- Major institutions are launching tokenization and settlement projects on the Ethereum blockchain.
- Kraken launched tokenized U.S. stocks as ERC-20 tokens on Ethereum.
- Google announced the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) to enable AI-driven stablecoin payments on Ethereum.
- UBS, PostFinance, Sygnum, and the Swiss Bankers Association piloted legally binding deposit tokens on Ethereum for cross-bank settlement.
- Analysts cited in a social post noted price targets for ETH ranging from $7,000–$9,000 and a longer-term case for $20,000.
An official post on X on January 19, 2026 summarized growing institutional activity on the Ethereum network and listed recent deployments and pilots across finance and technology; see the post here. Institutions are using Ethereum to tokenize assets, enable automated payments, and test cross-institution settlement.
Kraken launched tokenized versions of popular U.S. stocks and ETFs as ERC-20 tokens on Ethereum. Details on the Kraken announcement can be found on Kraken’s Twitter account. “1/ @krakenfx launched xStocks on Ethereum, issuing tokenized versions of popular U.S. stocks and ETFs as ERC-20 tokens. Kraken’s eligible clients can now deposit and withdraw fully collateralized equities directly on Ethereum… 5/ @Google announced the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), enabling AI agents to autonomously execute payments using stablecoins on Ethereum. Built in collaboration with The Ethereum Foundation, Coinbase, MetaMask, and others, AP2 allows AI to transact securely, bridging the gap between automated intelligence and finance.”
Pilot projects also involved major banks and payment firms. “6/ @UBS, @PostFinance, @sygnumofficial, and the Swiss Bankers Association successfully piloted Deposit Tokens on Ethereum. By demonstrating legally binding cross-bank settlement on Ethereum’s public infrastructure, the proof-of-concept paves the way for programmable, instant, cross-institution settlement.” The Swiss Bankers Association information is available here.
Other initiatives include American Express launching blockchain travel-card NFTs on an Ethereum layer 2, and mentions of projects by JPMorgan (JPMD coin) and Mastercard. Market commentary shared via social posts quoted analyst Tom Lee saying “LATEST: 📈 Bitmine chairman Tom Lee told CNBC that Ethereum could reach $7,000-$9,000 by early 2026 as Wall Street accelerates tokenization efforts, with a longer-term case for $20,000.” The CoinMarketCap tweet with that quote is available here.
The post framed these items as part of a wider trend of institutions building on Ethereum and listed multiple case studies and deployments that illustrate expanding institutional engagement.
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