As crypto markets look toward 2026, price expectations for Ethereum and some altcoins diverge sharply.
Institutional adoption, tokenization of real-world assets (RWA), and regulatory clarity are fueling some of the most optimistic forecasts of the cycle. At the same time, a growing group of analysts remains cautious, saying structural constraints and Bitcoin-led market dynamics could limit the upside.
The result is a wide range of projections, not only on price levels, but also on what the next phase of crypto really represents.
Ethereum Outlook 2026: Infrastructure Assets or Cycle-Bound Trading?
Mega Bullish Ethereum Price Prediction: $7,000 to $20,000
Source: CNBC
Lee’s thesis focuses on Ethereum becoming the settlement layer for tokenized securities, stablecoins, and on-chain financial operations. He cited institutions such as BlackRock and Robinhood, which are actively testing tokenized assets and on-chain settlement systems, as early indicators of a broader migration of financial assets onto blockchain rails.
Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX, echoed similar expectations. Appearing alongside Lee on the Bankless podcast, Hayes reaffirmed his $10,000 ETH target, describing the move as price discovery after nearly four years of consolidation below its 2021 highs.
Source: Unbanked
Lee emphasized that such a move would not represent a speculative failure, arguing that Ethereum has spent years building a base after peaking near $4,878 in 2021.
Institutional and Banking Ethereum Targets: $6.5K to $7.5K
More conservative but still bullish forecasts came from traditional finance.
The bank pointed to aggressive accumulation by corporate treasuries and spot ETFs, which have acquired approximately 3.8% of all Ether in circulation since June. Treasury companies alone purchased around 2.3 million ETH in just over two months, a pace almost double that seen during comparable Bitcoin accumulation phases.
Standard Chartered also highlighted Ethereum’s dominant position in the stablecoin space. More than half of all stablecoins run on Ethereum, generating around 40% of all blockchain fees, reinforcing the network’s role as the primary settlement layer for dollar-denominated blockchain transactions.
Corporate Treasury and RWA Tokenization
Ethereum’s outlook for 2026 is increasingly shaped by balance sheet behavior rather than retail speculation.
Source: ETH Strategic Reserve
Source: Joseph Chalom
Cautious Views on Ethereum: Structural Adoption Without New Highs?
Despite the bullish institutional talk, not all analysts expect Ethereum to reach new highs in 2026.
Source: Unbanked
This view views Ethereum as structurally important but tactically constrained, benefiting from adoption without necessarily capturing outsized price appreciation in the current cycle.
XRP: $8 Targets Address Near-Term Market Tension
Standard Chartered has reiterated one of the most optimistic predictions for
Source: SosoValue
At the same time, XRP exchange balances have fallen toward multi-year lows, reducing the immediately available supply – a dynamic that can amplify price movements if demand maintains.
Related Article: Bitcoin Price Predictions 2026: Will BTC See $250,000 or $10,000 Next Year?
XRP Short-Term Risks and Market Structure
Despite long-term bullish projections, XRP’s short-term pattern remains fragile.
The coin typically trades around $1.85 to $1.87, with volume increasing around 20% above weekly averages while price remains range-bound, a trend often interpreted as positioning rather than panic. At the time of writing, its price has broken out of this range to trade at $1.81.
Technical indicators show sellers continue to look to rallies, and derivatives data reveals rising open interest without confirmation of spot flows. The next key catalyst is the expected unlocking of 1 billion XRP in January, an event that historically increases supply sensitivity even if much of it is sequestered again.
DeFi Altcoins: Hyperliquid’s Long-Term $200 Thesis
The forecast assumes a compound annual growth rate of 15%, supported by an on-chain support fund that uses 99% of protocol trading fees to buy back HYPE tokens. Cantor also assumes that centralized exchanges lose about 1% market share each year to decentralized sites.
However, competition remains a major risk. Emerging perpetual DEXs, particularly those using reward farming and token generation events, threaten to erode Hyperliquid’s dominance, particularly in the near term.
What price forecast discrepancies reveal
The breakdown of 2026 price predictions across Ethereum, XRP, and select DeFi tokens highlights a market at a structural crossroads.
Bullish scenarios assume that institutional adoption, tokenization, and regulatory clarity represent a lasting shift in how crypto assets are used and valued. More conservative views hold that prices remain closely tied to Bitcoin cycles, liquidity conditions, and execution risk.
Unlike previous cycles, the debate is no longer about how these networks work, but about how quickly their real-world adoption translates into sustained pressure on prices.
As 2026 approaches, Ethereum and its surrounding ecosystem are emerging as the clearest test of whether crypto’s infrastructure narrative can finally translate into long-term valuation support.
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