Ethereum TVL may increase 10x by 2026 as institutional adoption grows.

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Crypto journalist

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Amin Ayan is a crypto journalist with over four years of experience in the industry. He is featured in articles such as Cryptonews, Investing.com, 99Bitcoins and 24/7 Wall St. He has contributed to leading publications such as

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Last Updated:

December 27, 2025

According to Joseph Chalom, CEO of Sharplink Gaming, Ethereum's total value is locked in by 2026 as institutional participation strengthens and new use cases emerge.

The forecast comes as major financial companies expand their presence on public blockchains and capital flows into tokenized assets.

Sharplink Gaming is the second largest public Ethereum treasury company, holding $2.33 billion worth of 797,704 ETH based on Ethereum Treasuries data.

Ethereum TVL as Stablecoin Market Set to Target $500B.

Chalom said that the next evolution of Ethereum will be less about retail speculation and more about stablecoins, tokenized assets and institutional infrastructure migrating off-chain.

In a post on X, Chalom predicted that the stablecoin market will reach $500 billion by the end of next year, starting at approximately $308 billion today, a gain of about 62%.

With more than half of the stablecoin activity currently taking place on Ethereum, he argued that continued supply and transaction growth could materially raise the network's TVL.

Beyond stability coins, Chalom pointed to real-world assets as a major incentive. It expects the tokenized RWA market to grow to $300 billion by 2026, which represents the transition from separate products to full fund structures in the chain.

In the past year, firms like JPMorgan, Franklin Templeton, and BlackRock have expanded pilots and live products with tokenization, demonstrating a broader acceptance of traditional finance.

Ethereum's TVL is currently around $68.2 billion, according to DeFillama. The surge reflects not only speculative DeFi activity, but also high institutional participation.

Increasing TVL is often taken as a measure of network utility and capital commitment, which can create long-term market confidence.

But price performance has lagged behind the adoption narrative. Ether is down more than 12% in the last 12 months and is trading at $2,924 according to CoinMarketCap.

Crypto analyst Benjamin Cowen recently said that ether is unlikely to reach new highs in the near future, citing broader market conditions tied to the bitcoin cycle.

Sovereign Wealth Funds Will Increase Ethereum Exposure 5–10x By 2026: Chalom

Chalom focuses on structural demand rather than short-term price action. He expects sovereign wealth funds to increase their Ethereum holdings and tokenization exposure by five to ten times as competitive pressure between large issuers grows.

According to him, standing aside was once the safest option, but that calculus is starting to change.

On-chain AI agents and prediction markets are expected to gain major traction in 2026, adding more activity to the Ethereum ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Peter Thiel-backed ETHZilla has sold $74.5 million worth of ETH and has begun to unravel a strategy that once placed it among Ethereum's most powerful corporate owners, marking its departure from the pure crypto treasury model.