Ethereum 2026: Jendela pertumbuhan lima kali lipat dibuka, institusi berebut, penilaian ulang nilai ETH

Original author: Vivek Raman, Etherealize

Original compilation: Saoirse, Foresight News

Editor’s note_: At the beginning of 2026, while global financial institutions are still seeking certainty in digital transformation, Ethereum has quietly become the core battleground for institutional deployment, thanks to its decade-long accumulated security, scalable technology support, and clear regulatory environment. From JPMorgan deploying money market funds on public chains, Fidelity integrating asset management into Layer1 networks, to the US “GENIUS Act” clearing regulatory hurdles for stablecoins, and platforms like Coinbase and Robinhood building dedicated blockchains on Layer2 — 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” turning point of the financial system may provide key references for understanding the direction of the crypto market and financial reforms in the new year.**

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

Ethereum’s technology has achieved scalable applications, with precedents set for institutional use. The global regulatory environment is open and welcoming towards blockchain infrastructure, and the development of stablecoins and asset tokenization is bringing fundamental change.

Therefore, from 2026 onwards, Ethereum will become the best platform for conducting business.

After ten years of application promotion, stable operation, global adoption, and high availability guarantees, 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: tokenized asset scale, stablecoin scale, and ETH price are all expected to achieve fivefold growth. The stage for Ethereum’s revival has been set, and the time for various enterprises to adopt Ethereum infrastructure is ripe.

Ethereum: The core platform for tokenized assets

The revolution in assets brought by blockchain is akin to the reshaping of information by the internet — enabling assets to be digitized, programmable, and interoperable globally.

Asset tokenization integrates assets, data, and payments into a unified infrastructure to realize digitalization, fully upgrading business processes. Stocks, bonds, real estate, and funds will be able to circulate at internet speed. This is a major upgrade that the financial system should have implemented long ago, and now, global public blockchains like Ethereum are finally making this vision a reality.

Asset tokenization is rapidly shifting from a popular concept to a fundamental upgrade of business models. Just as no company would abandon the internet for the fax machine era, once financial institutions experience the efficiency, automation, and high speed brought by shared global blockchain infrastructure, they will not revert to traditional models. The tokenization process will become irreversible.

Currently, the majority of high-value assets are tokenized 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.

Here are some examples of institutions engaging in asset tokenization on Ethereum:

• 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 Layer1, integrating asset management and operational processes into blockchain systems;
• Apollo launching private credit funds (ACRED) on public blockchains, with Ethereum and its Layer2 networks having the highest liquidity;
• BlackRock, as one of the most active advocates of “everything tokenized,” leading the wave of institutional asset tokenization by launching tokenized money market funds (BUIDL) on Ethereum;
• Amundi (Europe’s largest asset manager) tokenizing its euro-denominated money market funds on Ethereum;
• BNY Mellon (the oldest US bank) tokenizing a AAA-rated collateralized loan obligation (CLO) fund on Ethereum;
• Baillie Gifford (one of the largest UK asset managers) launching its first tokenized bond fund on Ethereum and Layer2 networks.

Ethereum: The core blockchain for stablecoins

Stablecoins are the first clear example of “product-market fit” in asset tokenization — by 2025, stablecoin transfer volume 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 US “GENIUS Act” (also known as the “Stablecoin Act”) was officially passed. This law established a regulatory framework for stablecoins and signaled 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 Layer2 networks (if future Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible chains that could become Layer2 are included, this ratio would reach 90%). The enactment of the “GENIUS Act” marks Ethereum’s official “opening for commercial applications” — institutions can now obtain regulatory approval to deploy their own stablecoins on public blockchains.

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

Therefore, the explosive growth of stablecoins is just beginning. A typical case is SoFi, the US national bank, becoming the first to issue a stablecoin (SoFiUSD) on a permissionless public blockchain, ultimately choosing Ethereum.

This is just the “tip of the iceberg” in stablecoin development. Investment banks and new banks are exploring issuing their own stablecoins either independently or in alliances, and fintech companies are advancing deployment and integration. The digitalization of the US dollar on public blockchains has already begun, with Ethereum serving as the default platform for this process.

Ethereum: Building dedicated blockchains

Blockchain is not a “one-size-fits-all” tool. The global financial market needs to be customized according to regional, regulatory, and client differences. For this reason, Ethereum was designed from the outset with high security as a core goal, and through flexible deployment of “Layer2 blockchains,” it enables high levels of customization.

Just as each enterprise has its own website, app, and customized environment on the internet, many will have their own dedicated Layer2 blockchain within the Ethereum ecosystem.

This is not just a theoretical architecture but a practical application already in place. Ethereum Layer2 has established precedents for institutional use, enabling scalable deployment and becoming a core support for Ethereum’s “business-friendly” features. Some examples include:

• Coinbase building the Base blockchain on Ethereum Layer2, leveraging Ethereum’s security and liquidity while creating new revenue streams;
• Robinhood developing its own dedicated blockchain, integrating tokenized stocks, prediction markets, and various assets, based on Ethereum Layer2 technology;
• SWIFT (the global bank messaging network) adopting Ethereum Layer2 network Linea for blockchain-based settlement services;
• JPMorgan deploying tokenized deposit services on Ethereum Layer2 network Base;
• Deutsche Bank building a public permissioned blockchain network based on Ethereum Layer2, laying the foundation for more banks to develop Layer2 solutions…

The value of Layer2 is not only in customization but also as the best business model in blockchain. Layer2 combines Ethereum’s global security with operational efficiencies, achieving profit margins over 90%, and opening new revenue streams for enterprises.

For institutions adopting blockchain technology, this is the best way to “have your cake and eat it too” — leveraging Ethereum’s security and liquidity while maintaining their own profit margins and operating dedicated environments within the Ethereum ecosystem. Robinhood’s choice to build its own blockchain on Ethereum Layer2 reflects this reasoning: “Creating a truly decentralized and secure chain is extremely difficult… but with Ethereum, we can default to security.”

The global financial market will not be concentrated on a single blockchain, but the entire financial system can achieve synergy through interconnected networks — this network is Ethereum and its Layer2 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 funds requires a comprehensive regulatory framework, and the US is leading in this area:

• Under the leadership of SEC Chair Paul Atkins, since Ethereum’s inception in 2015, the first regulatory framework supporting innovation has been established. Institutions are actively embracing asset tokenization, and the financial system is preparing for migration to digital infrastructure. Atkins himself stated, “Within the next two years, all US markets will operate on-chain.”
• The US Congress also supports responsible adoption of blockchain technology. The “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 Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) is a core infrastructure operator of the US securities market. It has fully embraced asset tokenization, allowing assets held in DTC trust to circulate on public blockchains.

Over the past decade, the blockchain ecosystem has long been in a “regulatory gray area,” limiting its institutional application potential. Now, led by the US, the regulatory environment has shifted from “resistance” to “support.” Ethereum, as the “best business platform,” has been fully built as a stage for thriving development.

ETH: Institutional-grade treasury assets

Ethereum’s position as the “most secure blockchain” has made it the default choice for institutions. Based on this, ETH will be revalued in 2026, standing 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 becomes “digital oil” — a value store with yield, practicality, and driven by underlying ecosystems that facilitate economic activity.

MicroStrategy, as the enterprise 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 assets, advocating for BTC’s value proposition, making it a core component of institutional digital asset holdings.

Today, four “MicroStrategy-like” companies have emerged within 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 companies above have collectively purchased about 4.5% of the circulating ETH supply over the past six months — and this process has only just begun.

As these companies continue to include ETH in their balance sheets, institutional holdings of these ETH-related companies are rapidly increasing. ETH is expected to be revalued, standing alongside BTC as an institutional-grade store of value.

2026 Ethereum forecast: 5x growth

Tokenized assets: 5x growth to $100 billion

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 Layer2 networks.

The global financial system has just begun the asset tokenization process, 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 scale of tokenized assets will grow fivefold, reaching nearly $1 trillion, with most assets deployed on the Ethereum network.

Stablecoins: 5x growth to $1.5 trillion

Currently, the total market cap of stablecoins on public blockchains is $308 billion, with about 60% deployed on Ethereum and Layer2 networks (if future Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible chains that could become Layer2 are included, this ratio would reach 90%).

Stablecoins have become a strategic asset for the US government. The US Treasury has repeatedly stated that stablecoins are a core measure to consolidate the dollar’s dominance in the 21st century. The total US dollar circulation is $22.3 trillion. With the implementation of the “GENIUS Act” and the large-scale adoption of stablecoins, it is expected that 20%-30% of US dollars will migrate to public blockchains.

We forecast that by 2026, the total market cap of stablecoins will grow fivefold, reaching $1.5 trillion, with Ethereum playing a leading role in this process.

ETH: 5x growth to $15,000

ETH is rapidly developing into an institutional-grade store of value alongside BTC. ETH is a “bullish option” for blockchain growth, with its value increasing driven by:

• Expansion of asset tokenization
• Widespread adoption of stablecoins
• Institutional adoption of blockchain
• The “ChatGPT moment” in the financial system’s upgrade to the internet era (referring to technological breakthroughs that trigger industry revolutions)

Holding ETH is akin to owning a part of the “new financial internet.” Its value growth logic is clear: increasing user base, asset scale, application count, Layer2 networks, and transaction frequency will all drive ETH’s value upward.

We forecast that by 2026, ETH will achieve at least fivefold value growth (market cap around $2 trillion, comparable to current BTC market cap), ushering in ETH’s “Nvidia moment” — a critical phase similar to Nvidia’s explosive growth driven by the AI wave.

Ethereum: The best platform for conducting business

By 2026, the discussion of “why adopt blockchain” will be a thing of the past. Today, institutions are fully competing in asset tokenization, stablecoin applications, and customized blockchain deployment, marking the start of a structural upgrade of the global financial system.

When choosing blockchain infrastructure, institutions prioritize: track record, application precedents, security, liquidity, usability, and risk levels — and Ethereum performs best across all dimensions. If a company has the following needs, Ethereum will be the ideal choice:

• Increase profit margins? Reduce costs via asset tokenization, lower fees with stablecoins, or build dedicated blockchains on Ethereum.
• Create new revenue streams? Develop structured products, launch new assets, or issue proprietary stablecoins on Ethereum.
• Digitalize business operations? Optimize processes, automate accounting and payments, and reduce manual reconciliation using Ethereum.

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

By 2026, the global financial system will enter the “internet era” — and this transformation will happen on Ethereum, the best platform for conducting business.