Tokenization Boom Puts Ethereum In The Spotlight

Ethereum is establishing itself as a new central player in global finance. Driven by the rise of tokenization, the blockchain is now attracting the attention of Wall Street. Major institutions like BlackRock and Robinhood are actively exploring this technology, marking a turning point in crypto adoption. For Tom Lee, co-founder of Fundstrat, Ethereum is becoming a key infrastructure of the financial system. A dynamic that, according to him, could push the asset’s price to unprecedented levels.

Tokenization : a transformation lever for Ethereum

Tom Lee, co-founder of Fundstrat Global Advisors, revealed this week on CNBC Ethereum’s growing role in institutional finance.

According to him, the blockchain is no longer limited to decentralized applications or NFTs, but is becoming a true technological foundation for traditional financial markets. “Wall Street wants to tokenize everything it can“, he said on the show Power Lunch, referring to initiatives already underway by heavyweights such as BlackRock and Robinhood.

He believes Ethereum is well positioned to capture this emerging demand : “Ether is becoming a reference financial infrastructure“.

This evolution is confirmed in the most recent data published by RWA.xyz, showing strong growth in tokenized real-world assets over this year. Ethereum largely dominates this rapidly expanding segment, strengthening its status as leader.

Here are the key points to remember :

• The total value of tokenized RWAs rose from $5.6 billion at the start of 2025 to $18.9 billion in December ;

• Ethereum alone holds more than $12 billion of these assets, far ahead of other blockchains like Solana, Arbitrum, or BNB Chain ;

• The main RWA segment is represented by U.S. sovereign debt totaling about $8.5 billion ;

• Currently, DTCC (Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation) has announced plans to tokenize some Treasury bonds held via its subsidiary Depository Trust Company, on the Canton Network ;

• Furthermore, Ethereum remains the leading blockchain for stablecoins, with approximately $170 billion issued to date.

These data confirm that tokenization has now surpassed the experimental stage. It is part of a concrete institutional adoption dynamic, in which Ethereum plays a key role as a trusted infrastructure.

Tom Lee Bets on an Ethereum Price Explosion by 2026

Beyond the observations, Tom Lee laid out a particularly ambitious price projection for Ethereum.

“We believe Ether can reach between $7,000 and $9,000 by early 2026“, he stated during his appearance. For him, this evolution would only be the first step, as “the price could rise up to $20,000 as adoption expands“. This scenario is based on one hypothesis: the more tokenization progresses, the more Ethereum establishes itself as a trusted infrastructure, and the more demand grows for this network’s native asset.

Tom Lee is no stranger to betting on the Ethereum crypto. He is also president of BitMine Immersion Technologies, a treasury company specializing in ETH, which holds over 4 million Ether.

This significant exposure gives weight to his convictions but also shows that his analysis is not disinterested. Moreover, he remains bullish on Bitcoin, which he describes as a “true store of value” with a target of $200,000 for 2026, while distinguishing Ethereum’s growing utility role in financial markets.

Ethereum’s trajectory swings between institutional ambition and structural challenges. While Tom Lee bets on massive crypto adoption, Vitalik Buterin advocates for a simpler Ethereum. A balance to find, as the platform becomes central to tokenization strategies.