Ethereum (ETH) is capturing significant attention from both institutional investors and everyday users, as recent on-chain data highlights an uptick in activity across staking, treasury accumulation, and wallet creation.
Despite the increasing engagement, price forecasts for ETH remain mixed. While prominent banks and market analysts predict a potential upside, caution persists due to macroeconomic conditions, ETF flows, and technical resistance levels that may impact near-term gains.
With ETH trading in the $3,300 to $3,400 range in mid-January, the network’s foundations appear stronger than in previous quarters. Yet, the critical question remains: will these positive developments result in a sustained price rally?
Ethereum Staking and Treasury Demand Signal Long-Term Commitment
Ethereum staking has surged to a record value of approximately $118 billion, with about 35.8 million ETH now locked on the Beacon Chain. This figure represents close to 30% of the circulating supply, indicating a growing preference among holders for earning yield rather than liquidating their assets.
Network participation continues to increase, with active validators surpassing 976,000. Additionally, around 2.3 million ETH is currently queued for future staking. Lido Finance leads the market as the largest staking provider, accounting for approximately one-quarter of all staked ETH.
Corporate treasury activity is further propelling this trend. BitMine Immersion, one of the largest Ethereum treasury firms, recently staked an additional 154,304 ETH, valued at roughly $514 million at current prices. The company now holds over 4 million ETH in total.
Institutional Forecasts Point to Higher Targets
Numerous financial institutions have updated their outlooks for Ethereum through 2026. Standard Chartered has raised its year-end ETH price target to $7,500, up from a previous estimation of $4,000. The bank cites rising demand from corporate treasuries, the emergence of spot ETH investment products, and anticipated growth in network fees as key factors influencing this revision.
Analysts report that treasury firms and ETF-related flow have absorbed nearly 4% of Ethereum’s circulating supply since mid-2025. Treasury buyers alone have acquired approximately 2.3 million ETH in just over two months, a pace that is favorably compared to historical Bitcoin accumulation phases.
Furthermore, Standard Chartered notes that Ethereum could potentially outperform Bitcoin, contingent on the growth of real-world usage, stablecoin activity, and the adoption of tokenized assets on its network. Optimistic long-term scenarios envision costs soaring to $25,000 by 2028 and $40,000 by 2030, though these projections depend heavily on substantial market assumptions.
User Growth Rises, But ETH Price Faces Technical Limits
Ethereum’s user base is witnessing significant growth, with the network recording close to 393,600 new wallet addresses in a single day at the start of January and a weekly average exceeding 327,000 new addresses.
This surge is attributed to the Fusaka protocol upgrade, which has decreased data costs for Layer-2 networks, as well as record stablecoin transfer volumes that peaked at approximately $8 trillion in late 2025.
However, despite these solid fundamentals, the price action remains cautious. ETH recently tested the $3,400 resistance level, with critical hurdles at around $3,550 and $3,650 based on long-term moving averages. Support seems to be firming around $3,000, and a failure to maintain that level could expose ETH to further downturns.
