Standard Chartered Sees Corporate Ether Holdings Rising Tenfold
Institutional appetite for ether (ETH) is accelerating, with corporate treasuries now holding roughly 1% of the cryptocurrency’s circulating supply, according to a new report by Standard Chartered. The bank projects that figure could rise to 10% over time, signaling a major structural shift in how institutions allocate to digital assets.
The increase in corporate ETH holdings since early June rivals inflows into spot ether ETFs, which are also seeing record investor demand. Companies like BitMine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) and SharpLink Gaming (SBET) have recently launched ether-focused treasury strategies, often combining direct ETH ownership with staking to earn passive yield.
“Corporate participation in ether is rising faster than it did with bitcoin,” wrote Geoff Kendrick, Standard Chartered’s head of digital asset research. He cited ether’s ability to generate staking rewards and participate in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols as key differentiators. Currently, ETH staking yields hover around 3%.
This trend may explain ETH’s recent outperformance versus bitcoin. The ETH/BTC ratio has jumped from 0.018 in April to 0.032 in July. Kendrick views the shift as the beginning of a broader institutional pivot toward ether.
Standard Chartered also noted that ether may offer regulatory advantages in some jurisdictions, making it a more attractive balance-sheet asset for public companies. The bank reaffirmed its $4,000 year-end price target for ETH, which was trading around $3,830 at the time of publication.
