- Ethereum and Solana are drawing growing institutional demand for tokenization and stablecoins.
- Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan says Bitcoin (BTC) remains the “digital gold” trade while ETH and SOL power the tokenization boom.
- Hougan sees Bitcoin targeting $200 K by year-end if ETF inflows and corporate buying accelerate.
Institutional money is widening its view of crypto beyond Bitcoin. Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) have emerged as top choices for tokenization and stablecoin infrastructure. According to Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise Asset Management, financial advisors and institutions are increasingly recognizing two primary trades in crypto: Bitcoin as digital gold and Ethereum and Solana as platforms for stablecoins and tokenization.
“The stablecoin and tokenization story is almost stronger than the Bitcoin story alone,” he said in an interview with Coindesk, noting that strong inflows into Ethereum ETFs are expected, with similar attention likely to follow for Solana once ETPs launch in the coming weeks.
Related: Corporate Bitcoin Treasuries Climb to $135 Billion with Strategy (MSTR) on Top
Ethereum Holds the First-Mover Edge in Tokenization
Ethereum continues to hold a leading position in the tokenization market. Its decentralization, extensive developer network, and widespread adoption make it a foundational platform for both stablecoins and other tokenized assets. Hougan said, “I own a lot of ETH and I’m very bullish on where it’s going.”
At the time of writing, ETH is trading at $4460, down more than 4% in the last 24 hours. ETH bulls failed to push the price beyond $4800 and $4400 now acts as an important support to watch.
Solana Emerges as Wall Street’s Favorite Fast Chain
Solana, on the other hand, is being positioned as a preferred network for Wall Street applications due to its high-speed architecture. The network processes transactions in under 400 milliseconds with confirmations in just a couple of seconds, making it highly suitable for institutional use.
Although smaller in market size than Ethereum, Solana’s compact structure means that even modest institutional interest could impact its price. Hougan said that Solana’s market capitalization is currently only about 1/125th of Bitcoin’s, leaving substantial room for growth.
When asked about his year-end price targets for Solana, the expert said, “I will go with higher,” hinting that SOL could soon eye unseen levels. SOL is currently trading at $220.
Bitcoin’s $200K Target Hinges on ETF Flows
As for Bitcoin, the previous prediction for the end of the year was $200,000, and he believes that target is still possible.
For this to happen, there would need to be a strong surge in ETF flows, potentially $10–20 billion in Q4 alone, along with steady corporate and government buying.
Related: Morgan Stanley Now Recommends 4% Crypto Allocation for Growth Portfolios
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