Ethereum’s rise is accelerating, and the question of whether it will one day surpass Bitcoin in price no longer feels far-fetched but now feels inevitable. While Bitcoin remains the benchmark for digital gold, Ethereum is positioning itself as the backbone of the new digital economy.
Why ETH Dominance Could Eclipse Bitcoin In This Cycle
Bitcoin has long been referred to as digital gold, but Ethereum could overtake BTC in market capitalization and in price in the near future. An analyst known as Stitch on X has revealed that the key difference lies in Ethereum’s monetary policy.
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One of the reasons ETH could challenge BTC is the disparity in supply. Bitcoin has a fixed supply cap of 21 million coins, while Ethereum currently has around 120 million in circulation, and no fixed cap. However, the sole difference and advantage of Ethereum is the burn model, which is EIP-1559.
ETH’s EIP-1559 burn mechanism was introduced with the London upgrade in 2021. This system permanently removes a portion of every transaction fee from circulation, effectively making ETH deflationary.
The more activity on the Ethereum network, the more ETH is burned, creating a scenario where more ETH is destroyed than minted. Since the upgrade, 4.6 million ETH, worth about $13 billion, has already been burned. After the implementation of EIP-1559, the new ETH issuance dropped by 88%.
For Ethereum to surpass Bitcoin in both price and market cap, several conditions need to align. The first factor highlighted by the expert is the massive institutional inflows, which can outpace supply because of the burn mechanism, thereby pushing prices and strong demand. Furthermore, high network activity is an increase in transactions that leads to more ETH being burned and a tightening in supply.
The reduced circulating supply through ETH staking as a validator decreases the liquid supply on the market, creating upward price pressure. From May 2025 to now, Ethereum has been fully deflationary every single day, meaning more ETH is destroyed than issued.
The Divergence Between Bitcoin and Ethereum
History suggests Ethereum has a pattern of outperformance immediately following Bitcoin market tops. Mercury has pointed out that after Bitcoin peaked in 2017, it later fell nearly -47%, as Ethereum surged 100% higher over the next 30 days.
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In 2021, Bitcoin also topped and dropped -27%, and Ethereum rallied 83% higher within just 30 days. Meanwhile, in 2025, Bitcoin is showing signs of structural weakness, losing Higher-Timeframe (HTF) trends and forming Lower Lows and Lower Highs.
However, Ethereum remains strong, sustaining its HTF uptrend and consistently forming Higher Lows and Higher Highs on the daily chart. This divergence is crucial because it shows Ethereum is building strength even as Bitcoin struggles.
The ETH/BTC pair reinforces this narrative. Just 17 days ago, Ethereum reclaimed a 944-day downtrend that had represented -75% of underperformance relative to Bitcoin. Reclaiming this trend is a strong indicator that ETH is regaining dominance in the crypto market.
Featured image from iStock, chart from Tradingview.com
