advantage that Ethereum has over Bitcoin: Staking. Unlike Bitcoin, Ethereum offers a yield through staking. Standard Chartered views this internet bond characteristic as a major draw for institutional investors seeking active returns. The good news is that the SEC is warming to the idea of spot Ethereum ETF issuers staking.

Grayscale Ethereum Staking ETF becomes first ‘33 Act spot crypto ETF to distribute staking rewards…

Spot eth ETFs didn’t even exist a year & a half ago.

Now making *staking* distributions to investors.

Wild how far crypto ETF space has come in short amount of time. pic.twitter.com/faCnJILkqt

— Nate Geraci (@NateGeraci) January 6, 2026

While the initial batch of spot Ethereum ETFs launched in July 2024 specifically excluded staking at the SEC’s request, they began approving rule changes in Q3 2025 that allowed specific issuers to incorporate staking. Grayscale and 21Shares were among the first to receive approval to transition their funds. Eventually, the over $20B of ETH held by spot Ethereum ETF issuers will be staked, earning shareholders a yield, an incentive to HODL.

(Source: SosoValue)

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What’s Next for Ethereum? Will ETH USDT Defy Gravity?

Considering their analysis of Ethereum, Standard Chartered analysts expect ETH USDT to more than double from spot rates, breaking $5,000 and racing above $7,500 by the end of the year. The upper range of their Ethereum prediction is $12,000. By 2030, they forecast that each ETH will be changing hands at over $40,000 as the mainnet transits to become a global financial infrastructure, driven mainly by tokenization and stablecoin expansion.

This call does not mean ETH goes up in a straight line. Crypto still swings hard. But it shows why some investors treat Ethereum as long-term infrastructure, not a short-term trade. On X, one analyst notes that ETH USDT has broken above a multi-week descending channel, and 2026 could shape out to be massive.