First, your friend asks if you’ve “still got that crypto thing.”

Then your cousin who mocked you in 2022 is suddenly tweeting about staking yields.

Then your realtor emails you. Not to ask if you want to refinance—but to ask if it’s too late to buy Bitcoin. 

The flood hasn't arrived. But the waterline is rising.

Fast.

Crypto is coiling.

But not like a snake… more like a spring-loaded trap that’s been quietly set in the woods for five years.

If you missed the 2020 bull run…

Here’s what everyone else (minus you) will miss this time around.

Institutions Just Flipped The Script

On June 8, 2021, Bitcoin was at $33,500 and Ethereum was at $2,500.

On June 8, 2025, Bitcoin was at $108,500 and Ethereum was at $2,500.

The surface take: “ETH hasn’t moved in 4 years, while BTC 3x’d. Must be dead.”

The truth: Ethereum is where foundations are being laid, not where fireworks blast off first.

But that sound you hear? The fuse has been lit.

Last month, BlackRock reported $1.14 billion in ETH exposure—via their BUIDL fund. More interesting? Their BTC exposure is dropping.

CoinShares put it plainly: the flows are pivoting.

In past bull runs, the rise of Ethereum marked the beginning of “alt season”...

When the smaller coins start to run wild. But this time is different. (Really.)

For starters, the Circle IPO was a signal the market is catching onto the potential of stablecoins.

Guess what? 70% of USDC transactions still occur on Ethereum.

No less…

Custodia Bank and Vantage Bank launched tokenized dollar deposits directly on Ethereum.

These aren’t fintech cosplaying as banks.These are actual banks using ETH as infrastructure.

This isn’t a testnet. It’s regulated U.S. bank money—on-chain.

ETH Is Scarce. RWAs Are Booming. And DeFi Finally Makes Sense.

Let’s talk supply.

Right now, less than 4.9% of ETH is on centralized exchanges.

That’s not a bullish signal—it’s a siren.

That’s the lowest in Ethereum’s history. Lower than during DeFi summer. Lower than the Merge. Lower than the NFT mania.

And it will only get worse.

Why? ETH staking ETFs.

REX Shares and Osprey Funds are leading with dedicated staking ETF filings.

Meanwhile, major players like 21Shares, Grayscale, Fidelity, Bitwise, and Invesco are seeking to add staking to their existing spot Ethereum ETFs.

All are currently awaiting SEC approval or review.

Whatever happens, it’s likely we’ll see ETH staking ETFs get approval before Q4 2025.

Meaning? Even more Ethereum tokens will be moved off exchanges and locked up into the staking ETFs.

And at the same time?

• Over 60% of all tokenized Real World Assets (RWAs) live on Ethereum.

• As of April, that’s $6.2 billion in value—and it’s growing +20% month over month.

• And then there's Aave Arc and Clearpool, launching institutional lending pools.

This isn’t farming cartoon coins. No memes. No mania. No celebrity pumps.

Just banks, bonds, billion-dollar funds, and regulated finance quietly moving to Ethereum.

Again, that’s not fireworks.That’s a foundation being poured in concrete.

And once it cures? Everyone’s going to want a piece of the building.

BUT…

The biggest opportunities aren’t in buying ETH directly. They’re hiding in plain sight—smaller DeFi plays still trading like it's 2018.

We’ll talk about those tomorrow.

In short, the next crypto supercycle won’t be driven by hype—but by revenue, regulation, and real yield.

Stay tuned.