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Tom Lee said Ethereum could “easily” trade above $10,000 in 2027 or 2028.
The BitMine chairman believes a new crypto bull cycle, Wall Street tokenization, and growing AI adoption could combine to drive ETH higher.
Lee’s previous near-term forecasts have missed their targets, while his extreme $250,000 scenario has no stated deadline.
Ethereum could surge beyond $10,000 within the next two years as Wall Street and artificial intelligence increasingly move onto blockchain infrastructure
Speaking to Bankless on Wednesday, Aug. 26, Lee argued that a new crypto bull cycle should be enough to carry ETH back above $5,000.
He claimed that adding demand from tokenized financial assets and AI systems could propel crypto into the five figures in 2027 or 2028.
The prediction comes as Ethereum trades near $2,470 following a roughly 27% weekly rebound
Tom Lee Says Ethereum Price Can ‘Easily’ Exceed $10,000
Asked to provide an Ethereum price forecast for 2027 or 2028, Lee began by pointing to the crypto’s previous rise toward $5,000.
The <a href="https://www.ccn.com/news/crypto/fundstrat-contradicts-tom-lees-bullish-calls-warns-bitcoin-eth-1800/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Fundstrat co-founder argued that stablecoin adoption helped Ethereum reach that level during the last market expansion.
In his view, simply entering another crypto bull cycle should be enough for Ethereum to recover above $5,000.
However, Lee believes the next phase would introduce Wall Street tokenization and AI.
“I think Ethereum could easily be over $10,000 in that time frame,” Lee said.
The prediction is less immediate than some of Lee’s previous calls. His timeframe covers the next one to two years rather than the end of 2026.
Still, the target would take Ethereum far beyond its record high of approximately $4,946, set in August 2025.
Lee also said he believes the broader crypto market is close to bottoming out.
He estimated that the market could already be 95% through the downturn by time and 90% through it by price.
Although Lee acknowledged that another local low is still possible, he argued that Bitcoin may have already reached the cycle’s lowest price.
Why Lee Believes AI Will Drive Ethereum Price Higher
Lee acknowledged that AI stocks have previously diverted investor attention and capital away from the crypto industry.
The rapid growth and profitability of the AI sector raised the bar for competing investment narratives, making crypto comparatively difficult to market to institutional investors.
However, Lee argued that this relationship is beginning to change.
Rather than replacing crypto, he believes increasingly autonomous AI systems will strengthen demand for blockchain-based payments, authentication and digital identity.
