Standard Chartered Forecasts Arbitrum (ARB) Token Could Surge to $10 by 2030

Standard Chartered has initiated research coverage on the Arbitrum network's ARB token, projecting its price could reach $10 by the end of 2030. The forecast, outlined in a research note on Tuesday, suggests a roughly 70-fold increase from the token's price of approximately $0.14 cited in the report.

The Bull Case: Asset Tokenization and TradFi

The bank's bullish outlook is anchored in its view of Arbitrum as key "blockchain infrastructure for traditional finance." According to Geoff Kendrick, Standard Chartered's Global Head of Digital Assets Research, Arbitrum is well-positioned to capitalize on the rapid growth of tokenized assets, which the bank forecasts will expand from about $340 billion today to $4 trillion by the end of 2028.

Arbitrum, which the report identifies as a leading Layer-2 network alongside Base, generates revenue by collecting a 10% fee on net protocol revenue from other projects that build on its technology stack. Kendrick highlighted the Robinhood Chain, which launched on Arbitrum's stack in July, as a key example. The bank projects it will contribute approximately $5 million in fee revenue to Arbitrum in September, a more than five-fold increase from pre-launch levels.

Valuation and Market Position

Kendrick argued that the market currently undervalues Arbitrum's ARB token, especially when compared to Layer-1 blockchains like Ethereum and Solana, despite sharing similar economic models. The bank expects this valuation gap to narrow over time as the ecosystem matures.

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The report's price forecast is not linear. It predicts ARB will first rise to $0.50 by the end of 2026 before continuing its ascent toward the $10 target by 2030. The analysis also noted that "liquidity tends to attract more liquidity," suggesting Robinhood's early success could encourage other traditional financial institutions to build on Arbitrum.

Potential Risks and Considerations

Standard Chartered's analysis also identified several risks to its forecast. Key headwinds include a potential slowdown in the pace of asset tokenization and significant competition from rival blockchain networks.

Furthermore, Kendrick noted that the ARB token does not currently have a direct value accrual mechanism. However, the report suggests that token buyback programs could be introduced in the future as the network's ecosystem develops.