Ethereum News Update: Ethereum’s $201B Utility Boom Contrasts with ETH’s Stagnant Price—Is Broader Market Direction Needed?

Ethereum’s ecosystem of tokenized assets has climbed to $201 billion, accounting for almost two-thirds of the $314 billion global total. This growth is fueled by increasing institutional participation and the dominance of stablecoins, reinforcing Ethereum’s status as the primary settlement layer in the crypto sector. Experts believe these strong fundamentals, along with a shrinking supply of ETH on exchanges, set the stage for a potential revaluation of its native token,

, even though its price is currently below $3,500, according to an analysis by .

Stablecoins continue to be a driving force behind Ethereum’s expansion.

and together maintain substantial liquidity across decentralized finance (DeFi), international payments, and trading platforms. In late 2025, PayPal’s PYUSD stablecoin alone enabled $18.6 billion in transactions on , marking a 260% increase from the previous year and highlighting the network’s growing role in mainstream finance, as reported by . At the same time, tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) have rapidly gained traction, with Ethereum now supporting $12 billion in tokenized treasuries, investment funds, and credit products—representing 34% of the global RWA sector, according to Cointelegraph.

Institutional players have accelerated this momentum.

, Fidelity, and other established asset managers have introduced blockchain-based versions of their funds, resulting in a 2,000% jump in tokenized fund assets under management since early 2024. Fidelity Digital Assets described stablecoins and RWAs as “notable advancements,” pointing out that stablecoins processed $18 trillion in transactions over the past year—outpacing Visa’s annual $15.4 trillion, as Cointelegraph noted. Token Terminal data further showed that tokenized gold on Ethereum and other blockchains tripled to $3.5 billion in 2025, reflecting institutional interest in blockchain-based alternatives to physical commodities, according to .

Despite strong on-chain metrics, ETH’s price has remained within a narrow range. By late 2025, technical analysis indicated ETH was consolidating below its 9-day exponential moving average, with a Relative Strength Index (RSI) of 37.7 and a negative Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) of -0.10, suggesting limited buying momentum, as highlighted by Coinotag. Derivatives data also point to caution: open interest dropped to $17.6 billion, and funding rates are close to neutral, indicating traders are waiting for more decisive signals, according to a report from

. Analysts at 10x Research, however, remain optimistic for 2026, citing a doubling of Ethereum’s on-chain liquidity since President Trump’s election and increased institutional staking as signs of a possible breakout, as reported by .

The gap between Ethereum’s strong fundamentals and ETH’s price performance has sparked discussion. While the growth of tokenized assets and stablecoin inflows demonstrate the network’s utility, many market observers believe ETH’s price is still influenced by broader economic trends and regulatory developments. For now, ETH continues to trade sideways, with major resistance levels at $3,650 and $3,920, according to Coinpedia.