Ethereum is primed for explosive growth as institutional demand, stablecoin expansion, and decentralized finance adoption fuel forecasts soaring to $25,000—according to Standard Chartered’s latest projections.
Ethereum Gets Major Boost as Standard Chartered Sets $25K Bull Case
Standard Chartered Bank has turned more bullish on ethereum, lifting its price targets significantly as institutional demand and regulatory clarity improve. On Aug. 13, the bank lifted its year-end 2025 forecast for ETH to $7,500 from $4,000 and raised its 2028 projection to $25,000 from $7,500. The latest estimates, outlined by Geoff Kendrick, head of digital assets research, mark a major jump from prior targets and reflect a nearly 60% premium over ether’s recent multi-year high of $4,700. Kendrick linked the upgrade to increasing token holdings, deeper market participation, and Ethereum’s appeal as both a staking asset and the core infrastructure for decentralized applications.
Part of the optimism stems from the U.S. approval of the Genius Act, which sets out a regulatory framework for dollar-pegged stablecoins. Kendrick stressed Ethereum’s critical role in this ecosystem, stating:
“We project that the stablecoin sector will grow by around 8x by end-2028, which would have a significant direct impact on fees on the Ethereum network.”
Since most stablecoins are issued and traded on ethereum, growth in the sector is expected to fuel higher demand for ether to pay transaction fees. The cryptocurrency has already climbed more than 50% in the past month, supported by expectations of greater blockchain adoption.
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The bank’s longer-term view hinges on Ethereum’s Layer 1 blockchain expanding its capacity to handle high-value transactions, particularly those linked to traditional finance. Kendrick also anticipates that ethereum treasury holdings could eventually represent 10% of the total supply. While some analysts caution that such forecasts rely on ambitious adoption scenarios, advocates point to Ethereum’s broadening real-world use cases and its entrenched role in decentralized finance as a foundation for sustained price growth.
There are many bullish ETH forecasts beyond Standard Chartered’s outlook. Fundstrat’s Tom Lee has suggested ether could climb to $16K. Bitwise’s CIO, Matt Hougan, has predicted an “Ethereum demand shock,” arguing that institutional purchases via exchange-traded products and corporate treasuries could outpace new supply by a 7:1 ratio. Meanwhile, a growing number of firms, including Bitmine and Sharplink Gaming, are now accumulating large amounts of ETH, following a trend of companies adding crypto to their treasuries, driving up demand.