Tom Lee Forecasts $9,000 Ethereum Price by 2026 on Tokenization Wave
Fundstrat's head of research, Tom Lee, has set a bullish price target for Ether, predicting the cryptocurrency could climb to a range of $7,000 to $9,000 by early 2026. Speaking on CNBC, Lee attributed this outlook to Wall Street's accelerating push to tokenize real-world assets (RWAs) on the Ethereum blockchain. He argued that Ether's investment case is now intrinsically linked to its function as financial infrastructure, with a longer-term price potential of $20,000 as adoption deepens.
Lee's thesis centers on the efficiency gains that onchain settlement and tokenized securities offer traditional finance. He noted that major players like Robinhood and BlackRock are already experimenting with these use cases, anchoring Ethereum's value proposition in tangible financial activity. Lee stated:
Wall Street wants to tokenize everything.
— Tom Lee, Co-founder of Fundstrat Global Advisors
Ethereum Captures Over $12 Billion of Expanding RWA Market
The market for tokenized real-world assets has grown substantially, surging from $5.6 billion at the start of 2025 to a total value of $18.9 billion. Data from RWA.xyz shows that Ethereum is the dominant platform for this activity, hosting more than $12 billion in tokenized assets. This positions it far ahead of competitors like Solana and BNB Chain.
The largest segment within the RWA space is tokenized U.S. Treasury debt, which accounts for approximately $8.5 billion of the market. Furthermore, Ethereum's role as the primary settlement layer is reinforced by the roughly $170 billion in stablecoins issued on its network, solidifying its status as the main hub for dollar-denominated onchain transactions.
DTCC's Treasury Plan Signals Deeper Institutional Shift
The trend of institutional adoption gained significant momentum in December when the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) announced plans to tokenize a portion of U.S. Treasury securities. The DTCC, which processed about $3.7 quadrillion in securities transactions last year, represents the core of U.S. market infrastructure. Its move to use the Canton Network for tokenization serves as a powerful validation of blockchain technology's potential to reshape traditional finance.
This initiative by a key systemic entity underscores the practical, real-world shift toward onchain financial instruments. It moves the narrative from speculative potential to concrete implementation by the world's largest financial players, directly supporting the foundation of Tom Lee's bullish forecast for Ethereum's utility and value.
