Standard Chartered Slashes Ethereum Price Target to $4,000—Here’s Why

Standard Chartered Investment Bank has cut its 2025 Ethereum price target by 60%, lowering its forecast from $10,000 to $4,000. The report, published on Monday, reflects concerns over Ethereum’s shrinking market dominance and the impact of Layer 2 scaling solutions on its network.

According to Geoff Kendrick, Head of Digital Assets Research at Standard Chartered, Ethereum’s market cap has suffered a $50 billion loss due to the rise of Layer 2 solutions like Coinbase’s Base. While these networks were designed to enhance Ethereum’s scalability, they have instead diverted revenue away from Ether transaction fees, leading to a decline in Ethereum’s overall market value.

Ethereum’s Market Struggles Amid Growing Competition

Ethereum has long been a leader in Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and Web3 applications, but the rise of Layer 2 networks has altered its economic structure. Kendrick’s report highlights that:

• Ethereum’s network fee revenue has declined, impacting its economic viability.
• Ethereum’s GDP and revenue have decreased, further weakening its dominance.
• Layer 2 networks, like Base, are capturing transaction fees that would have traditionally gone to Ethereum.

At press time, Ethereum is trading at $1,900, marking a 42% decline since the start of 2025. The continued underperformance of Ethereum compared to Bitcoin (ETH/BTC ratio) suggests that ETH could reach its lowest relative value since 2017 by 2027.

Can Ethereum Recover? Standard Chartered Remains Cautious

Despite the bearish outlook, Standard Chartered acknowledges that a market shift could lead to Ethereum’s recovery. The increasing adoption of tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) could restore some of Ethereum’s dominance. However, Kendrick believes this is unlikely unless Ethereum undergoes a strategic transformation.

Meanwhile, Ethereum is set to introduce the Pectra upgrade on April 25, 2025, which aims to enhance staking procedures and introduce alternative gas fee payment options. However, experts remain skeptical that these updates will reverse Ethereum’s ongoing market decline.

As Ethereum faces rising competition from cross-chain networks and Layer 2 solutions, its future remains uncertain. Analysts warn that Ethereum’s price may continue to struggle unless significant changes occur within the ecosystem.

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