Standard Chartered has raised Ethereum’s year-end price target from $4,000 to $7,500. On each Reuters, the bank has raised its 2028 forecast from $7,500 to $25,000. The ether was trading at around $4,679 on Wednesday. The levels were seen in November 2021.
This revision marks a reversal from March when Standard Chartered cut its 2025 forecast from $10,000 to $4,000. At the time, the bank estimated that it could remove roughly $50 billion from Ethereum’s market capitalization and remove a slowdown in the network’s chain economic activity, as it caused the downgrade due to structural headwinds, including the diversion of revenues to layer 2 networks such as Coinbase bases.
Recent developments have changed its evaluation. Since June, the Corporate Treasury has accumulated a substantial amount of Ethereum supply, with standard chartered estimates likely to reach 10% in the end. The bank pointed to the emergence of Ethereum finance companies and improved industry engagement as a catalyst for upgraded targets. This trend reflects previous adoption patterns of Bitcoin, in which company balance sheet allocations affected market perceptions and liquidity.
The current price environment reflects Ethereum’s new momentum over the long term, below previous highs. Returning to the second half of 2021 levels will involve broader institutional activities in staking, decentralized financial participation and infrastructure development that could enhance demand stability.
Standard Chartered’s revised target is looking ahead and subject to market volatility, but frames the market narrative where long-term holders and financial managers can play a more central role in price support.
Ethereum’s market position remains shaped by its dual role as the settlement layer and base of the tier 2 ecosystem. While previous concerns about fee leaks to scaling solutions have not been dissipated, the bank’s latest forecasts mean that new demand sources can offset some of these pressures.
The possibility that a company’s holdings trap a large portion of the supply intersects the appeal of yields and Ethereum yields, adding dimensions to investment papers beyond speculative trading.
The latest forecast shift in Standard Chartered captures the evolving interaction between the Ethereum technical environment and its macro adoption trends. The upgrade from $4,000 to $7,500 in 2025 and $7,500 to $25,000 in 2028 will position Ethereum in a higher rating bracket based on the assumptions of sustainable corporate participation and ecosystem activity.
Whether these trends persist will depend on regulatory clarity, competitive pressures from other smart contract platforms, Ethereum’s development roadmap, and future protocol upgrades. For now, bank forecasts reflect new confidence in the assets’ medium- and long-term trajectories.
