Tom Lee, co-founder of Fundstrat and market expert, indicated that Ethereum could be about to experience a strong price increase, similar to what BTC experienced in 2017.
At that time, the price of Bitcoin had increased more than 100 times because many people began to see it as 'digital gold'. Lee believes that the ETH 2017 moment of Bitcoin is approaching. But the question is, why does he think so?
Behind the Bitcoin Moment of ETH in 2017: Price Increase Perspectives
Going back to 2017, the price of BTC was trading at around $1,000 in January, but by last month, the price had increased by 2,000%, reaching approximately $20,000. The market has just witnessed an explosive moment.
As for Ethereum, it has increased by 200% since the April drop and 16.66% since the beginning of the year. If this growth trend continues, it has the potential to reach an 850% growth as Lee mentioned.
And the contributing factors mentioned include regulations on stablecoins, large investments from companies, and the appreciation of the U.S. SEC.
Institutional Buying and AI Integration Drive Ethereum Growth
In addition to the Bitcoin moment of ETH 2017, Tom Lee also talked about how artificial intelligence (AI) will work with Ethereum. He suggests that large companies will start holding Ethereum in the same way that MicroStrategy holds BTC, and he called this idea 'Ethereum MicroStrategy'.
Additionally, institutions have also begun to participate. Bitmine Immersion leads with 833,133 ETH valued at $3.5 billion, followed by Ether MicroStrategy, Sharplink Gaming with 521,939 ETH valued at $2.23 billion. Coinbase Inc, Bit Digital, BTCS Inc. are also on the list of top holders. According to Coingecko, 1.45% of the total supply is held by only 17 public companies, demonstrating a high level of confidence in this cryptocurrency.
The Drastic Price Increase Signals New Investor Confidence
This cryptocurrency started with a price of $3,688 in 2025, but faced a sharp drop to $1,472 in April. After a gradual increase, it began to rise again last month and has now gone up from about $3,700 to over $4,200 in just a few weeks.
Source: CoinMarketCap
This increase clearly supports the views that the co-founder of Fundstrat mentioned regarding the ETH 2017 moment of Bitcoin.
Potential Price: From $3,700 to $30,000 or More
Lee predicts that the price could increase drastically, potentially reaching $30,000 or more. And he is not the only one predicting this price increase; the founder of EMJ Capital, Eric Jackson, indicated that the price could reach $1.5 million per unit over time, while other experts estimate the price around $90,000 - $1 million.
What makes experts think this way? This significant increase is driven by several key factors that combine to increase the value of Ethereum.
Conclusion
With clearer rules, the participation of large institutions and advanced technologies that increase the value of virtual assets, this asset has recently joined the top 25 of the highest market capitalization indices.
But when there is a lot of speculation about the Bitcoin moment of ETH 2017, is it possible that if BTC experienced a sharp drop the following year, Ether could face the same? The answer is uncertain, but the current speculations certainly are.
