Ether Hits All-Time Network Traffic and Institutional Support as it Trades at $2,722. Big Companies Support ETH as a Leader in Tokenisation Despite the Recent Price Declines.
In January 2026, Ethereum hit records in terms of network activity. The number of addresses interacting on a daily basis, transactions, and the amount of ETH staked all reached record highs. Gas prices fell to six-year lows.
ETH currently trades at $2,722. It has declined 15.24% in the last one year. The monthly performance indicated a decrease of 8.46 percent, and weekly and daily analyses indicated decreases of 6.81 percent and 7.48 percent, respectively.
On X, ETHDaily estimates that these metrics ought to deter selling. The account reported a near-zero concentration of validator exits and the development of entry queues, which indicates long-term conviction among network participants.
BlackRock published its 2026 outlook with Ethereum leading in tokenization. The largest asset manager of the world reports that Ethereum manages 66 percent of tokenized assets. The report on the strategic position of Ethereum was written by Jay Jacobs, the head of the equity ETF division of BlackRock.
JPMorgan introduced an initial tokenized money-market fund on Ethereum, and Morgan Stanley has submitted Ethereum ETF products. These measures show institutional trust in the infrastructure of the network.
In a speech at Davos, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink expressed concerns about tokenization, citing blockchain-based finance as a cost-reduction technology. According to the research conducted by the firm, 65 percent of tokenized assets worldwide are based on Ethereum.
Large financial institutions are selecting Ethereum for real-world asset projects. The BUIDL fund of BlackRock has almost $2 billion, and its tokenized Treasury yield gives its yield directly on-chain. Fidelity has proposed tokenized money-market funds on the network.
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Ethereum introduced the ERC-8004 standard on the mainnet, which allows AI agents to create verifiable identities. The protocol was deployed, and the official X account of Ethereum made the announcement. The standard enables the agents to develop portable reputations among organizations.
ERC8004 proposes three systems of registries. The identity registry issues distinctive identifiers on-chain to every agent. The reputation registry keeps the performance feedback, and the validation registry allows the independent verification checks.
The specification was developed by Google, Coinbase, and MetaMask. The Ethereum Foundation created a special unit, known as dAI, which represents a major institutional support of AI integration. The most similar push was towards the ERC-20 and ERC-721 standards.
AI agents can now transact autonomously on Ethereum. They verify counterparty credentials through blockchain records. Smart contracts handle payments and dispute resolution automatically. This framework creates a trustless environment for agent cooperation.
Validator behavior shows sustained commitment to Ethereum. Exit queues remain minimal while entry queues grow. This reduces sell pressure from staking participants. Network participants demonstrate long-term holding intentions despite price weakness.
The volume of transactions was at an all-time high in mid-January. January 16 saw 2.885 million transactions daily versus the 2025 averages of approximately 1.2 million. The spike represents the increasing usage of stablecoins and layer-2 use.
Gas fees counterintuitive to this are at multi-year lows. The reduced transaction costs also enhance accessibility to networks, making Ethereum more competitive when it comes to applications in tokenization. Institutional users are able to have lower operational costs.
Thirty-five major firms launched Ethereum-based products. Stripe and SoFi integrated stablecoin transactions. Payment processors chose Ethereum for settlement infrastructure. Kraken introduced tokenized stock trading using the network.
BlackRock’s analysis reveals stablecoin transactions outpace spot crypto trading. This indicates practical blockchain usage beyond speculation. Real-world applications drive network activity. Tokenized assets serve payment and liquidity management functions.
JPMorgan’s MONY fund requires $1 million. The product targets qualified investors and institutions. This demonstrates Ethereum’s positioning for professional finance. Traditional asset managers build tokenization infrastructure on the network.
Morgan Stanley’s ETF filing signals growing institutional interest. Combined with BlackRock’s $10.7 billion ETHA fund, Wall Street allocates significant capital. Ethereum spot ETFs attracted $479 million during mid-January. Year-to-date inflows total approximately $585 million.
Standard Chartered projects tokenization growth to $80 billion. Ethereum stands positioned as the primary settlement layer. Network fees increase with transaction volume. This creates value accrual mechanisms for ETH holders.
According to ETH_Daily on X, multiple bullish catalysts align. The account urged followers to “Believe in somETHing.” Network fundamentals contradict current price levels. Long-term investors view current valuations as buying opportunities.
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