Neobanks will fuel Ethereum's 2026 growth, says ether.fi CEO

2 days ago7 min read

The CEO of liquid restaking protocol ether. fi, Mike Silagadze, has made a compelling case that the next major wave of adoption for the Ethereum blockchain will be propelled not by decentralized finance (DeFi) degens or institutional ETF flows, but by a more mainstream force: neobanks.In a recent discussion, Silagadze outlined a vision where 2026 becomes a pivotal year for Ethereum's growth, driven by these agile, digital-first financial institutions integrating crypto services directly into their user-friendly apps. He argues that while the current narrative is dominated by spot Ether ETFs and their potential to unlock traditional capital, the real exponential growth will come from embedding Ethereum's capabilities—like yield-bearing staking and seamless token transfers—into the daily financial lives of millions.This isn't a speculative moonshot; it's a logical evolution. Neobanks like Revolut and Chime have already mastered the art of customer acquisition through sleek interfaces and low fees, but their revenue models from interchange and subscriptions are under constant pressure.Integrating Ethereum staking, where users can earn a yield on their ETH holdings directly within the app, presents a powerful new revenue stream and a sticky feature that could differentiate them in a crowded market. Silagadze points to the success of platforms like Lido and the rise of liquid staking tokens (LSTs) as the foundational infrastructure that makes this possible.Ether. fi's own innovation, the liquid restaking token (LRT), takes this a step further by allowing staked ETH to be simultaneously deployed to secure other networks and applications in the EigenLayer ecosystem, potentially generating even higher yields.For a neobank, this means they can offer customers a simple, compliant front-end experience while the complex mechanics of restaking and yield optimization happen seamlessly in the background, powered by protocols like ether. fi.The path is being paved now: several forward-thinking neobanks in Europe and Southeast Asia are already experimenting with crypto deposits and Bitcoin trading. The leap to offering native Ethereum staking, and eventually restaking, is a natural next step, especially as regulatory clarity improves with frameworks like the EU's MiCA.The consequence of this integration would be profound. It would funnel a tsunami of new, relatively passive capital into the Ethereum ecosystem, further securing the network and providing deep liquidity for its DeFi pillars.It would also represent a monumental shift in perception, rebranding Ethereum from a speculative asset for crypto natives to a yield-generating component of a modern savings account. Critics, of course, will point to the regulatory hurdles and the inherent volatility of crypto assets as barriers.

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#neobanks

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#staking

#2026 forecast