Analyst Predicts Ethereum Value Could Potentially Increase by ‘At Least Double’ This Year

Key Takeaways:

• World Liberty Monetary possesses over $200 million in Ethereum, while BlackRock and Constancy continue to accumulate, resulting in record ETF inflows.
• Scandals involving Solana’s meme coins have prompted a shift, with Ethereum experiencing $452 million in net inflows, whereas Solana fell to $82.9 million.
• Ethereum has yet to surpass $4,878, but analysts anticipate a potential price increase in 2025.

The price of Ethereum (ETH) has not yet experienced the rise that many had hoped for. With ongoing controversies surrounding Solana (SOL) and increasing institutional interest, could this influence investors’ preferences?

ETH last reached its all-time high (ATH) over three years ago. On November 10, 2021, the price peaked at $4,878 and has not approached this level since. This is surprising, considering the blockchain’s robust developer ecosystem and its established role in decentralized finance (DeFi).

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Dmitrij Radin, CEO of Zekret, shared his insights with Cryptonews, indicating that investor interest in ETH remains focused on the long term:

“There is also considerable enthusiasm on social media, with various influencers and figures associated with Trump promoting ETH, particularly highlighting its lower volatility compared to BTC. We often joke that ETH is becoming a stablecoin. All these indicators suggest strong buying interest.”

Are Institutions and Whales Opting for Ethereum?

Since early 2025, institutional players and crypto whales have been consistently acquiring Ethereum. One of the most closely monitored buyers is World Liberty Monetary, a crypto fund often linked to Donald Trump.

According to DropsStab, as of February 20, Ethereum is the fund’s largest crypto asset, with holdings exceeding $200 million at an average purchase price of $3,396.

Source: DropsStab

However, what is notable is not just the magnitude of World Liberty Monetary’s ETH holdings but also the frequency of its acquisitions. The fund began actively purchasing ETH in mid-January and has continued its buying activity into February.

On-chain data indicates that World Liberty Monetary executed a transaction to purchase $5 million worth of ETH.

Trump’s World Liberty(@worldlibertyfi) acquired another 1,826 $ETH($5M) today.
World Liberty has accumulated a total of 61,114 $ETH($205M) at an average price of $3,354, with a loss of $31M!
Today, World Liberty also transferred 86,296 $ETH($235M), 647 $WBTC($65.5M), 256,315… pic.twitter.com/Oerqt5TaoX

— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) February 4, 2025

Despite currently holding an unrealized loss of approximately $52 million, Trump’s fund continues to acquire ETH, effectively lowering its average cost as the price has dipped below $3,000.

It is not only World Liberty Monetary making significant Ethereum transactions. On-chain data from Lookonchain also highlights the activity of a group of wallets known as the “7 Siblings”—addresses that execute similar transactions. On February 3, they collectively purchased $112 million worth of ETH.

After the market declined, whale “7 Siblings” spent $111.72M to acquire 45,047 $ETH at an average price of $2,480!https://t.co/ygfREDmCQA pic.twitter.com/xkOAvsB2jp

— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) February 3, 2025

Despite competition from Solana and other blockchains, institutional investors continue to favor Ethereum. Speaking exclusively to Cryptonews, Eneko Knörr, CEO and co-founder of Stabolut, explained:

“While Ethereum has faced challenges from Solana’s resurgence and intense competition from both established players like Polkadot and BNB Chain, as well as emerging protocols like Aptos, Sui, and Kaspa, institutional investors are likely to remain firmly committed to Ethereum as their blockchain of choice.”

One of Ethereum’s significant advantages is its reputation as a “quality” chain within the crypto market. This reputation has solidified its role in decentralized finance, where it continues to be the dominant network.

Davide Menegaldo, CCO of Neon EVM, informed Cryptonews that Ethereum’s network effects still provide it with a unique position despite the rise of multichain adoption:

“Ethereum still holds dominance in smart contracts and dApps, with a strong developer community and widespread adoption. While it exhibits unparalleled network effects, developers are exploring multichain opportunities rather than being confined to a specific ecosystem, which may influence the mid-term perception of that network among the crypto community.”

Could Ethereum Gain from the Solana Meme Coin Scandals?

For years, Solana has been referred to as the “Ethereum killer,” with frequent comparisons drawn between the two blockchains. This rivalry intensified in 2024 when SOL rebounded from its 2021 crash, soaring past $200 after a prolonged accumulation phase.

Source: CoinGecko

During this period, Solana secured its position among the top five DeFi chains by Total Value Locked (TVL). It currently ranks second with $8.4 billion, while Ethereum remains first with $58.5 billion.

Source: DeFiLlama

Like Ethereum, Solana has been expanding its footprint in the DeFi space. Additionally, its network is faster than its competitors and does not require Layer 2 (L2) solutions for scalability.

As a result, Solana’s revenue surged by 213% in Q4 2024, increasing from $268 million to $840 million, according to a report from Messari—outpacing Ethereum’s growth. Unsurprisingly, Pump.enjoyable generated the highest revenue, bringing in $234.6 million, driven by the ongoing meme coin frenzy.

Source: Messari

However, Solana’s growth outlook for 2025 has taken a more negative turn. Pump.enjoyable has revealed the risks associated with meme coins, as the platform has come under legal and ethical scrutiny due to the overwhelming number of token launches, some of which have raised concerns within the crypto community.

The most significant setback came with the LIBRA scandal—a meme coin launched via Pump.enjoyable, initially promoted as an initiative to boost Argentina’s economy with support from President Javier Milei. Instead, the project unraveled into a scam, ultimately leading to the resignation of Meteora co-founder Ben Chow, who was allegedly involved in the scheme.

Meteora is one of the leading decentralized exchanges on Solana.

Following these controversies, many within the crypto community are speculating about a renewed shift towards Ethereum, which, despite lacking price momentum, has maintained a reputation as a more stable blockchain.

LUNA – Do Kwon scammed you.
FTX – SBF scammed you.
Celebrities scammed you.
Trump scammed you.
Binance – CZ scammed you.
Argentina’s President scammed you.
Pumpfun scammed you.
Solana scammed you.
Vitalik Buterin? The only one who didn’t scam you.
Time to return to Ethereum.

— Poseidon (@CryptoPoseidonn) February 17, 2025

However, it is still premature to declare this a lasting trend, as Solana remains one of Ethereum’s strongest competitors. That said, the recent scandals may influence investor sentiment, particularly among long-term holders.

According to Artemis data, Ethereum led all blockchains in net inflows over the past seven days, with $452 million, while Solana dropped to fourth place with $82.9 million.

Source: Artemis

Will Ethereum Price Reach $5,000 This Year?

Predictions regarding Ethereum’s price continue to be a significant topic of discussion within the crypto community. While Bitcoin (BTC) has broken its all-time high multiple times, ETH has struggled to maintain a position above $4,000, let alone exceed its previous ATH of $4,878.

Source: CoinMarketCap

Some analysts believe Ethereum’s price could make a substantial move. Dmitrij Radin, CEO of Zekret, stated:

“I would dare to expect we might see at least a doubling in price this year.”

Institutional investors remain a crucial factor supporting Ethereum’s price. World Liberty Monetary holds more than $200 million in ETH, while major firms like BlackRock and Constancy have also been accumulating the asset in large quantities.

BlackRock is buying ETH
Constancy is buying ETH
Goldman Sachs is buying ETH
Large whales are buying ETH
All this while the $ETH price chart resembles 2020, right before a significant breakout
$5K ETH is coming soon pic.twitter.com/G479ZCXv0i

— Ted (@TedPillows) February 12, 2025

Moreover, BlackRock and Constancy are among the leading issuers of Ethereum ETFs. Consequently, they have a vested interest in ETH’s price growth.

BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust is the largest ETH ETF, with a market cap of $3.7 billion, followed by Grayscale with $3.5 billion and Constancy with $1.1 billion.

Source: BlackRock

Net inflows into Ethereum ETFs have also been increasing since October 2024. According to CoinGlass, inflows reached a record $428 million on December 5, followed by another significant increase of $307 million on February 4, 2025.

Source: CoinGlass

Despite institutional support, Ethereum still faces internal challenges, particularly concerning Vitalik Buterin and his disagreements with the Ethereum Foundation.

Discussions on X have raised questions about Ethereum’s future direction, with some arguing that the network requires stronger leadership. While Buterin has proposed several enhancements, there are debates about whether these measures are sufficient.

Vitalik is a genius developer.
But $ETH needs a real leader/business person at the helm to steer the ship.

— Miles Deutscher (@milesdeutscher) February 13, 2025

Without tangible improvements to Ethereum, the network’s reputation could suffer if these disagreements continue. However, its long-standing credibility as a stable foundation in DeFi may provide support.

Thinh Porrmann, co-founder of Grindery, informed Cryptonews:

“While Ethereum has faced increased scrutiny due to regulatory uncertainties and scalability challenges, its foundational strength lies in its developer ecosystem and proven track record of setting industry standards. The upcoming Pecora upgrade, particularly EIP-7702, represents a significant advancement in user experience through enhanced wallet functionality.”

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