This Institutional Investor Thinks Ethereum Will Outperfo…
The trend is moving the wrong way this time
The crypto bear market has made optimistic predictions about crypto prices significantly more difficult than last year, when the bull market was still in full swing.
Standard Chartered cut its end-2026 Solana target from $310 to $250 on Feb. 3. It cut again nine days later, to $135. The bank also slashed its price target for Ethereum, from $7,500 to $4,000. Both of those targets may still prove to be far too optimistic.
At their recent prices — about $86 for Solana and $2,270 for Ethereum — the bank is effectively predicting that Ethereum will almost double, and that Solana rise by 57%. It also implies one Ethereum coin fetching nearly 30 Solana coins by December, even further past the 17 projected for 2028.
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CRYPTO: ETH
Ethereum
Today’s Change
(3.26%) $75.27
Current Price
$2,381.17
Key Data Points
Market Cap
$288BMarket cap calculated using publicly traded s outstanding only. Does not include unlisted, private, or dual-class non-traded s. Implied market cap may vary.
Day’s Range
$2261.62 – $2443.66
52wk Range
$1512.07 – $4946.05
Volume
28.3B
Both blockchains are debating whether to change foundational rules about how their tokenomics and staking economics work, and both are in the process of developing major upgrades.
Solana’s validators are voting on two Solana Governance Proposals (SGPs), SGP-0002 and SGP-0003, that would cut the pace for issuing new coins in half over time, and lift its maximum daily coin burns — and taking them permanently out of circulation — from about 650 into the thousands. Ethereum has a comparable idea in one of its Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs), EIP-8363. If implemented, it would burn a rising of validator rewards, which are paid in Ether coins.
All these proposals would route value toward holders and away from stakers who lock up their coins to support the network, receiving those rewards in exchange. That could make these cryptos more attractive investments and thus boost their values if passed.
Historically, such major overhauls have been rejected by those with voting power. Because Solana and Ethereum are in tight competition with each other, things might be different this time, and it’s very plausible that one could make holder-friendly reforms while the other fails to do so. That means Ethereum could well outperform Solana during the next 12 months, though it’s far from guaranteed and the reverse is also possible.
Scaling could be another decisive issue
During the past couple of years, Ethereum’s bull case has started to lean on boosting the chain’s throughput with bigger blocks and cheaper transactions.
On Aug. 17, the chain’s developers confirmed that the launch date for Glamsterdam, the next major upgrade that would substantially improve the network’s throughput, was pushed back by as much as six months, to the fourth quarter of 2026. Hegota, the one slated for development and launch after Glamsterdam, was pushed into 2027, with 66 proposed changes currently being evaluated in triage, and a shortlist of proposals to consider in depth for final inclusion being due Aug. 27.
None of this is very bearish for Ethereum. In crypto, it’s normal for major updates to be delayed significantly. But the delay does mean that the version of Ethereum in which it outperforms Solana as a result of its scaling is only going to arrive later, if it arrives at all. Solana’s comparable vote is set to resolve within weeks.
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CRYPTO: SOL
Solana
Today’s Change
(4.35%) $3.79
Current Price
$90.98
Key Data Points
Market Cap
$53BMarket cap calculated using publicly traded s outstanding only. Does not include unlisted, private, or dual-class non-traded s. Implied market cap may vary.
Day’s Range
$86.15 – $93.20
52wk Range
$60.40 – $252.78
Volume
5.9B
So could Ethereum beat Solana over the next year? There’s no way to rule it out. Its lead in stablecoins and certain types of tokenized assets is quite large, and it may get a boost from the launch of Glamsterdam and eventually Hegota.
The figure to track is neither coin’s price today, as it doesn’t really matter given what’s coming. If Glamsterdam misses the Q4 launch window, or Solana’s proposals pass, the case for Ethereum outperforming it will get much weaker.
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About the Author
Alex Carchidi is a contributing Motley Fool healthcare and cryptocurrency analyst covering biotech, pharma, cannabis, and digital asset companies. Previously, Alex was a bench scientist and science writer at several biopharma companies and began his career as a researcher at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Boston University and a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Stocks Mentioned
Ethereum
CRYPTO: ETH
$2,381.17
(+3.26%)+$75.27
Motley Fool Stock Advisor’s Latest Pick
—% Avg Return
Solana
CRYPTO: SOL
$90.98
(+4.35%)+$3.79
Standard Chartered Plc
OTC: SCBFY
$58.70
(-0.27%)-$0.16
*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.
Sumber Artikel:
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