Ethereum (ETH) Price Prediction 2026: Capital Shift Toward DeFi Projects

For years, Ethereum (ETH) was the undisputed destination for almost every crypto investor. However, the market is currently witnessing a quiet but massive shift in where capital is flowing. This “rotation” is happening because the rules of growth are changing. Large investors, often called whales, are starting to look past the household names that have already seen their biggest gains.

They are now searching for the next crypto wave of decentralized finance (DeFi) that offers high utility at a much lower entry price. This movement suggests that while the giants remain stable, the real excitement and potential for high returns are moving toward early-stage cheap crypto protocols that are still in their growth chapters.

Ethereum (ETH) continues to be a cornerstone of the blockchain world, but its sheer size is becoming a hurdle for new growth. As of mid-February 2026, Ethereum is trading at approximately $1,970 with a market cap of $238 billion.

While these numbers are impressive, they represent a double-edged sword for investors. Because the market cap is already so high, it requires a massive amount of new capital just to see a small percentage increase in price.

On the charts, ETH is facing a difficult climb with heavy resistance zones at $2,030 and $2,380. If the price cannot break these levels, many analysts predict a “bearish” slide toward $1,800 or even $1,500 by the end of the year.

This slow momentum is a key reason why capital is rotating away. Investors are no longer satisfied with 5% or 10% annual gains when they can find newer tokens with the potential for 300% or more. This search for higher upside is leading a wave of users toward the emerging DeFi ecosystem of Mutuum Finance.

Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is building a professional hub for lending and borrowing that aims to solve the liquidity issues of old platforms. One of its main features is the Peer-to-Contract (P2C) model. In this system, users deposit assets like ETH or USDT into shared liquidity pools. In return, they would receive mtTokens, which act as digital receipts that automatically grow in value.

For example, if a user deposits $10,000 worth of assets into a pool with a 16.5% APY, they would receive mtTokens that represent their share. Over time, as borrowers pay back their loans with interest, the value of those mtTokens increases relative to the original asset.

This means the user earns a passive return of $1,650 per year without having to manually claim rewards or sell their original holdings. This automated yield system makes it much easier for regular people to grow their wealth.

Beyond pooled lending, Mutuum Finance also develops a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) market. This would allow two individuals to agree on their own loan terms, such as interest rates and duration. This is perfect for users who want to use more specialized or volatile tokens as collateral. To keep the system safe, the protocol uses a “Loan-to-Value” (LTV) ratio.

For example, if the LTV is set at 75%, a user could provide $1,000 in collateral to borrow up to $750. If the value of that collateral drops too far and crosses the “liquidation” threshold, a bot automatically sells a portion of the collateral to repay the lender.

This ensures that the person lending the money is always protected. By combining pooled and direct lending, Mutuum Finance provides a flexible and secure environment for all types of traders.

The MUTM token is currently in Phase 7 of its structured presale, and the momentum is growing fast. The token is priced at $0.04, which is a 300% increase from its starting price of $0.01. The project has already raised more than $20.6 million from over 19,000 individual holders. This level of participation shows that the community trusts the project’s vision for the future of DeFi.

To ensure the highest level of safety, Mutuum Finance has completed a professional manual audit with Halborn Security. Halborn is a world-class firm that has checked every line of the smart contract code for weaknesses.

The project also features a 24-hour leaderboard where the top contributor of the day receives a $500 bonus in tokens. This competition, combined with the ability to buy tokens using a bank card, has made the presale accessible and exciting for everyone.

The technical roadmap for Mutuum Finance is moving ahead of schedule. The team recently confirmed that the V1 protocol is officially live on the Sepolia testnet. This allows users to test the lending pools and the mtToken system in a risk-free environment. Seeing a working product while the token is still in its presale phase has caused Phase 7 to sell out much faster than expected.

Looking forward, the protocol plans to launch its own overcollateralized stablecoin. This stablecoin will be used within the ecosystem to make borrowing more predictable and reduce the impact of market swings.

With a confirmed launch price of $0.06, those who secure tokens at the current $0.04 price are positioning themselves for an immediate 50% gain upon listing. As the allocation for Phase 7 disappears, the window for this early entry is closing, marking a major turning point in the 2026 market cycle.

For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below:

Website: https://www.mutuum.com

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

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