The so-called blockchains Ethereum Killer are agitating to nibble market share and afford the media spotlight. But deep down, in fact as in collective perception, there is only one master. His name comes up in every conference, every strategic plan, every institutional tweet. Ethereum is no longer a simple technology in the crypto-sphere: it is an architecture that banks, web giants and fintechs now consider as their common foundation. And this movement is no longer theoretical.
In brief
- Swiss banks are testing interbank settlement on Ethereum, now recognized as a reliable public network.
- Google and Fidelity launch tokenized financial products, based on the Ethereum blockchain.
- Asset tokenization transforms Ethereum into the central engine of the global institutional crypto market.
- With 35 major active projects, Ethereum outperforms all its rivals and becomes the financial backbone.
From banks to blockchain: when institutional finance bets everything on Ethereum
Traditional finance has long viewed blockchain as a technological curiosity. That time is over. UBS, Sygnum and PostFinance reached a historic milestone by testing interbank deposit tokens on Ethereum, demonstrating that the public network could be used for legal and instant settlement between establishments. JPMorgan, for its part, migrated its JPM Coin to Base, an L2 solution of the network, in order to meet the demand for institutional payments on public infrastructure.
On X, the official Ethereum account summarized this shift:
Ethereum is the first choice of global financial institutions. Over the past few months, adoption has accelerated.
The CFTC even paved the way for the use of ETH as collateral in American derivatives markets, a strong symbol of integration. European, Asian and American banks are now converging towards the same protocol: Ethereum becomes theshared infrastructure of global financewithout prior authorization or geographical border.
When AI and web giants reinvent programmable finance on Ethereum
As banks go online, so does technology. Google, in collaboration with the Ethereum Foundation, MetaMask and Coinbase, presented its Agent Payments Protocol (AP2). This system allows artificial intelligence agents to make autonomous stablecoin payments on Ethereum. A huge step towards automated, transparent and programmable finance.
Other giants are following suit. Fidelity and Amundi have launched tokenized money funds, while Mastercard and Stripe are opening recurring payments in USDC on the same infrastructure. Even American Express is getting in on the action, with travel NFTs on Base, its L2 version.
In a comment from Lido Financethe tone is clear:
Ethereum is the only choice for global financial institutions.
These initiatives, previously scattered, are converging. Programmable finance is no longer a slogan: it is built on Ethereum, where algorithms, banks and blockchains finally speak the same language.
Tokenization: the economic engine of the new Ethereum cycle
The term “tokenization” comes up everywhere. But today, it no longer designates a dream of crypto developers: it is the new market infrastructure. Kraken launched xStocks on Ethereum, stocks and ETFs transformed into ERC-20. Ondo Finance follows, with more than 100 tokenized American securities. And when BlackRock and Morgan Stanley file ETFs based on ETH staking, this seals the convergence between centralized finance and public blockchain.
For Fundstrat, this structural dynamic could raise the price of Ethereum between 7,000 and 9,000 USD in the long term. With this in mind, ETH is no longer just a crypto: it is the keystone of the future financial system.
What to remember
- Current ETH price: $2,966;
- 35 major institutions launched products on Ethereum in 2025;
- UBS and JPMorgan now use blockchain for their settlements;
- Google and Fidelity integrate the Ethereum ecosystem into their services;
- ETFs linked to ETH become a strong trend for 2026.
The signals are converging: banks, Big Tech and crypto investors are preparing common ground. But the question remains: Is Standard Chartered right to prophesy that 2026 will be “the year of Ethereum”? If we look at the speed of institutional adoption, the answer already seems to be written on the blockchain itself.
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