Standard Chartered Slashes Ethereum Target: Is the Altcoin Era Fading?

Standard Chartered has deeply cut its Ethereum (ETH) price target for 2025 from $10,000 to $4,000, a 60% drop, as a result of the effect of Layer 2 solutions such as Coinbase's Base. The networks, although enhancing scalability and lowering fees, have taken away substantial revenue from the Ethereum network, with Base alone estimated to have taken away $50 billion in Ethereum's market cap.

Ethereum's "commoditization" within Layer 2 will result in an increasing proportion of transaction fees evading the Layer 1 chain, which weakens its economic sustainability. Though Standard Chartered expects ETH to increase to $7,500 in 2028-2029, they also predict an ongoing decline in the ETH/BTC ratio, indicating Ethereum potentially lagging Bitcoin in the longer term.

Today, Ethereum is priced at around $1,900, more than 60% off its all-time high, consistent with worries over its structural issues and competitive standing. On the other hand, Standard Chartered expects Bitcoin to go as high as $200,000 by the end of 2025 and possibly $500,000 down the line