Over the past few months, the cryptocurrency landscape has seen a remarkable influx of institutional investment into two of its giants: Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). Notably, recent data from U.S. Spot ETFs reveals that since their inception, Bitcoin has attracted approximately $57.293 billion in inflows, while Ethereum has garnered around $13.678 billion. These figures underscore the growing mainstream acceptance and legitimacy of cryptocurrencies as a viable asset class.
As both cryptocurrencies evolve, Ethereum has experienced a price surge that outpaces that of Bitcoin since June 2025. This development, alongside Ethereum’s robust functionalities—such as decentralized finance (DeFi), smart contracts, decentralized applications (dApps), and staking yield—raises the question: Could Ethereum potentially surpass Bitcoin by the year 2030 and become the face of cryptocurrency?
Bitcoin, which originally emerged to address the double-spending problem through blockchain technology secured by miners, has firmly established itself as a digital asset and inflation hedge over the years. The cryptocurrency, often championed by figures like Michael Saylor, has maintained its leading position within traditional finance circles. As of now, institutions hold approximately 3.73 million BTC, valued at around $438 billion, while Ethereum holdings among treasury companies total approximately 3.518 million ETH, worth about $16.18 billion.
The stark contrast in institutional demand and adoption between the two cryptocurrencies highlights Bitcoin’s entrenched identity as a “store of value.” Unlike Ethereum, which now faces competition from other Layer 1 blockchains like Solana, Bitcoin has no immediate rivals in this narrative. Although Ethereum holds certain functional advantages, its journey to contend with Bitcoin will require overcoming significant obstacles.
To shift the narrative in favor of Ethereum by 2030, several factors would need to align, including a deflationary ETH model, broader Web3 adoption, and attractive staking rewards for investors. Currently, the ETH/BTC trading chart indicates that Ethereum is significantly trailing behind; as of the latest observations, the ETH/BTC ratio stood at 0.039. Although this figure has recently shown a positive trend—bolstered by institutional investments since June—it highlights the uphill battle ahead.
To bridge the gap and reach competitive levels seen in December 2021, Ethereum would need to witness a 120% rally in its value, assuming Bitcoin maintains its position around $117,000. If this scenario materializes, it could elevate Ethereum’s price to approximately $16,000. However, even this would still place it at less than 0.1 in the ETH/BTC ratio, reflecting the dominance of Bitcoin within the crypto market.
In summary, while Ethereum demonstrates a growing versatility and performance, the entrenched position of Bitcoin as the cornerstone of the cryptocurrency ecosystem makes its potential flip by 2030 a challenging prospect. Bitcoin may very well continue to serve as the “Sun-sized” center of the cryptocurrency universe, with Ethereum positioned as the largest planet in the surrounding cosmic environment of digital assets.
