Standard Chartered: Ethereum to Reach $40,000 by 2030

Standard Chartered predicts that Ethereum (ETH) will reach $40,000 by 2030.

According to CoinDesk, a cryptocurrency news outlet, Standard Chartered recently forecast in a report that Ethereum (ETH) could rise to $40,000 by the end of 2030. Considering that ETH was trading at approximately $3,111 per coin as of 4:00 PM that day, this suggests a potential upside of approximately 1,177% from the current market price. The target price for 2029 was set at $30,000. This suggests that Ethereum's structural competitiveness is strengthening despite continued volatility across the cryptocurrency market.



“2026 will be the year of ETH, much like 2021 was,” said Jeff Kendrick, Global Head of Digital Asset Research at Standard Chartered. “As on-chain product adoption expands, ETH could outperform significantly.”

This outlook aligns with Standard Chartered's shift toward a more constructive stance on ETH compared to Bitcoin (BTC). However, it lowered its short-term price target. The bank projected an ETH price of $7,500 by the end of 2026, down from its previous forecast of $12,000. Its projections of $15,000 by the end of 2027 and $22,000 by the end of 2028 are also lower than their previous estimates. However, the bank revised its long-term forecast beyond 2029 upward.

Chief Executive Officer Kendrick commented, "ETH's upward momentum has strengthened compared to BTC." He cited ETH's strengths as stablecoins, real-world assets (RWAs), a dominant position in decentralized finance (DeFi), and network expansion efforts. According to the bank, more than half of all stablecoins and RWA tokens are currently issued on Ethereum. He predicted this share would increase as traditional financial activities migrate to blockchain.

The bank also positively assessed the fundamentals of the Ethereum network. According to the report, the number of Ethereum-based transactions reached an all-time high. The bank explained that the increase in transaction throughput on Layer 1 (L1) blockchains coincided with past increases in market capitalization.

In terms of capital flow, the report assessed that the overall inflow of cryptocurrency into exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and for corporate finance purposes has slowed. However, it assessed that demand for ETH remains relatively stable. The report noted that Bitmine Immersion, which operates an ETH-centric corporate finance strategy, has been continuously purchasing ETH, currently holding approximately 3.4% of the circulating ETH supply.

Changes in the regulatory environment were also cited as a variable. The report predicted that if the Clarity Act, a US cryptocurrency market restructuring bill, is passed, institutional uncertainty will be alleviated. It explained that with the regulatory framework surrounding DeFi established, the expansion of the Ethereum ecosystem could accelerate in earnest.

Standard Chartered assessed that while Bitcoin still serves as the benchmark asset in the cryptocurrency market, Ethereum is leading the expansion of real-world applications, such as stablecoins and DeFi. The analysis suggests that these structural differences could boost ETH's medium- to long-term returns.

Reporter Do Ye-ri