The future of decentralized finance continues to attract the attention of large financial institutions. In a new analysis, Standard Chartered estimates that the UNI token, associated with the Uniswap protocol, could reach $100 by the end of 2030. This projection is mainly based on the expected growth of tokenized assets and their gradual integration into the DeFi ecosystem, a market that the bank sees as one of the main drivers of value creation over the coming years.
In brief
- • Standard Chartered estimates that the UNI token could rise from around $2.70 to $100 by the end of 2030, a potential rise of almost 40 times.
- • The bank forecasts strong growth in tokenized assets in DeFi, with assets locked could reach $2.7 trillion by 2030.
- • Uniswap would benefit from this dynamic thanks to its decentralized model, its liquidity pools and its positioning on tokenized assets and niche markets.
- • The bank highlights competitive, regulatory and operational risks that could slow down Uniswap's growth.
UNI could benefit from the rise of tokenized assets
The bank began coverage of the Uniswap protocol by highlighting the growth potential of decentralized finance. According to his estimates, tokenized assets used in DeFi could increase 37-fold by the end of the decade.
In this context, UNI appears to be one of the main potential beneficiaries of this development. Geoffrey Kendrick, global head of digital assets research, believes that tokenized assets on the blockchain could see strong expansion in the coming years.
THE main projections put forward by the bank are as follows:
- Tokenized assets used in DeFi could increase 37-fold by 2030;
- The market for tokenized assets on blockchain would grow from $340 billion to $4 trillion by the end of 2028;
- The share of these assets used in DeFi protocols would increase from 3.5% to 30% by the end of 2030;
- Assets locked in decentralized finance could reach nearly $2.7 trillion;
- The price of the UNI token would reach $6.50 at the end of 2026, $20 in 2027, $40 in 2028, $65 in 2029, and $100 in 2030.
According to this analysis, Uniswap is in a favorable position to capture a significant portion of this growth. With more assets available in its liquidity pools, the protocol's activity could increase significantly. Kendrick also believes that UNI could perform better than ether and bitcoin over this period, thanks to the expected expansion of activity related to tokenized assets.
Standard Chartered banks on Uniswap's economic model
For Standard Chartered, the very structure of Uniswap constitutes an important competitive advantage. Geoffrey Kendrick compares the protocol to YouTube, while he associates Coinbase with Netflix.
This comparison is based on the open nature of Uniswap. As users create liquidity pools themselves and trade tokens directly, the platform requires less capital than centralized players. Liquidity is in fact provided by users and not by the company operating the protocol.
According to Standard Chartered, this model could allow Uniswap to better position itself in certain specific segments. The protocol benefits in particular from advantages for the exchange of very similar assets, such as stablecoins or staked versions of ether. It can also more easily accommodate niche tokens whose volumes remain insufficient for centralized platforms.
The bank also believes that the tokenization of real assets could become a new area of competition between Uniswap and Coinbase. However, Standard Chartered emphasizes that sustainable growth will require additional commercial efforts as well as partnerships with traditional financial institutions.
According to Kendrick, if these conditions are met, the ratio between market capitalization and fees generated by Uniswap could gradually approach that observed at Coinbase.
An evolution of the token and several challenges to watch
Beyond the market outlook, the recent evolution of the protocol constitutes another element highlighted by Standard Chartered. Until December 2025, exchange fees were fully returned to liquidity providers.
An update called UNIfication then introduced protocol fees as well as an automatic destruction mechanism for UNI tokens. Governance votes then expanded this system to more liquidity pools.
Since this change, Uniswap has reportedly generated approximately $21 million in protocol fees. At the same time, almost five million additional UNI tokens were reportedly destroyed. The bank also says that an exceptional destruction of 100 million tokens reduced the total supply to 895 million units, while the circulating supply fell to 622 million.
Despite these favorable elements, Standard Chartered identifies several risks. Smaller decentralized platforms could develop solutions better suited to certain specific uses. Additionally, attracting volumes related to tokenized physical assets will largely depend on Uniswap's ability to grow its partner network.
Finally, Kendrick recalls that the hooks system integrated into Uniswap V4 has not yet been tested on the scale envisaged for 2030. He also emphasizes that a clearer regulatory framework could facilitate the development of the sector and reduce certain current obstacles.
Thus, the projection of 100 dollars for UNI is based on several converging factors: the rise of tokenization, the growth of decentralized finance, the evolution of Uniswap's economic model and its potential rapprochement with traditional financial players. However, the realization of this scenario will depend on the execution of this strategy and the evolution of the regulatory environment over the coming years.
Maximize your Tremplin.io experience with our 'Read to Earn' program! For every article you read, earn points and access exclusive rewards. Sign up now and start earning benefits.
