In a recent discussion on the Bankless YouTube podcast hosted by David Hoffman, two of the crypto industry’s most respected figures:Tom LeeCEO of BitMine and Arthur Hayes, founder and former CEO of BitMEX – shared extremely bullish Ethereum price forecasts. Both directors forecast that Ethereum could surge to $10,000 or more by the end of the year, driven by fundamental growth and changing market dynamics. Their comments were reported after BTC was reached recent all-time highs above $126,000added fresh momentum and optimism that the upcoming Q4 bull run may be focused on ETGH.
Ethereum price break and roadmap to $10,000
During the Bankless podcast, Hayes was the first to respond when asked about his Year-End Price Expectations (EOY). for both Ethereum and Bitcoin. Without hesitation, the founder of BitMEX predicted that ETH could rise to $10,000 and BTC to $250,000 before the end of the year. When pressed on whether Ethereum could realistically more than double in just over two months, Hayes confidently replied that it could, highlighting the strength of current market dynamics.
Lee’s answer to the same question was even more bullish. Despite recent flash crash in the cryptocurrency marketBitMine’s CEO placed his Ethereum target between $10,000 and $12,000 and shared a similarly bullish view on Bitcoin, predicting a range of $200,000 to $250,000. When asked why he thought Ethereum could reach such a high valuation in the low term and whether such rapid price appreciation could be unsustainable, Lee dismissed concerns, noting that ETH Consolidates from 2021 peak.
He argued that the market would not overheat once it hits $10,000, but rather could enter a recent phase of price discovery based on forceful fundamentals and groundbreaking developments in the ecosystem. He also stated that $10,000 was not an amount peak of the cycle for Ethereumand developments in 2026 may create space for further price increases.
Ethereum’s growing role beyond Bitcoin’s shadow
As the interview progressed, the discussion turned to the evolving dynamics between Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the broader cryptocurrency market. Turning his attention to Hayes, Hoffman asked if Ethereum should be compared to Bitcoin or other sharp contracts in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space. The founder of BitMEX replied that he saw Bitcoin as money and Ethereum as “computation”. He described ETH as the “benchmark asset” of the crypto space, noting that the altcoin sits above the rest of the cryptocurrency landscape in terms of technology.
Lee agreed, but added that he views Ethereum as both money and a computational resource. He defined Bitcoin as digital gold and ETH as an architectural foundation for innovation, especially in areas such as Wall Street and artificial intelligence (AI). BitMine’s CEO emphasized that Ethereum’s growth trajectory is not dependent on competing with Bitcoin but rather on expanding its own usefulness and adoption.
Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com
