The year 2025 did not look like a winner for Ethereum investors… until it did. The world’s second-largest cryptocurrency was not only one of the first to halt its ascending momentum following the post-U.S. Election rally—but also was among the first digital assets among top cryptocurrencies to completely erase its gains this year.
During its worst performance, ETH was trading at a 58% decrease year-to-date. Its lowest documented price per coin this year was at the $1,470 level on April 8 — around 64% down from its $4,115 high on December 16.
To make matters worse, the Solana Blockchain competition was finally catching up. While Ethereum struggled to maintain momentum, Solana was thriving. Its memecoin boom, high-speed transactions, and lower fees fueled rapid adoption, pulling retail traders and liquidity away from ETH-based platforms. At its peak, Solana’s daily transaction volume surpassed Ethereum’s, signaling a potential shift in market dynamics.
The Pectra Upgrade: Ethereum’s Turning Point
A big turning point for the Ethereum blockchain came on May 7th with the Pectra upgrade. This network upgrade introduced better scalability and staking enhancements for the network—making Ethereum more efficient overall.
One of the most impactful changes was EIP-7702, which allowed wallets to temporarily act as smart contracts, enabling batch transactions and gas payments with ERC-20 tokens. Another major shift came with EIP-7251, which raised the validator staking limit from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH.
Institutional Adoption: Ethereum’s Silent Revival
As Ethereum regained momentum post-Pectra upgrade, institutional investors wasted no time doubling down on the asset. Firms like BlackRock and Fidelity ramped up their ETH holdings, signaling a renewed wave of confidence in the network.
One of the biggest moves came from Abraxas Capital, which accumulated over $477 million worth of ETH in less than a week, reinforcing Ethereum’s growing appeal among major asset managers.
BlackRock’s in-kind redemption filing for its Ethereum Trust further fueled speculation that an ETH ETF approval could be next, setting the stage for even deeper institutional involvement. Differently from the current ETH ETFs in the market, which rely on cash redemptions, BlackRock’s proposal would allow investors to redeem actual ETH instead of cash, aligning with how spot Bitcoin ETFs operate.
Ethereum’s Market Shift
After months of underperformance, ETH saw a 47% surge in just five days, vastly outperforming Bitcoin’s modest 7.9% gain. This shift triggered a drop in Bitcoin dominance, as capital rotated into Ethereum and other altcoins. Investors, both retail and institutional, started piling into ETH, betting on its renewed strength.
The ETH/BTC ratio, which had been in decline for months, suddenly reversed, climbing over 30% in a week. Analysts pointed to growing expectations of an ETH ETF expansion, alongside the Pectra upgrade’s impact on staking and transaction efficiency, as key drivers behind the bullish momentum.
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