Ethereum Price Forecast: Standard Chartered Predicts ETH Will Outperform Bitcoin – Is $100,000 Possible for ETH?

Ethereum may have just secured its most significant institutional endorsement thus far, with Standard Chartered supporting optimistic price forecasts for ETH over BTC.

Bitcoin seems to be stepping back as the new year brings a fresh influx of capital into alternative coins, with ETH establishing itself as the preferred choice for traditional finance.

Geoffrey Kendrich, Global Head of Digital Assets Research at Standard Chartered, contends that Ethereum has gained greater significance in this market cycle driven by institutions.

Its leading position in stablecoin creation, real-world asset tokenization, and decentralized finance, coupled with increasing network capacity, has provided it with a fundamental edge over Bitcoin.

Standard Chartered: Ethereum is expected to outperform the entire market in 2026.
New Targets:
• 2026: $7,500
• 2028: $22,000
• 2030: $40,000
“2026 will be the year of Ethereum, just like 2021 was.” – Geoff Kendrick.
Institutional investors are looking beyond the distractions. Are you? pic.twitter.com/rtv2t6qRWH

— NekoZ (@NekozTek) January 13, 2026

Kendrich anticipates that this advantage will be leveraged starting in 2026 as regulatory clarity enhances, with legislation like the U.S. Clarity Act.

Moreover, Ethereum’s increasing visibility could drive its growth. Exchange-traded products and corporate treasury strategies have established numerous points of demand in mainstream traditional finance markets, broadening and sustaining capital access compared to earlier cycles.

These factors position 2026 as a pivotal year where adoption, sentiment, and capital influx align, a context Kendrick believes could resemble the outperformance seen in 2021, when the BTC-ETH ratio hovered around 0.08.

ETH / BTC Ratio targets 2021 levels. Source: TradingView.

Ethereum Price Forecast: Is a $100,000 ETH Possible?

In conclusion, Kendrick maintains a cautious mid-term price target for Ethereum at $7,500 in 2026, while growing increasingly optimistic about its long-term potential of reaching $40,000 by 2030.

A two and a half year upward channel may indicate how the scenario unfolds, with the past year forming a bullish head-and-shoulders pattern that sets the stage for a breakout.

ETH USD 1-week chart, head-and-shoulder fuels ascending channel breakout. Source: TradingView.

The Ethereum price has established a local bottom at $2,750, forming higher lows in a renewed uptrend, which reinforces the right shoulder.

Momentum indicators support the trend. The RSI is approaching the 50 neutral line after several higher lows, indicating underlying strength.

The MACD has also shifted toward the signal line, suggesting a potential golden cross setup, a sign that buyers may soon dominate the prevailing trend.

A fully realized right shoulder targets the crucial breakout of the channel, surpassing all-time highs around $4,950. With a subsequent channel breakout, Kendrick’s 2028 projections could focus on $18,000 – a 460% increase.

However, for 2026, the breakout trajectory may exceed conservative targets, aiming for the $10,000 benchmark for a 220% increase.

This result likely depends on traditional financial activities transitioning on-chain and expanded regulation beyond U.S. markets.

Nonetheless, a $100,000 Ethereum price is anticipated to materialize within the next decade if Ethereum’s infrastructure solidifies for real-world applications.

Bitcoin Hyper: Bitcoin Still Has a Chance

Institutions that have opted for Ethereum as their traditional finance choice may soon need to reassess, as the Bitcoin ecosystem finally addresses its most significant constraint: scalability.

Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) is merging Bitcoin’s security with Solana technology, establishing a new Layer-2 network that unlocks scalable, efficient applications Bitcoin could not support independently.

Similar to how Layer-2 solutions like Ondo did for Ethereum, Bitcoin Hyper could integrate Bitcoin deeper into the DeFi dialogue.

The project has already secured over $30 million in its presale, and after launching, even a modest portion of Bitcoin’s immense trading volume could significantly boost its valuation.

Bitcoin Hyper is addressing the slow transactions, high fees, and limited programmability that have historically constrained Bitcoin’s potential – just as the market shifts bullish.

Visit the Official Bitcoin Hyper Website Here

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