Ethereum Price Prediction: Can Pectra Upgrade Kickstart a New Crypto Bull Run?

Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade is live, marking the biggest change to the project’s code since the 2022 Merge.

This Ethereum price prediction examines whether the new upgrade will kickstart a new bull run and what this could mean for Ethereum ecosystem tokens.

Pectra to Revolutionize Ethereum UX

Ethereum’s X account underlined the core changes of the new upgrade. The first one is that smart wallet UX features are now active.

It also highlighted that blob space for scaling solutions has doubled, meaning layer 2 blockchains can handle even more transaction volume.

Lastly, it noted that the upgrade has added validator UX improvements.

Pectra is live on Ethereum mainnet!

– Smart account wallet UX features now active
– L2 scaling data storage blobs increased by 2x
– Validator UX improvements live

Community members will continue to monitor for any issues over the next 24 hours.

— Ethereum.org (@ethereum) May 7, 2025

Analyst Cyclop explained exactly what the upgrade entails, and spotlighted what could be the most crucial change: an overhaul to the transaction system.

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There are three modifications in this area: swaps can now be done in a single transaction; users can perform multiple actions within one transaction; and anyone can sponsor TXs, meaning users won’t need to hold ETH on every network.

It’s changing how users interact with Ethereum, streamlining, simplifying, and expediting the process.

Cyclop also underlined that smart wallets will integrate new wallet recovery mechanics and daily wallet withdrawal limits to protect against potential hacks and exploits.

Pectra is being celebrated in the Ethereum community as much-needed reinforcements in the fight against the bearish momentum that has troubled the project in recent years. $ETH has considerably underperformed peers such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP since 2022.

But as Cyclop writes, “an asset can’t rise or fall forever.” The recent upgrade might be precisely what’s needed to turn Ethereum’s bearish streak into a lucrative dip buying opportunity.

Analyst Says Ethereum to Hit $12K

Ethereum is forming a similar chart pattern to Bitcoin in the depths of the 2022 bear market, signifying an explosive breakout may follow.

According to Melijn the Trader, $ETH could rally to $12K by 2026.

He says most investors are ignoring Ethereum at $1,800, alluding to the fact that many are now operating on the Solana blockchain instead.

However, this doesn’t change the fact that the lion’s share of DeFi total value locked (TVL) remains on Ethereum. And with Ethereum’s new UX-heavy upgrade, users could start returning to the network again en masse, and locked-up liquidity may start getting reinvested into ecosystem plays.

They laughed at $BTC at $8K.

They’re ignoring $ETH at $1.8K.

Same pattern. Same compression

Will you ignore it too? pic.twitter.com/UOZKZiY0SN

— Merlijn The Trader (@MerlijnTrader) May 7, 2025

Taking a lower time frame outlook, analyst Flash notes that Ethereum has broken from a descending channel chart pattern and will now rally toward $2,600.

GM #Ethereum $Eth 🧙‍♂️🤘 pic.twitter.com/trYrzvfc5O

— FLASH (@THEFLASHTRADING) May 8, 2025

But as Ethereum gains strength, it sets the stage for its ecosystem tokens to potentially rally at a higher rate due to their lower market capitalizations.

Best Ethereum Tokens to Buy Now

Ethereum is tipped for a 6.6x gain from its current price, but ecosystem plays may offer bigger rewards.

For instance, expert analyst Umar Khan from 99Bitcoins says MIND of Pepe, a Pepe-themed AI agent on the Ethereum blockchain, could give 100x gains.

The project’s juncture between the viral AI and meme coin trends could make it one of the hottest cryptos on the market.

The MIND of Pepe agent will scan the market for trading opportunities and share these with $MIND holders in the project’s token-gated Telegram community. Based on its trend analysis, it can also launch its own tokens, and $MIND holders will get insider access.

It’s a cutting-edge utility ecosystem with a meme coin front.

Currently, the project is undergoing a presale and has raised $8.8 million so far.

The $MIND presale offers investors an opportunity to get in early, which is why Umar Khan thinks it could give such high gains.

Ethereum’s rising tide is also good news for Ethena, an Ethereum-based DeFi platform. Ethena offers a yield-bearing stablecoin that uses delta-neutral (risk-free) strategies to generate revenue for holders.

As Ethereum adoption grows, it will benefit the broader ecosystem. However, Ethena’s yield-bearing stablecoin offers a unique low-risk opportunity for investors, so it’ll likely be where a substantial portion of bull market profits will be rotated into for long-term positioning.

The $ENA token is used for governance and staking, so its price should rise alongside the growth of its ecosystem.

Lastly, Abritum is another crypto that could directly benefit from the Pectra upgrade. With Ethereum doubling the blob space for scaling solutions, it makes Ethereum layer 2 blockchains like Arbitrum even faster, opening them to new possibilities.

Moreover, the UX changes mean that switching between Ethereum and Arbitrum will be even more seamless, which could bolster its adoption and, by extension, the $ARB price.

$ARB is up 6% today, approximately 50% more than $ETH, which is up 3.9%.