Standard Chartered (SC) has significantly raised its 2025 Ethereum (ETH) price forecast from $4,000 to $7,500. The key basis is the acceleration of stablecoin adoption after US regulatory changes and the purchase volume by ETFs and corporations reaching an all-time high.
SC analyzed that since early June, ETFs and treasury companies have purchased 3.8% of ETH's circulating supply. This is twice the highest rate of Bitcoin purchases during the 2024 US election. Additionally, active market participation by key organizations like the Ethereum Foundation and Etherealize, and Vitalik Buterin's plan to expand layer 1 processing capacity tenfold were cited as major momentum.
Particularly, the GENIUS Act passed in July clearly defines the stablecoin regulatory framework and is evaluated as a catalyst for accelerating mass adoption. Currently, stablecoins account for 40% of blockchain total fees, with over half issued on Ethereum. SC forecasts that stablecoin market capitalization will grow eightfold to $2 trillion by 2028, which will significantly expand ETH demand in conjunction with DeFi growth. Currently, ETH occupies 65% of total DeFi locked assets.
SC expects ETH to surpass its all-time high ($4,866) by the end of the third quarter of 2025, and the ETH/BTC ratio to rise from 0.036 to 0.05. Long-term, they proposed target prices of $12,000 in 2026, $18,000 in 2027, and $25,000 in 2028.
However, profit-taking movements are also emerging. The 'Seven Sisters' whale group recently sold 19,461 ETH within 24 hours, converting approximately 121.7 billion won to cash, and the Ethereum Foundation also sold ETH worth about 17.5 billion won two days ago.
