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Standard Chartered expects Ethereum to outperform Bitcoin in 2026
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The bank lowered short-term ETH price targets but raised long-term ones
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Stablecoins, tokenization, and DeFi are key drivers
Standard Chartered believes 2026 will be the year Ethereum stands out, even as the bank trims some of its near-term price forecasts.
Geoffrey Kendrick, the bank’s head of digital assets research, said Ethereum’s fundamentals are improving faster than Bitcoin’s. While weaker Bitcoin performance has weighed on the broader crypto market, Ethereum continues to benefit from strong onchain activity and growing real-world use cases.
The bank now expects ETH to end 2026 at $7,500, lower than its previous estimate, followed by $15,000 in 2027 and $22,000 in 2028. At the same time, it raised its long-term outlook, with a new $40,000 target for 2030.
Standard Chartered highlighted Ethereum’s dominance in stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets, and DeFi, where it hosts more than half of all activity. The bank expects both stablecoins and tokenized assets to grow to $2 trillion by 2028, with most of that volume settling on Ethereum.
Network upgrades were another key factor. Ethereum’s transaction count recently hit new highs, driven largely by stablecoin usage. The bank said higher throughput has historically translated into higher network value.
If regulation continues to improve and broader markets remain strong, the bank believes Ethereum is well-positioned to outperform other major crypto assets over the coming years.
