Since the last bull run in 2021, Ethereum (ETH) has undergone a quiet transformation. It is no longer just a smart contract plaƞorm for DeFi experiments and NFT collectibles – it’s steadily becoming the core infrastructure layer for stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), the bridge between traditional finance (TradFi) and blockchain ecosystems.
This shift is ushering in a new era where institutions, governments, and fintech plaƞorms are turning to Ethereum for asset issuance, settlement, and liquidity. To put it simply, it is already reshaping the way global value flows across markets.
Ethereum’s Growing Role in Stablecoins
Stablecoins are digital tokens that track the value of fiat currencies like the US dollar. They are critical for crypto trading, remittances, cross-border settlements, and as a hedge against crypto market volatility. Among the vast number of blockchain plaƞorms available today, Ethereum remains the dominant home for stablecoins.
Major stablecoins like USDC, USDT, DAI, and PYUSD are primarily issued on Ethereum, taking advantage of its security, composability, and widespread developer support. In fact, more than 60% of stablecoin transaction volume flows through Ethereum’s mainnet or Layer 2s. Why? Because Ethereum offers the best blend of decentralization, scalability, and regulatory flexibility for stablecoin issuers and users alike.
Institutional adoption is reinforcing this trend. Visa has begun settling cross-border payments using USDC on Ethereum. PayPal’s PYUSD – their very own dollar-backed stablecoin is launched as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum. These moves highlight Ethereum’s role as the settlement layer for digital dollars, which could soon be the on-chain equivalents of real-world fiat currencies.
Tokenizing Real-World Assets on Ethereum
Beyond stablecoins, Ethereum is becoming the go-to network for tokenizing real-world financial assets, including but not limited to; U.S. Treasuries, private credit, gold, and real estate.
This trend, known as Real World Asset tokenization, or simply RWA allows traditional assets to be represented as tokens on a blockchain. These tokens can then be traded, borrowed against, or used in DeFi protocols. Ethereum’s security, smart contract flexibility, and mature infrastructure make it the obvious foundation.
A few high-profile examples include:
- BlackRock’s BUIDL tokenized U.S. Treasury fund, which runs on Ethereum
- Franklin Templeton’s tokenized money market fund, issued as an Ethereum-based token
- Ondo Finance, which tokenizes U.S. Treasury yields and allows investors globally to gain exposure through Ethereum wallets
This movement turns Ethereum into a compliance-aware, globally accessible financial operating system - something that didn’t exist in TradFi or crypto just a few years ago.
What’s Changed Since the 2021 Bull Run?
Several key upgrades and ecosystem developments since 2021 have paved the way for Ethereum’s integration with traditional finance:
- The Merge (2022) - Ethereum transitioned from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, cutting energy use by over 99% and aligning with ESG mandates, making it more palatable to institutional allocators.
- EIP-1559 (2021) - Introduced a burn mechanism that removes a portion of ETH used in transaction fees, especially during high network activity. This has created periods of deflationary pressure on ETH supply, in-turn making it scarcer with better supply vs demand token-omics
- EIP-4844 (2024) - Enabled proto-danksharding, which significantly lowers data costs for Layer 2 rollups, making Ethereum-based applications more scalable and affordable for users and enterprises.
- Explosive Growth in Layer 2s - Networks like Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base now host major stablecoin and RWA projects, thanks to lower gas fees and Ethereum-grade security. These rollups settle back to Ethereum mainnet, reinforcing ETH's position at the center.
- Better Institutional Tooling - Solutions like Fireblocks, Chainlink CCIP, and KYC-enabled smart contracts have matured to meet the compliance needs of financial firms operating on-chain.
How This Affects ETH’s Price and Long-Term Value
Ethereum’s growing use as infrastructure is not just technical, rather it has clear implications for ETH, the underlying asset.
- ETH as Fuel: Every stablecoin or RWA transaction on Ethereum or its Layer 2s burns a bit of ETH through gas fees, especially during periods of high activity.
- ETH as Collateral: As stablecoin and RWA protocols grow, they increasingly rely on ETH for liquidity, governance, or backing.
- ETH as Staked Capital: Institutions and individuals alike are staking ETH to earn yield, locking up supply and reducing sell pressure.
The combination of growing demand (for usage and staking) and declining issuance (due to burns and locked tokens) is seƫng ETH up for strong upward price pressure. Unlike speculative altcoins, ETH is building deep, real-world utility – now with institutional and retail investors noticing.
Ethereum Is Becoming the Internet Bond Layer
As stablecoins and RWAs move on-chain, Ethereum is not just keeping up - it’s becoming the standard. The network has evolved from a DeFi sandbox into the core infrastructure for institutional-grade digital finance.
This transformation means that ETH acting as both the fuel and the foundation of this new economy, it’s well positioned and quickly becoming the “digital oil” and reserve asset of a programmable financial future.
If Ethereum continues on this path, its relevance in global finance will grow dramatically, and in-turn so will the value of its native asset. Such as with ETH’s current price action, we just witnessed July give us an explosive rally over 65% from trough to peak for the month.
From a low of $2,400 to a local peak just over $3,900, we’ve got the definitive confirmation that we needed on the charts now; the bottom is in. Trend has reversed back up with extreme buying volume, mostly consisting of Institutional ETF inflows, of which are breaking records daily now. Smart money is loading up the truck and they aren’t slowing down. Despite the recent liquidation sell off over the last few weeks, aimed at shaking out over-leveraged retail traders (a good thing), we are definitively now in an uptrend on all major timeframes, especially with that bounce overnight regaining local trend support.
In the short-term, we’re targeting a small retrace back down to $3,546 in order to keep building up support as we see things creep up higher.
I suspect once we tag this short-term trend support, it will give us the solid structure we need to start pushing the ever-elusive $4,000 resistance zone that ETH has been stuck under all Bull run, however this time, with the expected late stage liquidation sell-off behind us, and Bitcoin Dominance continuing to fall (as outlined in previous articles) the timing of an Alt season combined with ETH’s resurgence isn’t a coincidence. We strongly believe it’s time to break through the $4,000 barrier sooner rather than later and into new All Time High’s.
Exciting times ahead to be sure. Keep a close eye on the charts and keep an eagled-eye out for more of our incoming articles over the coming weeks and months, because this train is about to get certified crazy sooner rather than later! (in all the right ways!)
Written by James Ryan
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