Arthur Hayes believes Ethereum could see a major rally over the next year, potentially reaching $5,000, as more large financial companies begin using Ethereum-based infrastructure.
Speaking at EastPoint: Seoul 2026, Hayes pointed to Robinhood’s decision to build its blockchain on Ethereum as an important development for the network. He said the move gives other financial institutions a real-world example they can reference when considering Ethereum for their own blockchain projects.
According to Hayes, Robinhood has created a new story around Ethereum by choosing it as the security foundation for its blockchain. He believes that if other companies follow a similar path, demand for Ethereum could grow significantly.
At the time of his comments, Ethereum was trading near $2,650. Reaching $5,000 would require a gain of almost 90%.
Robinhood Chain has become a key example of how traditional finance and blockchain technology can work together. The network launched in July as an Ethereum Layer-2 built with Arbitrum technology and is focused on tokenized assets such as stocks, ETFs, and other financial products.
The platform uses ETH as its gas token, meaning users pay transaction fees in Ethereum. Since launch, activity on the network has grown quickly. Within its first week, more than $70 million worth of ETH had been bridged onto the chain, and later reports showed billions of dollars in decentralized exchange trading volume.
Supporters of Ethereum argue that this type of adoption could create new demand for ETH because it becomes the fuel that powers financial activity on these networks.
Ethereum has also been receiving support from investment products. U.S. spot Ether ETFs attracted nearly $690 million in net inflows over five straight trading sessions last week, reversing losses seen the week before. BlackRock and Fidelity funds accounted for a large portion of those inflows.
At the same time, staking activity remains strong. About 43.5 million ETH is currently staked on the network, representing more than one-third of Ethereum’s total supply. There are far more validators waiting to join the network than leave it, showing continued interest in staking.
Even with these positive developments, Ethereum still faces challenges before moving higher. The area around $2,800 has acted as a strong resistance level in recent weeks. ETH briefly approached that level before pulling back, and traders are watching closely to see if it can break through and move toward $3,000.
Hayes’ $5,000 target is based largely on the idea that institutional adoption of Ethereum will continue to grow. While Robinhood’s use of Ethereum is a notable example, whether other major financial firms follow the same path remains one of the key factors that could influence Ethereum’s long-term performance.
For now, Ethereum continues to benefit from growing ETF demand, strong staking participation, and increasing use in tokenized finance, but the path to $5,000 would likely require broader adoption across the financial industry and sustained market momentum.
