Vivek Raman Compares Ethereum To Oil To Entice Wall Street
Vivek Raman, co-founder of Etherealize and former Wall Street banker, is leading an unprecedented charm offensive. He now presents Ethereum as the “digital oil” destined to revolutionize traditional financial institutions.
Vivek Raman, ex-banker and co-founder of Etherealize, presents Ethereum as the Wall Street ‘digital oil’.
This analogy complements Bitcoin as ‘digital gold’, but has certain technical limitations.
The tokenization of real assets could make Ethereum the neutral benchmark asset of the modern financial system.
The “digital oil” analogy: attractive but imperfect
Vivek Raman, former banker at Nomura and UBS, launched Etherealize in January 2025 with a clear mission.
This co-founder is leading a charm offensive with financial institutions to convince them to adopt Ethereum. “I still call it digital oil“, he confides.
We believe that with the evolution of the crypto ecosystem, people will want to hold this asset as a reserve.
This analogy is directly inspired by bitcoin, often called “digital gold.” It makes Ethereum accessible to Wall Street newcomers.
The idea is simple: just as oil fuels the global industry, ETH fuels the blockchain network. It serves as fuel for all transactions and smart contracts.
However, fundamental differences emerge. Unlike oil, whose supply remains elastic according to demand, Ethereum has a maximum issuance of 1.5% per year.
“Rather than a fixed total supply cap, there is a fixed annual issuance cap“, clarifies Danny Ryan, co-founder of Etherealize and former researcher at the Ethereum Foundation. This predictability reassures institutional investors used to assets with clear rules.
The most striking advantage of Ethereum lies in its ability to generate income. Unlike oil stored in reserves, ETH “staked” on the network currently yields 3% per year. This passive income naturally attracts institutions seeking regular returns.
