Tom Lee has given another bullish price prediction — this time saying it is easily doubling its all-time-high in under two years.
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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, according to BitMine Chairman Tom Lee.
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, according to CoinGecko data.
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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.
“The more AI evolves, the more important crypto is,” Lee said.
In this thesis, blockchain networks could provide the settlement infrastructure that machines and AI agents need to transact without relying on conventional banking systems.
Lee expects Ethereum to capture a significant share of that activity alongside the migration of traditional financial assets onto public blockchains.
Wall Street firms are already experimenting with tokenized funds, deposits, bonds, and other financial products.
BULLISH: Tom Lee's BitMine bought $48.89 Million worth of Ethereum today.
Lee believes this process could ultimately turn Ethereum into a major settlement layer for the financial sector.
His optimism also aligns with BitMine’s financial interests.
The company has accumulated approximately 5.82 million ETH, representing close to 5% of Ethereum’s circulating supply, according to figures Lee provided during the interview.
BitMine has purchased ETH for more than 60 consecutive weeks and could reach its 5% target before the end of 2026.
Lee’s Previous Ethereum Predictions Have Missed
Lee’s latest forecast comes after several of his previous short-term Ethereum targets failed to materialize.
In November 2025, Lee predicted that ETH could fall toward $2,500 before rallying to $7,000-$9,000 by the end of January 2026.
Ethereum never reached Lee’s January target.
Instead, it remained under pressure and dropped below the $2,500 level he had identified as a potential bottom.
ETH’s current price near $2,470 remains approximately 65% below the lower end of its earlier $7,000 forecast.
That missed call does not necessarily rule out a future move to $10,000.
However, it highlights the uncertainty surrounding the timing of Lee’s consistently bullish projections.
Tom Lee’s $250,000 ETH Price Prediction
Lee’s latest $10,000 forecast is relatively restrained compared with his most aggressive long-term outlook.
In April, the BitMine chairman endorsed an Etherealize valuation report that outlined a scenario in which ETH could eventually exceed $250,000.
Lee later made the scenario more explicit during a June appearance at the Proof of Talk conference in Paris.
He argued that tokenization and AI could trigger a major expansion in Ethereum’s network value, potentially producing a 50-fold rise after ETH recovered to $5,000.
Lee described $22,000 as a more “reasonable” base scenario but said the Etherealize thesis could eventually place Ethereum at $250,000.
Lee has also referenced Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin’s prediction that ETH could rise 100-fold and eventually overtake Bitcoin’s market capitalization.
The latest $10,000 call is far closer, but it still depends on several unproven assumptions, such as the crypto bull cycle restarting and Wall Street heavily endorsing Ethereum.
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
