Standard Chartered Highlights Rapid Corporate Adoption of Ethereum, Projects Institutional Holdings Could Reach 10% of Supply

Since June, companies have acquired approximately 1% of Ethereum’s total supply, at a rate double that of Bitcoin-focused firms. This surge in corporate demand, alongside robust spot ETF performance, is fueling Ethereum’s price strength and market momentum.

Standard Chartered points to two primary factors driving this trend: growing corporate treasury purchases and record-breaking activity in spot Ethereum ETFs. While Ether currently trades around 21% below its all-time high near $4,890 from November 2021, the report anticipates a potential advance beyond $4,000 by the end of the year if the inflows persist.

According to a bold new prediction from Standard Chartered, Ethereum could become the backbone of global finance, powering 10% of the world’s money by 2030. This means Ethereum may no longer just be a crypto investment, it could be a key piece of the future economy. As… pic.twitter.com/H8AocNEJHM

— KENSON INVESTMENTS (@KensonInvest22) July 29, 2025

Looking ahead, the bank predicts institutional ownership could climb dramatically, potentially reaching 10% of the overall Ethereum supply—tenfold the current level. This optimism stems partly from Ethereum’s “regulatory arbitrage” advantages, enabling corporate holders to benefit from mechanisms like staking rewards and decentralized finance opportunities that remain less accessible to U.S.-based Bitcoin funds.

Key market participants underscore this growing corporate appetite. BitMine Immersion Technologies currently holds 625,000 ETH, roughly 0.52% of circulating supply, and intends to increase its position to up to 5%, which would add nearly 6 million tokens. Nasdaq-listed Sharplink recently spent $290 million acquiring 438,190 ETH at an average price of $3,756 per token. Furthermore, The Ether Machine, a new entrant, aims to establish one of the largest public on-chain Ethereum holdings, exceeding 400,000 ETH and planning a Nasdaq listing under the ticker “ETHM”.

This pronounced accumulation signals a deeper institutional embrace of Ethereum as a treasury asset, outpacing Bitcoin in this arena. Standard Chartered’s view reinforces the narrative that Ethereum’s broader utility, coupled with financial products like spot ETFs and staking incentives, is attracting significant corporate capital inflows, underscoring ETH’s evolving role in institutional portfolios.