Ether expected to surpass bitcoin and reach $40,000 by 2030, according to Standard Chartered

Standard Chartered: Ethereum Set to Surpass Bitcoin Despite Market Challenges

Standard Chartered has indicated that Ethereum (ETH) is likely to outperform Bitcoin (BTC), even as the digital asset sector faces lackluster results this cycle.

While Bitcoin’s subdued momentum has dampened the overall cryptocurrency landscape, the outlook for Ethereum has brightened. The bank anticipates that the ETH-BTC ratio will gradually return to the peaks seen in 2021.

Nevertheless, Standard Chartered has revised its Ethereum price projections for 2026 through 2028 downward, citing ongoing weakness linked to Bitcoin’s performance. Despite this, the bank remains optimistic about the long-term prospects, predicting that Ethereum could reach $40,000 by the close of 2030 as its fundamental strengths become more apparent.

At the time of reporting, Ethereum was trading near $3,100, making it the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.

Geoff Kendrick, Standard Chartered’s head of digital assets research, noted in a recent report that the passage of the U.S. CLARITY Act—which aims to establish a regulatory framework for digital assets—could significantly benefit the sector, especially Ethereum, by paving the way for further development in decentralized finance (DeFi). The U.S. Senate is currently considering its own version of this legislation, with a crucial committee vote expected later in the week.

Bitcoin has recently fluctuated between $90,000 and $93,000, recovering from a weaker finish to 2025 and responding to macroeconomic factors such as U.S. inflation and employment data. Traders remain cautious as they await key economic indicators that could impact market liquidity and risk sentiment.

Ethereum has followed Bitcoin’s upward trend to a lesser extent, while some alternative cryptocurrencies, like XRP, have posted strong double-digit gains. Despite ongoing volatility, the total value of the cryptocurrency market has stayed above $3 trillion, reflecting continued investor interest amid economic and regulatory uncertainties.

Kendrick also pointed out that slower investment flows into crypto ETFs and digital asset corporate treasuries have put pressure on the market. However, Ethereum has benefited from sustained purchases by Bitmine Immersion (BMNR), the largest corporate treasury focused on Ethereum.

The bank remains optimistic about the future of stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets, and decentralized finance—sectors where Ethereum continues to lead.

Further, Standard Chartered highlighted that advancements in scaling Ethereum’s core network are providing additional momentum. Their analysis suggests that increased transaction capacity has historically led to higher market capitalization, and the network’s initiative to boost its layer-1 throughput by approximately ten times is making significant progress.

Regulatory Developments and Market Outlook

On the regulatory side, Kendrick emphasized that the approval of the proposed U.S. market structure act could further accelerate Ethereum’s growth by enabling the next stage of DeFi innovation.

The bank expects this legislation to move forward in the first quarter, and believes that a more defined regulatory environment—combined with robust U.S. equity markets—could help Bitcoin reach new record highs in the first half of the year.