.png){kind=logo}
Ethereum whales are accumulating heavily, tightening supply and boosting price momentum.
ETFs and new regulations like the CLARITY Act and GENIUS Act are fueling institutional demand for ETH.
Analysts see $7,500 as the next major target if Ethereum holds above critical resistance levels.
Ethereum has entered another strong phase of accumulation, and the signs coming from on-chain data and institutional flows suggest that the next major price target could be $7,500. Whale wallets, institutional buying through ETFs, and a tightening supply are all combining to create a bullish setup. At the same time, profit-taking and regulatory risks remain factors to watch.
Large Ethereum wallets have been very active in recent weeks. Wallets holding between 10,000 and 100,000 ETH added more than 450,000 ETH in just a week. This came while smaller holders were reducing their positions by around 500,000 ETH during the same period. Over the second quarter of 2025, whales added 200,000 ETH, worth roughly $515 million. Since October 2024, the biggest whale accounts have expanded their holdings by more than 9 percent.
Mid-sized whales, often referred to as “sharks,” holding between 1,000 and 100,000 ETH, have boosted their positions by 14 percent in just five months. This buying took place when Ethereum was trading at its yearly lows in the $1,400 to $1,800 range. Even dormant wallets are coming back into play.
One such wallet, inactive since 2021, recently purchased 6,334 ETH worth around $28 million. Institutional players have also joined in, with one firm buying $252 million worth of ETH in a single week. These moves are building confidence that whales are setting up for a longer-term price surge rather than short-term speculation.
Alongside whale activity, institutional demand is proving to be a key driver. Ethereum exchange-traded funds have seen a wave of inflows, and major banks such as Standard Chartered have raised their year-end price targets to $7,500. Analysts believe this is being supported by both aggressive accumulation and a favorable macroeconomic backdrop.
Executives at fund managers like Bitwise have described a “relentless bid” for Ethereum ETFs. Some forecasts suggest that Ethereum could reach $7,500 by the end of this year, and in a more bullish scenario, as high as $20,000 during the peak of this cycle. Institutional treasuries are also steadily adopting ETH, especially after new regulatory frameworks like the CLARITY Act and the GENIUS Act provided more clarity on stablecoin usage and digital asset custody. Current estimates suggest that institutions and ETFs together hold close to 5 percent of Ethereum’s circulating supply.
Also Read - What Will be Ethereum's Next Move After a New All-Time High
Ethereum’s supply dynamics are another reason for the bullish outlook. The network burns part of its transaction fees, and combined with staking, this creates a deflationary mechanism. In the second quarter alone, over 45,000 ETH were burned while 1.5 million ETH, valued at about $6.6 billion, were added to staking contracts.
Exchange reserves are also dropping. Around 260,000 ETH have been withdrawn from exchanges since the start of September. This indicates that an increasing number of investors prefer to hold their coins in private wallets, thereby reducing the liquid supply available for trading. Altogether, whales and institutions now control about 22 percent of the total ETH supply. Such concentration makes it harder for sellers to push the price down and strengthens the case for a supply squeeze.
While the broader trend shows accumulation, not all whales are holding. Some are using the recent rally to lock in profits. One whale, known by the address 0x3e38, deposited 7,500 ETH, worth around $32 million, into Binance, realizing a profit of $6.7 million. This came after the same address withdrew over 15,000 ETH earlier.
Another group of whales sold 19,461 ETH in less than a day, worth about $88 million. They sold at an average price of around $4,532 per ETH. This type of selling shows that even though the long-term outlook is bullish, short-term volatility should be expected, especially around resistance levels.
Ethereum price recently broke through important resistance levels between $4,089 and $4,283 and briefly tested $4,500 before being rejected. Technical analysts now see the next major resistance zone at around $7,000 to $7,500. This projection comes from Fibonacci extensions and trendline models, which track long-term price behavior.
Several analysts, including those from Standard Chartered, suggest that Ethereum could reach $7,000 to $7,500 by the end of 2025. Some even believe the price could stretch to $15,000 if institutional demand continues to grow at its current pace. These forecasts show that the market is starting to prepare for higher valuations as Ethereum’s use cases expand and more funds flow in.
Broader economic factors are also giving Ethereum a boost. The Federal Reserve’s outlook is leaning toward cutting interest rates, with probabilities of a rate cut ahead of the September FOMC meeting sitting above 87 percent. Lower rates often push investors toward risk assets like cryptocurrencies.
On the technology side, the growth of Ethereum’s layer-2 scaling solutions, such as Arbitrum, zkSync, and Optimism, is improving usability and reducing transaction costs. The tokenization of real-world assets on Ethereum’s blockchain is also creating steady demand from traditional finance players.
Despite the optimistic Ethereum price prediction, risks remain. Profit-taking by whales can trigger sudden pullbacks, as already seen with the 0x3e38 wallet and the ‘7 Siblings’ group. Regulatory developments, especially in the European Union, could create uncertainty around Ethereum’s role in financial systems.
Technical risks are also present. If Ethereum fails to hold above resistance zones between $4,500 and $5,000, the rally could stall, delaying the run toward $7,500. Macro conditions, such as unexpected hawkish moves by the Federal Reserve, could also dampen risk sentiment across financial markets.
Also Read - ETH Rich List in 2025: Who Owns the Most Ether?
Ethereum’s current market structure points to a clear bullish setup. Whale accumulation, institutional ETF flows, supply reduction through burns and staking, and supportive macroeconomic conditions are all working together to push prices higher. While some whales are taking profits and short-term volatility will likely continue, the medium-term trajectory remains strongly positive.
Breaking and holding above the $4,500 to $5,000 range will be key. If Ethereum achieves that, the $7,500 target becomes realistic within this market cycle. Some analysts even argue that this may just be a stepping stone toward much higher valuations, possibly above $10,000. For now, the combination of whale behavior and institutional adoption makes the prospect of $7,500 a serious possibility.
