Standard Chartered Bank predicts that Ethereum's performance will significantly surpass the market by 2026, reaching $7500 by the end of the year According to BlockBeats, on January 12th, Standard Chartered Bank sent a positive signal about the prospects of Ethereum. Geoffrey Kendrick, the global head of digital asset research at the bank, stated that although he lowered his recent price forecast against the backdrop of overall weakness in the cryptocurrency market, he expects Ethereum to outperform other cryptocurrencies in 2026. I think 2026 will be the year of Ethereum, just like 2021, "Kendrick wrote in a note to the bank's latest digital asset report. He pointed out that the growth in adoption rates of blockchain and on chain products will be a key factor driving Ethereum to significantly surpass the market. The report points out that due to Bitcoin's continued dominant position in this field, its underperformance has weakened the appreciation prospects of digital assets relative to the US dollar. But Kendrick emphasized that compared to Bitcoin, Ethereum's driving force is increasing. Standard Chartered Bank expects the ETH/BTC exchange rate to gradually return to its high level of around 0.08 in 2021, thanks to Ethereum's structural advantages that other cryptocurrencies do not have, including its dominant position in stablecoins, real-world assets, and decentralized finance, as well as ongoing network expansion efforts. The bank believes that the planned increase in Ethereum Layer 1 throughput (including measures taken through the Fusaka upgrade in December last year) is crucial, as historical data shows that higher throughput often translates into higher market value. In addition, a more favorable regulatory environment may further improve the prospects, with particular mention of the US Clarity Act, which is expected to be passed in the first quarter. If the bill is approved, combined with the resilience performance of the US stock market, it may drive Bitcoin to reach a historic high in the first half of the year. The bank believes that this scenario will also provide support for Ethereum's long-term upward trend. This prediction comes at a time when Standard Chartered Bank's stance on Bitcoin and Ethereum is diverging - although it has lowered its absolute price target for Ethereum in the coming years, its view on Ethereum is more positive than Bitcoin. The bank currently expects Ethereum to reach $7500 by the end of 2026, a decrease from the previous forecast of $12000; The targets for 2027 and 2028 have been adjusted to $15000 and $22000, respectively, both lower than earlier expectations. However, Standard Chartered Bank has raised its long-term outlook, raising its forecast for the end of 2029 to $30000 and setting a new target of $40000 by the end of 2030.