Standard Chartered shocks with upgraded forecast: Ethereum could soar to $25,000 within 30 months!

Standard Chartered's latest report shows that the bank has significantly raised its Ethereum (ETH) price target for the end of 2025 from $4,000 to $7,500, and has increased its long-term forecast for 2028 from $7,500 to an astonishing $25,000. This shift reflects a surge in institutional demand, an expansion in corporate holdings, and a rapidly growing appeal of Ethereum as a yield-generating asset. On Wednesday, the price of ETH was around $4,679, marking a new high since November 2021.

From Pessimism to Optimism: Standard Chartered's Attitude Reversal

In March this year, Standard Chartered Bank lowered its 2025 ETH forecast from $10,000 to $4,000, citing reasons including a slowdown in on-chain economic activity and the possibility that transaction fees flowing to Layer-2 networks (such as Base) could lead to a market cap evaporation of about $50 billion. However, the recent market environment has significantly improved, prompting the bank to completely revise its position.

Since June, corporate finance departments have been continuously accumulating ETH, with Standard Chartered Bank estimating that the final holdings could reach 10% of the total supply. This trend is similar to the early institutional adoption pattern of Bitcoin, where the allocation on corporate balance sheets significantly enhanced market liquidity and confidence.

Corporate Holding and Staking Yield Become Key Drivers

Standard Chartered Bank pointed out that more and more enterprises view ETH as a strategic asset, not only because of its core position as a settlement layer but also due to the 2.2–2.8% annualized yield brought by the staking mechanism.

When enterprises lock up more ETH supply for the long term, the market circulation will further tighten, and the price support will consequently strengthen. This combination of "yield assets + scarcity" provides a long-term logic for the investment value of ETH that goes beyond short-term speculation.

Technical and ecological development support long-term bullishness

Ethereum has rebounded to the levels at the end of 2021 after a prolonged period of stagnation, with institutional participation continuing to rise in areas such as staking, DeFi, and infrastructure development.

Although the diversion of transaction fee revenue from the main chain due to Layer-2 networks remains a challenge, Standard Chartered Bank believes that the new demand from the corporate bond market and decentralized applications is sufficient to offset some of the pressure. Future protocol upgrades and ecosystem expansion will further solidify ETH's position as the leading global smart contract platform.

Prerequisites for $25,000 in 2028

Standard Chartered Bank's long-term forecast is based on several assumptions:

A more transparent regulatory environment - helps attract more institutional funds.

The proportion of tokens held by enterprises has increased - ultimately reaching about 10% of the total supply.

Ecosystem activity remains high - continuous growth in areas such as DeFi, NFT, and tokenization of real-world assets (RWA).

Protocol upgrade implemented - enhancing network efficiency and security, maintaining competitive advantage.

Conclusion

Standard Chartered Bank raised the target price for ETH in 2028 to $25,000, expressing strong confidence in the long-term prospects of Ethereum. As enterprises expand their holdings, staking yields remain stable, and the ecosystem continues to develop, the valuation logic of ETH is shifting from speculation-driven to structural growth. Investors should closely monitor regulatory policies, the Layer-2 competitive landscape, and protocol upgrade progress, as these factors will determine whether ETH can reach $25,000 as expected within 30 months. For more real-time market information and in-depth analysis, please follow the official Gate platform.