Ethereum Price Forecast: Standard Chartered ups year-end target to $7,500 as ETH approaches all-time high

Ethereum price today: $4,715

• Standard Chartered analysts increased their Ethereum price forecast to $7,500 by year-end and $25,000 by 2028.
• The analysts pointed to increased institutional demand, regulatory progress and improved participation from key stakeholders as reasons for their estimate.
• ETH could hit $7,500 if it smashes its all-time high resistance and completes the profit target from a symmetrical wedge.

Ethereum (ETH) crossed the $4,700 mark on Wednesday and is approaching its all-time high after Standard Chartered revised its year-end target for the top altcoin to $7,500.

Standard Chartered sees ETH at $7,500 by year's end

In a report on Wednesday, Standard Chartered analysts raised their Ethereum price target for 2025 to $7,500, an 87% increase from its previous estimate of $4,000. The bank highlighted heavy institutional buying, regulatory progress and an improved technical roadmap as reasons for revising its forecast.

The analysts, led by Standard Chartered's Head of Digital Assets Research Geoffrey Kendrick, also upped their ETH targets for 2026, 2027 and 2028 from $5,000 to $12,000, $6,000 to $18,000 and $7,500 to $25,000, respectively.

"A lot has changed since our last ETH forecast update in March," wrote Kendrick. "We raise our price forecasts, as the backdrop for ETH has improved dramatically in recent months."

The analysts noted that Ethereum treasury companies and spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have bought approximately 3.8% of the crypto's circulating supply since early June — double the fastest pace of Bitcoin accumulation from similar firms.

These ETH treasury firms led by BitMine Immersion (BMNR) and SharpLink Gaming (SBET) have accumulated 2.3 million ETH over the past ten weeks, with ETH ETFs' inflows accounting for the remaining half.

The UK banking giant also notes US President Trump's passage of the stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act in July as another key driver. The report highlighted that stablecoins are responsible for 40% of all blockchain fees, estimating an increase in the sector's market cap to $2 trillion by 2028. This could drive both direct and indirect revenue growth for Ethereum, considering it hosts over 51% of the global stablecoin market, noted Kendrick.

Additionally, improved participation from the Ethereum Foundation and key stakeholders, as well as plans to boost throughput in the top altcoin's Layer 1, has been a "strongly positive sign," the report states.

However, "major delays" to these upgrades can weigh down on the current bullish run, Trevor Koverko, co-founder of Sapien, told FXStreet. While current market dynamics support a strong uptrend outlook, the momentum can "become very fragile [...] if on-chain activity like transaction volumes and active addresses plateau while the price continues to run ahead," he added.

Ethereum Price Forecast: ETH could rise above $7,500 in coming months

Ethereum experienced $255.86 million in futures liquidations in the past 24 hours, comprising $62.12 million and $193.74 million in long and short liquidations, per Coinglass data.

Since breaking above the upper boundary of a multi-year symmetrical wedge, ETH has stretched its rally, overcoming the $4,500 resistance and is now less than $200 from its all-time high at $4,868, according to Binance data. If the top altcoin clears its all-time high resistance and stays above it, it could rally to $7,500 in the coming months — a target obtained by measuring the height of the symmetrical wedge and projecting it upward.

ETH/USDT weekly chart

However, increased leverage and a historical distribution pressure near current price levels pose a challenge in the near term.

"With price near a historical supply wall and derivatives leverage running hot, the long-term bullish thesis remains intact, but the short term faces the dual challenge of major supply resistance and overheated leverage," Bitunix analysts told FXStreet.

A similar sentiment is visible in the Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Stochastic Oscillator (Stoch), which are in their overbought regions, signaling increased bullish momentum but with potential for a short-term pullback.