Standard Chartered has turned its attention to decentralized finance lending platform Morpho, projecting that its native token could climb to $60 by the end of 2030. The outlook hinges on the protocol continuing to expand its lending infrastructure and attracting more institutional participation.
The forecast, published by the bank’s Global Head of Digital Assets Research, Geoff Kendrick, outlines a steady rise for MORPHO over the next several years. The report expects the token to reach $3.50 in 2026, $11 in 2027, $22 in 2028, and $40 in 2029, before eventually hitting $60 in 2030.
At current prices slightly above $2, the projection represents a gain of nearly 2,800%, or 30x, over the period.
Standard Chartered Sees Morpho Benefiting From DeFi Expansion
The bank’s outlook centers around expectations that decentralized finance will continue expanding through the end of the decade. Standard Chartered believes the amount of capital deployed across DeFi protocols could increase by as much as 37 times by 2030, creating a favorable environment for established lending platforms.
Morpho currently ranks as the second-largest decentralized lending protocol after Aave. According to the report, the platform manages approximately $5.5 billion in deposits through Morpho Markets, while Morpho Vaults account for another $4.3 billion in assets.
Unlike traditional lending pools, Morpho Vaults allow professional curators to manage capital allocations, creating a structure that Standard Chartered believes could appeal to institutional participants looking for on-chain lending opportunities.
The report also pointed to partnerships with infrastructure providers such as Fireblocks, Anchorage, and Taurus, saying these integrations could make it easier for traditional financial firms to access the protocol.
Vault Structure Sets Morpho Apart
Standard Chartered highlighted Morpho’s fee model as another factor distinguishing it from other DeFi lending protocols.
While competitors, including Aave and Uniswap, have introduced protocol fee mechanisms, Morpho currently operates with a 0% protocol fee, allowing lending income to flow directly to depositors through its vault system.
The bank also noted the growing role of professional vault managers, including Steakhouse Financial, which oversees nearly $2 billion in assets. According to the report, these curators are becoming increasingly important in directing capital into decentralized lending markets.
Although Standard Chartered’s outlook depends on continued adoption of DeFi infrastructure and stronger links between traditional finance and blockchain-based lending, the bank believes Morpho is well-positioned to benefit if those trends continue over the remainder of the decade.
The latest forecast follows previous long-term projections from Standard Chartered that also outlined substantial upside for other decentralized finance tokens, including Aave and Uniswap, but the bank expects Morpho to deliver stronger returns than both Bitcoin and Ethereum over the same period.
Following the bullish prediction, MORPHO has surged 11%, with its market cap reaching $1.07 billion.
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