Standard Chartered began covering Arbitrum on Tuesday, predicting that the ARB token of the second-layer blockchain will grow approximately 70 times – to $10 by the end of 2030 from about $0.14 now.
Jeff Kendrick, head of digital asset research at the bank, called Arbitrum a "blockchain for TradFi," claiming that its business model, which helps traditional financial firms transition to on-chain positions, allows for the rapid growth of tokenized assets. Standard Chartered forecasts $4 trillion in tokenized assets by the end of 2028 compared to about $340 billion today.
The firm noted that Arbitrum is one of the two dominant second-layer networks alongside Base and receives a sliding commission of 10% of the protocol's net revenue when others build on its tech stack. Kendrick highlighted the Robinhood Chain, launched on the Arbitrum stack on July 1, as a prime example: it is considered the fastest-growing chain in history by locked value and could bring Arbitrum about $5 million in fees in September – more than five times the levels before the launch.
The analyst noted that markets currently give Arbitrum little value compared to first-layer blockchains like Ethereum and Solana, despite similar economics, and expects this gap to close over time. He predicts ARB to rise to $0.50 by the end of 2026 and continue to grow each year to $10 by 2030.
Kendrick pointed to risks, including a slowdown in tokenization and competition from other networks, and noted that ARB currently has no direct way of value accumulation, although a buyback program may emerge as the ecosystem matures. He added that in blockchain "liquidity tends to beget liquidity," and the early success of the Robinhood Chain increases the likelihood that other TradFi operators will launch on the Arbitrum stack.
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