Ether.fi CEO Mike Silagadze predicts that neobanks will drive Ethereum's expansion in 2026 by offering familiar financial products to everyday users. He views 2025 as a pivotal year for institutional adoption on the network. Silagadze emphasizes practical utilities like yield and self-custody over speculative activities.
As Ethereum wraps up a year of institutional milestones in 2025, ether.fi CEO and co-founder Mike Silagadze shared his outlook for the network's future in an interview with CoinDesk. Ether.fi, renowned for its restaking platform on Ethereum, is now venturing into crypto-native neobanking, integrating yield generation, self-custody, and onchain financial services to appeal to mainstream users.
Silagadze highlighted 2025 as a turning point, with waves of institutional onboarding despite limitations on staking in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). He noted that digital asset treasuries (DATs) progressed more swiftly, with several already allocating funds to ether.fi. These pioneers, he described as "very much on the bleeding edge," and added that DATs "certainly had a positive impact on the price" of ether. The cryptocurrency hit a 2025 low of $1,472 in April but surged to $4,832 amid the DAT momentum.
Looking to 2026, Silagadze's enthusiasm lies in the evolving financial ecosystem around Ethereum. He foresees neobanks as a key driver for adoption, particularly as stablecoins integrate further into global finance. "The whole crypto neobank movement… seems to be like a rapidly growing trend, just lots of companies going into space and seeing growth there," he said. In his opinion, these platforms surpass ETFs in introducing users to onchain yields and activities.
Ethereum's path to success, Silagadze argued, hinges on scaling practical applications. "I really believe that the adoption is going to come from a lot of these neobank type players," he stated, advocating a shift toward real-world uses such as tokenized stocks and accessible banking, away from gambling-centric apps. He is set to discuss these ideas at CoinDesk's Consensus Hong Kong conference in February 2026.
