Ethereum 2026: 5x growth window opens, institutions rush to raise funds, and ETH value revaluation

Author: Vivek Raman, Etherealize

Compiled by: Saoirse, Foresight News

Editor’s Note: At the start of 2026, while global financial institutions are still seeking certainty in their digital transformation paths, Ethereum has quietly become the core battleground for institutional deployment, thanks to its decade-long proven security, scalable technology support, and clear regulatory environment. From JPMorgan deploying money market funds on public blockchains, Fidelity integrating asset management into Layer 1 networks, to the U.S. GENIUS Act clearing regulatory hurdles for stablecoins, and platforms like Coinbase and Robinhood building dedicated blockchains on Layer 2 — a series of actions confirm Ethereum’s transformation from a “tech experiment” to a “global financial infrastructure.” In this analysis, Vivek Raman of Etherealize not only dissects the underlying logic of Ethereum becoming the “best business platform,” but also predicts a “fivefold growth” in tokenized assets, stablecoins, and ETH prices across three tracks. His insights into institutional holdings trends and the “blockchainization” inflection point of the financial system may provide key guidance for understanding the direction of the crypto market and financial reforms in the new year.

Over the past decade, Ethereum has established itself as the most secure and reliable blockchain platform adopted by global institutions.

Ethereum’s technology has achieved scalable application, with proven institutional use cases. The global regulatory environment is increasingly open and welcoming toward blockchain infrastructure, and the development of stablecoins and asset tokenization is driving fundamental change.

Therefore, from 2026 onward, Ethereum will be the premier platform for conducting business.

After ten years of application promotion, stable operation, global adoption, and high availability, Ethereum has become the preferred choice for institutions deploying blockchain. Next, let’s review how Ethereum has gradually become the default platform for tokenized assets over the past two years.

Finally, we will present a 2026 forecast for Ethereum: tokenization scale, stablecoin scale, and ETH price are all expected to increase fivefold. The stage for Ethereum’s revival is set, and the time for various enterprises to adopt Ethereum infrastructure is ripe.

Ethereum: The Core Platform for Tokenized Assets

The revolution in asset management via blockchain is akin to how the internet reshaped information — enabling assets to be digitized, programmable, and interoperable globally.

Tokenization of assets integrates assets, data, and payments into a unified infrastructure, fully upgrading business processes. Stocks, bonds, real estate, and capital can now circulate at internet speeds. This is a major upgrade that the financial system should have adopted long ago, and now Ethereum and other global public blockchains are finally making this vision a reality.

Asset tokenization is rapidly shifting from a hot concept to a fundamental business model upgrade. Just as no company would abandon the internet for fax machines, once financial institutions experience the efficiency, automation, and speed benefits of shared global blockchain infrastructure, they will not revert to traditional methods. The tokenization process will become irreversible.

Currently, the majority of high-value asset tokenizations are completed on Ethereum — because Ethereum is the most neutral and secure global infrastructure. Like the internet, it is not controlled by any single entity and is open to all users.

By 2026, the “experimental phase” of asset tokenization will have officially ended, and the industry will have entered deployment. Major institutions are directly launching flagship products on Ethereum to access global liquidity.

Some examples of institutional asset tokenization on Ethereum include:

• JPMorgan directly deploying money market funds on Ethereum, becoming one of the first banks to adopt public blockchain;
• Fidelity launching money market funds on Ethereum Layer 1, integrating asset management and operations into blockchain systems;
• Apollo launching a private credit fund, ACRED, on public blockchain, with Ethereum and its Layer 2 networks offering the highest liquidity;
• BlackRock, as a leading advocate of “everything tokenized,” launching the tokenized money market fund BUIDL on Ethereum, leading the institutional asset tokenization wave;
• Amundi (Europe’s largest asset manager) tokenizing its euro-denominated money market fund on Ethereum;
• BNY Mellon (America’s oldest bank) tokenizing a AAA-rated collateralized loan obligation (CLO) fund on Ethereum;
• Baillie Gifford (one of the UK’s largest asset managers) planning to launch a similar tokenized bond fund on Ethereum and Layer 2 networks.

Ethereum: The Core Blockchain for Stablecoins

Stablecoins are the clearest example of “product-market fit” in asset tokenization — by 2025, stablecoin transfer volume has exceeded $10 trillion. Essentially, stablecoins are tokenized dollars, representing a “software upgrade” of currency, enabling dollars to circulate at internet speed with programmable features.

2025 is a pivotal year for stablecoins and public blockchain development: the U.S. GENIUS Act (also known as the Stablecoin Act) was officially passed. This law establishes a regulatory framework for stablecoins and signals a “green light” for the underlying public blockchain infrastructure.

Even before the GENIUS Act, Ethereum’s stablecoin adoption rate was already leading. Today, 60% of stablecoins are deployed on Ethereum and its Layer 2 networks (if future Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible chains that may become Layer 2 are included, this rises to 90%). The enactment of the GENIUS Act marks Ethereum’s official “opening for commercial use” — institutions can now obtain regulatory approval to deploy their own stablecoins on public blockchains.

The reason email and websites achieved mass adoption is because they connected to a unified global internet (not isolated intranets). Similarly, stablecoins and all tokenized assets can only fully realize their utility and network effects within a unified global public blockchain ecosystem.

Thus, the explosive growth of stablecoins is just beginning. A typical case is SoFi, the U.S. national bank, which became the first to issue a stablecoin (SoFiUSD) on a permissionless public blockchain, ultimately choosing Ethereum.

This is just the “tip of the iceberg” for stablecoin development. Investment banks and new banking entities are exploring issuing their own stablecoins individually or in alliances, and fintech companies are advancing deployment and integration. The digitization of the dollar on public blockchains is fully underway, with Ethereum as the default platform.

Ethereum: Building Dedicated Blockchains

Blockchain is not a “one-size-fits-all” tool. The global financial market requires tailored solutions based on geography, regulation, and customer base. For this reason, Ethereum was designed from the start with high security as a core goal, and through deployable “Layer 2 blockchains,” it enables high customization.

Just as every enterprise has its own website, apps, and customized environment on the internet, many will have their own dedicated Layer 2 blockchain within the Ethereum ecosystem.

This is not just a theoretical architecture but a practical reality. Ethereum Layer 2 solutions have established institutional use cases, enabling scalable deployment and becoming a core support for Ethereum’s “business-friendly” features. Some examples include:

• Coinbase building the Base blockchain on Ethereum Layer 2, leveraging Ethereum’s security and liquidity while creating new revenue streams;
• Robinhood developing a dedicated blockchain that will integrate tokenized stocks, prediction markets, and various assets, based on Layer 2 technology;
• SWIFT (the global banking messaging network) adopting Ethereum Layer 2 network Linea for blockchain-based settlement services;
• JPMorgan deploying tokenized deposit services on Ethereum Layer 2 network Base;
• Deutsche Bank building a public permissioned blockchain network on Ethereum Layer 2, laying the groundwork for more banks to develop their own Layer 2 solutions.

The value of Layer 2 is not only in customization but also as the best business model in blockchain: it combines Ethereum’s global security with operational profit margins exceeding 90%, opening new revenue streams for enterprises.

For institutions adopting blockchain, this is the optimal “win-win”: leveraging Ethereum’s security and liquidity while maintaining profit margins and operating dedicated environments within the Ethereum ecosystem. Robinhood’s choice to build its own blockchain on Layer 2 is precisely for this reason: “Creating a truly decentralized, secure chain is extremely difficult… but with Ethereum, we can default to security.”

The global financial system will not be confined to a single blockchain, but it can rely on interconnected networks for collaboration — and this network is Ethereum and its Layer 2 ecosystem.

Regulatory Environment Transformation

Without regulatory support, fundamental upgrades to the global financial system are impossible. Financial institutions are not tech companies and cannot innovate through “rapid trial and error.” The flow of high-value assets and capital requires a robust regulatory framework, and the U.S. is leading in this area:

• Under SEC Chair Paul Atkins, since Ethereum’s inception in 2015, the first supportive regulatory framework for innovation has been established. Institutions are actively embracing asset tokenization, and the financial system is preparing for migration to digital infrastructure. Atkins himself has stated that “within two years, all markets in the U.S. will be on-chain.”
• Congress also supports responsible blockchain adoption. The 2025 GENIUS Act (mentioned earlier in the stablecoin section) and the upcoming CLARITY Act (which will establish a comprehensive framework for asset tokenization and public blockchain infrastructure) have incorporated blockchain into the legal system, providing clear guidance for financial institutions.
• Although not a government agency, the DTCC (Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation), as the core infrastructure operator of the U.S. securities market, has fully embraced asset tokenization, allowing assets held in DTC custody to circulate on public blockchains.

Over the past decade, blockchain’s ecosystem has been in a “regulatory gray area,” limiting institutional-level applications. Now, led by the U.S., the regulatory environment has shifted from “resistance” to “support.” Ethereum’s position as the “best business platform” and the stage for thriving growth has been fully established.

ETH: Institutional-Grade Treasury Asset

Ethereum’s status as the “safest blockchain” has made it the default choice for institutions. By 2026, ETH will be revalued alongside BTC as an “institutional-grade store of value.”

The blockchain ecosystem will have more than one store of value: BTC has established itself as “digital gold,” while ETH is becoming “digital oil” — a value store with yield, utility, and driven by a foundational ecosystem that fuels economic activity.

MicroStrategy, as the company holding the most Bitcoin, has led the process of BTC becoming a store of value. Over the past four years, MicroStrategy has continuously added BTC to its treasury, advocating its value proposition and making it a core component of institutional digital asset holdings.

Today, four “MicroStrategy-like” companies are emerging in the Ethereum ecosystem, pushing ETH toward similar breakthroughs:

• BitMine Immersion (Stock code: BMNR), operated by Tom Lee;
• Sharplink Gaming (Stock code: SBET), operated by Joe Lubin and Joseph Chalom;
• The Ether Machine (Stock code: ETHM), operated by Andrew Keys;
• Bit Digital (Stock code: BTBT), operated by Sam Tabar.

MicroStrategy holds 3.2% of the circulating BTC supply. The four ETH-holding companies have collectively purchased about 4.5% of the circulating ETH in the past six months — and this process has just begun.

As these companies continue to include ETH in their balance sheets, institutional ownership of these ETH holdings is rapidly increasing. ETH is poised for revaluation, potentially matching BTC as an institutional-grade store of value.

2026 Ethereum Forecast: Fivefold Growth

Tokenized Assets: Growing to $100 billion (5x)

In 2025, the total value of tokenized assets on blockchain increased from about $6 billion to over $18 billion, with 66% deployed on Ethereum and Layer 2 networks.

The global financial system is just beginning its asset tokenization journey, with institutions like JPMorgan, BlackRock, and Fidelity already using Ethereum as the default platform for high-value tokenized assets.

We forecast that by 2026, the total tokenized asset market will grow fivefold, reaching nearly $100 billion, with most assets deployed on Ethereum.

Stablecoins: Growing to $1.5 trillion (5x)

Currently, the total stablecoin market cap on public blockchains is $308 billion, with about 60% on Ethereum and Layer 2 networks (if future compatible chains that may become Layer 2 are included, this rises to 90%). Stablecoins have become a strategic asset for the U.S. government. The U.S. Treasury has repeatedly stated that stablecoins are central to maintaining dollar dominance in the 21st century. The total dollar supply is approximately $22.3 trillion. With the implementation of the GENIUS Act and large-scale stablecoin adoption, an estimated 20-30% of dollars will migrate onto public blockchains.

We predict that by 2026, the total stablecoin market cap will increase fivefold to $1.5 trillion, with Ethereum playing a leading role.

ETH: Growing to $15,000 (5x)

ETH is rapidly developing into an institutional-grade store of value alongside BTC. ETH’s growth potential is a “bullish option” on blockchain technology, driven by:

• Expansion of asset tokenization
• Widespread adoption of stablecoins
• Increasing institutional blockchain adoption
• The “ChatGPT moment” — a breakthrough industry shift driven by technological leaps

Holding ETH is akin to owning a stake in the “new financial internet.” Its value growth is clear: increasing user base, asset volume, applications, Layer 2 activity, and transaction frequency will all push ETH’s price upward.

We forecast that by 2026, ETH will achieve at least a fivefold increase, reaching a market cap of $2 trillion (comparable to current BTC market cap), heralding an “Nvidia moment” for ETH — a critical phase of explosive growth driven by AI and industry transformation.

Ethereum: The Best Platform for Business

By 2026, the discussion of “why adopt blockchain” will be a thing of the past. Now, institutions are fully engaged in asset tokenization, stablecoin deployment, and customized blockchain solutions, marking the beginning of a structural upgrade to the global financial system.

When choosing blockchain infrastructure, institutions prioritize: proven track record, application precedents, security, liquidity, usability, and risk management — and Ethereum excels in all these areas. If a company has needs such as:

• Increasing profit margins? Tokenization can reduce costs, stablecoins can lower transaction fees, and dedicated Layer 2 solutions can optimize operations.
• Creating new revenue streams? Building structured products, launching new assets, or issuing proprietary stablecoins on Ethereum.
• Digital transformation of operations? Automating accounting and payments, streamlining workflows, and reducing manual reconciliation.

2025 marks a turning point for Ethereum: infrastructure upgrades are complete, institutional pilot projects are scaling, and regulatory environments are turning favorable.

By 2026, the global financial system will experience an “Internet moment” — and this transformation will occur on Ethereum, the premier platform for doing business.