Should You Buy Ethereum Classic in 2025?

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At HelloSafe, our expert has been closely monitoring the evolution of Ethereum Classic for more than three years. Every month, hundreds of thousands of users in South Africa rely on us to decode market trends and identify the best investment opportunities. Our analyses are provided purely for informational purposes and do not constitute investment advice. In line with our ethical charter, HelloSafe has never purchased Ethereum Classic nor received compensation from any entities linked to its ecosystem.

Ethereum Classic in brief

How much does 1 Ethereum Classic cost?

The price of Ethereum Classic is up this week. Currently trading at around R318.60, ETC has risen by 2.90% over the past 24 hours and showed moderate movement in the R307–R321 range this week. Its market capitalization stands at approximately R48.5 billion, with an average daily trading volume of R1.58 billion over the past three months. Ranked #38 globally by market cap, there are about 152.21 million ETC tokens in circulation, giving ETC about 0.18% total crypto market dominance. As with most cryptocurrencies, ETC remains volatile, offering both risks and unique potential for South African investors looking to diversify.

Our comprehensive opinion on the cryptocurrency Ethereum Classic

Have recent structural upgrades and deflationary changes positioned Ethereum Classic (ETC) for a renewed upward cycle? Over the last three years, our combined analysis—leveraging proprietary algorithms that synthesize on-chain signals, technical indicators, market flows, and the latest competitive developments—has tracked ETC’s evolution in depth. So, why could Ethereum Classic become a strategic entry point again in the smart contract and proof-of-work sector by 2025?

Recent Performance and Market Context

Price Action and Key Events

Ethereum Classic (ETC) currently trades at $17.05, with a market capitalization of $2.59 billion and ranking #38 by market cap. After a prolonged consolidation phase, ETC posted a robust 23.84% monthly gain in May 2025 fuelled by the widely anticipated Olympia Upgrade—its most significant protocol development in years, introducing both the EIP-1559 fee burning mechanism and an on-chain DAO-governed treasury.

Despite being far off its all-time high ($176.16 in May 2021), ETC’s 6- and 12-month performance underscores notable recovery momentum:

• Short-term volatility has recently stabilised, oscillating between $16.42 and $17.13.
• Trading volumes average $84.7 million per day over three months, confirming strong market participation.
• Post-upgrade, both sentiment and on-chain activity have markedly improved, while a deflationary trajectory for circulating supply now underpins investor confidence.

Macro and Sector Tailwinds

The broader macroeconomic context remains broadly favourable for resilient, scarce crypto-assets:

• Global risk sentiment supports alternative investments amid persistent inflation and de-dollarisation trends.
• The regulatory outlook in South Africa evolves positively, bolstering institutional onramps and crypto product innovation, directly benefiting ETC’s investability across ZA-domiciled portfolios.
• Amid increased scrutiny on centralised platforms, Ethereum Classic’s trustless and permissionless underpinnings further enhance its relevance as a secure, decentralised smart contract alternative.

Technical Analysis

Indicators and Chart Structure

Our technical scoring algorithms capture the following:

• RSI (14-day): 44.62—firmly in neutral, with no excessive overbought risk.
• MACD: -0.33, suggesting a short-term pause, but actionable swing signals ahead as the market digests recent gains.
• Moving Averages:
• 20, 50, and 100-day MAs all slightly above price ($17.90, $17.71, $17.46) indicate short-term retracement potential.
• 200-day MA at $22.04—ETC currently trades at a meaningful discount to its long-term trendline.

Key support: $15.89
Immediate resistance: $19.32
Technically: Price action reflects a “neutral-to-bullish pivot”; a consolidation phase above $15.89 is constructive, especially after the Olympia Upgrade rally. The structure supports the logic for accumulating during minor setbacks, ahead of a possible move toward the $22.00–$25.00 zone. Elevated trading volume and increased liquidity reinforce this technical thesis.

Fundamental Analysis

Adoption, Partnerships, and Ecosystem Growth

Ethereum Classic continues to foster a distinct value proposition through:

• Smart contract compatibility (EVM): Ensuring interoperability for decentralised applications (DApps) and onboarding new Layer 2/DeFi innovations.
• Deflationary tokenomics: The EIP-1559 integration means burned transaction fees directly reduce circulating supply, thus limiting inflationary pressures.
• DAO governance and on-chain treasury: Olympia Upgrade’s new funding mechanisms incentivise and sustain ecosystem growth, nurturing developer and community engagement.
• Immutable ethos: Prides itself on censorship resistance and the “Code is Law” doctrine, providing a differentiated alternative for developers seeking stability and security outside core Ethereum.

Valuation and Market Position

• Market Cap/Fully Diluted Valuation: At ~$2.59 billion, ETC represents an attractive valuation relative to major smart contract competitors, with clear upside potential as utility and scarcity thesis mature.
• Volume and Liquidity: An $84.7 million daily average confirms high confidence, tradability, and active positioning from both institutional and retail investors.

Dominance: As the largest proof-of-work smart contract chain post-ETH merge, ETC’s niche is unique, attracting miners, security-focused projects, and users preferring decentralisation over throughput.

Structural Drivers

• Security: Maintains robust proof-of-work architecture, with full node replication and an ever-growing set of active contributors.
• Innovation: Ongoing growth in on-chain integrations, DeFi/NFT launches, and infrastructure tooling.
• Community: Permissionless governance fosters a resilient and adaptive development culture—augmented by the DAO treasury incentive models.

Volume and Market Liquidity

Sustained high volume remains a clear sign of market confidence. ETC’s deep liquidity across major global exchanges (Binance, Coinbase, OKEx, HTX) is a critical advantage for sophisticated investors, allowing for nimble position sizing and risk management.

Catalysts and Positive Perspectives

• Olympia Upgrade (May 2025) is an immediate tailwind: Fee-burning, DAO governance, and treasury creation set up positive feedback loops for future protocol development.
• Anticipated protocol updates: Roadmap clarity, with upcoming Layer 2 integrations and further treasury decentralisation, is set to amplify network effect and DApp traction.
• Deflationary pressure: EIP-1559 implementation marks ETC’s transition into a supply-constrained asset—generating a scarcity premium in a macro climate that favours hard assets.
• Institutional onramps: Broader regulatory clarity in ZA and Grayscale’s inclusion of ETC in retail/institutional investment products further expand the addressable investor base.

Investment Strategies (Short, Medium, Long Term)

Short-Term Approach

• Opportunity on pullbacks: Given current technical structure, entering during retests of the $15.90–$16.80 zone, with tactical upside toward $19.30–$22.00, appears prudent for momentum-driven strategies.
• Event-driven catalysts: Immediate focus on post-upgrade reaction and liquidity surges—an agile allocation approach may maximize benefit from near-term volatility.

Medium-Term Outlook

• Accumulation ahead of next protocol milestones: As core upgrades and additional integrations drive sustained user growth, holding ETC through roadmap events could capture multi-month upside.
• Re-rating potential: Relative valuation, strengthened fundamentals, and increasing user base position ETC for significant catch-up returns versus broader smart contract competitors.

Long-Term Horizon

• Scarcity and PoW premium: ETC’s fixed supply (cap of 210.7 million tokens), deflationary trajectory, and proof-of-work security align it with digital hard asset narratives (analogous to Bitcoin’s store-of-value thesis).
• Portfolio diversification: Offers unique exposure to decentralised governance, censorship resistance, and the original Ethereum codebase—key features for strategic asset allocation.

Entry points: Both tactical accumulation on technical dips and gradual buy-ins ahead of major protocol updates offer compelling positioning advantages.

Ethereum Classic Price Projections (2025–2029)

Is Now a Good Time to Buy Ethereum Classic?

In summary, Ethereum Classic currently stands out as an attractive candidate for renewed portfolio attention:

• Its fundamentals are substantially reinforced following the Olympia Upgrade, combining proven decentralisation with new deflationary tokenomics and developer-centric treasury structure.
• Strong trading volume and deep exchange liquidity confirm persistent investor engagement and healthy market functioning.
• ETC’s current price offers appealing valuation relative to its historical highs, and technical levels suggest a timely entry opportunity—especially for those seeking exposure before further protocol milestones.
• Deflationary mechanics, robust security, and clear DAO-led governance set the stage for potential outsized returns, particularly as market sentiment continues to recover and institutional adoption accelerates.

The outlook for Ethereum Classic is resolutely positive: the protocol seems primed for a new upward cycle that could unlock significant value for those positioned ahead of major network developments and broader institutional inflows. In the rapidly evolving crypto landscape, ETC now combines the upside of technical innovation with the safety of time-tested decentralisation—making it a strong candidate for serious consideration by investors seeking resilient, high-conviction opportunities in the smart contract sector.

How to buy Ethereum Classic?

It is simple and secure to buy Ethereum Classic (ETC) online in South Africa through a regulated platform. Investors have two main choices: a spot purchase (direct ownership of ETC) or trading contracts for difference (CFDs), which allow you to speculate on ETC’s price without owning it. Each method has its own features, benefits, and costs. To help you make an informed decision, a detailed comparison of top platforms is provided further down this page.

Spot Purchase

A spot purchase involves directly buying Ethereum Classic tokens and holding them in your own cryptocurrency wallet—giving you full ownership. Most regulated exchanges in South Africa charge a fixed commission per spot trade, typically ranging from 0.25% to 1%; sometimes there is a minimum fee in ZAR. For example:

Example: Spot Purchase

Suppose the current price of Ethereum Classic is $17.05 (approximately R322 at a USD/ZAR exchange rate of 18.9). With a R20,000 purchase, you could buy around 62 ETC coins after accounting for a typical transaction fee of R200.

Profit scenario:
If ETC rises by 10%, your holding grows to R22,000.
Result: +R2,000 gross gain, or +10% on your original investment.

CFD Trading

CFD (Contract for Difference) trading lets you speculate on the price of Ethereum Classic without actually owning the coins. CFDs can be attractive for traders wanting to use leverage. Fees include a spread (difference between buy/sell price) and possible overnight financing charges if you keep your position beyond one day.

Example: CFD Trading

For example, with R20,000 and leverage of 5x:
You open a position worth R100,000 on Ethereum Classic’s price.

Profit scenario:
If ETC rises by 8%, your CFD position gains 8% × 5 = 40%.
Result: +R8,000 profit on your R20,000 stake (excluding fees).

Final Advice

Before investing, it’s essential to compare the fees, trading conditions, and regulatory protections of various platforms. The right method—spot buying or CFD trading—depends on your goals and level of experience. For a side-by-side comparison of trusted ETC buying platforms, see the table further down this page.

Our 7 tips for buying Ethereum Classic

The latest news about Ethereum Classic

Ethereum Classic price maintains 2.9% weekly gain, outperforming major altcoins amid stable local demand in ZA. Over the last week, Ethereum Classic (ETC) has demonstrated notable resilience, trading within a narrow $16.42 to $17.13 range and closing the week at $17.05, up 2.9%. In South Africa, this outperformance relative to major altcoins has coincided with sustained trading activity on local platforms such as VALR and Luno, confirming that ETC remains accessible and liquid for ZA-based investors. This price stability signals renewed market confidence following May’s rally and positions ETC as a viable large-cap option for regional portfolios seeking relative volatility control.

The recently implemented Olympia Upgrade has created constructive deflationary pressure and improved Ethereum Classic network governance. The Olympia Upgrade, completed in May 2025, introduced the EIP-1559 fee-burning mechanism and a decentralized on-chain treasury, both of which have been celebrated by the global and South African crypto communities. The new fee-burning feature reduces ETC supply growth, strengthening ETC’s profile as a long-term store of value, which directly supports investor interest in markets like South Africa where inflation hedging and hard-capped digital assets are increasingly valued by both retail and institutional participants.

Ethereum Classic’s governance and security model aligns with regulatory and operational preferences in South Africa’s crypto landscape. ETC’s proof-of-work consensus and decentralized “do-ocracy” governance structure provide a transparent and robust security framework, aligning with principles outlined in South Africa’s ongoing regulatory developments for crypto assets. The blockchain’s compatibility with the Ethereum Virtual Machine further positions ETC favorably for local developers and fintech firms seeking security, full auditability, and ease of integration—key requirements as SA’s Financial Sector Conduct Authority gradually increases regulatory clarity in the crypto space.

South African investors can access Ethereum Classic through major compliant exchanges and regulated investment products, streamlining institutional adoption. Ethereum Classic is listed on global exchanges available to South African users (including Binance and Coinbase), as well as integrated with local platforms such as VALR. Additionally, ETC is included in major investment vehicles like the Grayscale Ethereum Classic Trust, providing regulated exposure and simplifying custody for ZA-based family offices, pension funds, and asset managers. This accessibility and product diversity support further institutional adoption in South Africa’s evolving crypto asset market.

Market sentiment towards ETC has shifted positively following a 23.84% monthly rally, with analysts now targeting a further 30% upside. South African market participants have responded favorably to ETC’s strengthened fundamentals and recent price performance, especially given the relatively steady technical signals and the successful roll-out of the Olympia Upgrade. The consensus price target of $22.17 implies a 30% potential upside, reflecting growing optimism around ETC’s deflationary tokenomics, improved governance, and usability as a trusted smart contract platform. This constructive outlook is further reinforced by regional analysts noting ETC’s unique value as a secure, supply-capped, and development-friendly asset in the local investment landscape.

FAQ

P. Laurore

Finance expert

Co-founder of HelloSafe and holder of a Master's degree in finance, Pauline has recognised expertise in personal finance, which she uses to help users better understand and optimise their financial choices. At HelloSafe, Pauline plays a key role in designing clear, educational content on savings, investments and personal finance. Passionate about financial education, Pauline strives, with every piece of content she oversees, to provide reliable, transparent and unbiased information for independent and informed financial management. To this end, she has tested over 100 trading platforms to help internet users make the right choices.