Standard Chartered analysts predict that by the end of the year, the value of the cryptocurrency Ethereum (ETH) will reach $7500, according to the Block. They have sharply raised their targets for the altcoin, stating that its situation has 'significantly improved.' The previous forecast was $4000 by the end of 2025.
On the three-year horizon, the bank's forecast has also changed; now Standard Chartered believes that by the end of 2028, Ethereum will be worth $25,000. Earlier, they set the price at $7500. The updated forecast also suggests that ETH will rise to $12,000 by the end of 2026 and to $18,000 in 2027.
The head of Standard Chartered's digital asset research department, Jeffrey Kendrick, expects ETH to exceed its previous all-time high of around $4900 by the end of September.
Another catalyst for growth he mentioned is the recently passed US law on stablecoins, GENIUS, which is expected to increase activity on the Ethereum network, as more than half of all stablecoins are issued on it. Stablecoins already account for about 40% of all fees on the blockchain.
Standard Chartered forecasts that the market capitalization of stablecoins could grow to $2 trillion by the end of 2028 from the current $254 billion (of which $131 billion is on the Ethereum blockchain). It is expected that the growth of this market will increase both direct commission revenues for Ethereum and indirect activity in decentralized finance, where today about 65% of the total value locked (TVL) is in Ethereum.
Moreover, the bank noted that the activity of developers, organizers, and participants in the ecosystem has increased. This strengthens the long-term outlook for Ethereum and becomes a 'bullish' incentive, Kendrick believes.
At the same time, Standard Chartered's forecasts for Bitcoin (BTC) remain unchanged. Analysts believe that the first cryptocurrency will rise to $500,000 by 2029 and may surpass $200,000 this year.
