Younger generations are expected to shift away from traditional banking towards crypto-native institutions, leading companies like PayPal and credit card issuers to hold cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum as part of their operational capital.
Firms like MicroStrategy and Metaplanet, which hold Bitcoin, are seen as early examples of the emerging financial architecture that larger institutions may adopt. This model is likely to benefit Ethereum significantly due to its infrastructure supporting stablecoins, tokenized assets, and real-world asset transactions.
According to Fundstrat's Tom Lee, Ethereum is well-positioned to handle increased demand, with stablecoins already contributing around 30% of Ethereum's transaction fees. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's estimate of a potential $2 trillion expansion in the stablecoin market could lead to a tenfold rise in Ethereum's network fee revenue.
Data from DeFiLlama indicates that Ethereum has generated over $20 billion in fees to date. With Ethereum's dominance in the stablecoin sector and real-world asset tokenization, Lee suggests that fee revenue could grow exponentially, validating Ethereum's potential for a substantial network fee spike.