Ethereum Sees High On-chain Activity Amid Rising Institutional Adoption: CryptoQuant

The Ethereum network has been on a positive roll for some time, with its momentum extending beyond on-chain activities to increased adoption.

Analysts at the crypto research firm CryptoQuant noted in their weekly report that Ethereum has come a long way since spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) were approved. Like bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH) is now increasingly being viewed as a long-term strategic asset. This has led to higher demand from market participants.

Rising Institutional Adoption

According to CryptoQuant, demand from institutional investors and large holders drove ether’s recent rally from $1,400 in April 2025 to nearly $5,000 in late August. Ethereum holdings by U.S. spot ETFs have risen to an all-time high (ATH) of 6.7 million ETH. The assets have almost doubled since the price of ETH began to surge.

Likewise, addresses holding between 10,000 and 100,000 ETH have scooped up roughly six million tokens within the same time period. The consistent accumulation has taken their holdings to new highs of 20.6 million ETH.

“This level of institutional endorsement provides a robust long-term tailwind for Ethereum’s price and perceived legitimacy,” analysts explained.

Besides rising demand, selling pressure on ETH has eased up. The amount of ETH flowing into centralized exchanges has declined, particularly since the asset reached its peak near $5,000. Daily inflows have fallen from 1.8 million in mid-August to 750,000 ETH currently. This indicates that investors prefer to hold for further upside rather than cash in current gains – a trend that supports price stability.

Additionally, the amount of ETH staked has surged since May, hitting a record 36.2 million. This rise in validator deposits indicates growing long-term confidence in the network, reduces liquid supply, and adds bullish pressure.

Ethereum Network is Booming

With the Ethereum network booming, total transaction counts and active addresses have reached record highs of 1.7 million and 800,000, respectively, in August. Smart contract calls have also reached new levels, surpassing previous cycles with 12 million daily interactions.

CryptoQuant analysts say such activity growth highlights Ethereum’s growing role as a programmable settlement layer supported by decentralized finance (DeFi) and asset tokenization.

Meanwhile, ETH currently faces resistance at $5,200, a realized price upper band that has remained a critical level in past cycles. A decisive breakout above this level would mark the onset of a strong bullish phase, while sustained consolidation below it could signal a cooling period.