Ethereum is showing renewed strength after a period of underperformance compared to other cryptocurrencies. The token currently trades at approximately $4,400, up 83% over the past year.
Samir Kerbage, chief investment officer at Hashdex, believes Ethereum’s investment case has become “compelling for long-term holders.” Two years ago, when Ethereum traded at $1,600, Kerbage called it crypto’s “sleeping giant.”
Now he points to three converging factors that could drive the price to $10,000. His prediction centers on the implementation of stablecoin solutions for US payments.
“One enduring lesson I’ve learned from navigating crypto markets over the last decade is that transformative ecosystem shifts often unfold during periods of apparent quiet,” Kerbage wrote in an August 27 note to investors.
Until recently, Ethereum’s price performance lagged behind Bitcoin, XRP and Solana this year. The tide appears to have turned with fresh regulation surrounding stablecoins and increased institutional interest.
Market watchers predict Ethereum could reach $7,500 by year-end or even $20,000 at some point in the current cycle.
The first factor supporting higher prices is Ethereum’s staking model. Nearly 36 million Ether are now staked according to the Ethereum Foundation, representing almost one-third of the network’s total supply.
According to Ethereum Validator Queue, a total of 833,141 ETH are currently waiting in the staking queue with an estimated processing time of 14 days and 11 hours; meanwhile, the amount of ETH entering the queue has surpassed the amount exiting the queue (823,789 ETH).… pic.twitter.com/Imia2NrglU
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) September 4, 2025
Staking rewards average 2.9% annual percentage rate, appealing to yield-focused investment portfolios. This growth reflects increased network security and investor confidence.
Jeff Park, head of Alpha Strategies at Bitwise, sees Ethereum as a stronger corporate play than Bitcoin. “Investors will lean into Ethereum not just so that it can appreciate in price alone, but because someone is doing something with that to generate yield,” Park said.
Institutions have been increasing their exposure through exchange-traded funds, which now hold $24 billion in Ether according to Coinglass. Some analysts predict large entities will hold 10% of the total supply.
Tokenization represents the second driver behind Ethereum’s potential price growth. The tokenization of real-world assets on Ethereum reached $24 billion by mid-2025, up from just $5 billion in 2022.
Bank of America forecasts this market will hit $16 trillion over the next five to 15 years. At current growth rates, that timeline appears conservative.
Value stored in real-world assets sits above $15 billion according to DefiLlama, with Ethereum accounting for $11 billion of that total.
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, who called tokenization a potential finance revolution in 2023, maintained his positive stance this year. His firm’s tokenized fund BUIDL is the sector’s largest with $2.2 billion.
Kerbage expects the Genius Act to bring more activity to the sector as “stablecoins are set to boom.”
Meanwhile, ETHzilla Corporation has announced its first DeFi integration with a $100 million ETH allocation to Etherfi for restaking yields. The move aims to generate higher returns on the company’s $456 million ETH treasury.
ETHZilla, now on NASDAQ, plans to invest $100M in EtherFi for liquid restaking, enhancing asset management. This move signals strategic evolution for institutional trust in DeFi.
More info🔍https://t.co/uj1uu1aiEk#ETHZilla #DeFi #EtherFi #Crypto #Investment
— Cobak (@CobakOfficial) September 4, 2025
“By investing $100 million in liquid restaking, we are strengthening the security of Ethereum while unlocking incremental yield opportunities to increase returns on our treasury holdings,” said McAndrew Rudisill, Executive Chairman of ETHzilla.
The decision highlights a shift from passive accumulation to active treasury optimization among corporate holders. ETHzilla held 102,246 ETH as of August 31, acquired at an average price of $3,948.72.
Etherfi offers additional returns through restaking, which provides extra yield opportunities beyond standard ETH staking rewards while contributing to network security.
The generational wealth transfer represents the third factor. Over 50% of Gen Z now owns crypto, with $100 trillion set to move from older to younger generations over the next two decades.
This shift mirrors historical technology adoption patterns like credit cards in the 1990s or the internet’s rise. ETHzilla’s restaking allocation represents part of this evolving approach to cryptocurrency treasury management.
The post Ethereum (ETH) Price Prediction: Analyst Predicts $10,000 Target Based on Three Key Catalysts appeared first on CoinCentral.
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