Corporate Ether Holdings Surge, Could Reach 10% of Total Supply: Standard Chartered

Institutional interest in ether (ETH) is accelerating, with corporate treasuries now holding 1% of the token’s circulating supply—a milestone reached since early June, according to a new report from Standard Chartered.

The bank projects that corporate holdings of ether could eventually climb to 10% of the total supply, signaling a significant structural shift in digital asset portfolios at the institutional level.

This rapid accumulation rivals the strong inflows seen into U.S.-listed spot ether ETFs, which have themselves witnessed record-breaking demand in recent months, the report noted.

Companies like BitMine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) and SharpLink Gaming (SBET) have rolled out ether-focused treasury strategies, generating passive returns through staking and decentralized finance (DeFi) opportunities.

“The surge in both ETF and corporate demand has likely contributed to ether’s recent outperformance relative to bitcoin,” wrote Geoff Kendrick, head of digital assets research at Standard Chartered. The ETH/BTC ratio has risen from 0.018 in April to 0.032 by July.

Kendrick added that the institutional embrace of ETH has outpaced that of BTC, driven by ETH’s ability to generate yield from staking (currently around 3%) and DeFi integrations—offering a strategic edge over traditional bitcoin treasury holdings.

The bank also pointed to regulatory arbitrage as a key catalyst, noting that in some jurisdictions with limited direct crypto access, ETH’s utility and staking potential make it a more attractive balance-sheet asset for public companies.

Standard Chartered reaffirmed its year-end ETH price target of $4,000. Ether was last trading near $3,830 at the time of publication.