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Standard Chartered Lowers Bitcoin Price Forecast to $150,000 in 2026
Standard Chartered Bank said on Tuesday, December 9, that Bitcoin will only reach half the level it previously predicted in 2026. The cryptocurrency is now expected to reach $150,000 in 2026, down from the bank's previous target of $300,000. However, the new target still represents an increase of more than 65% compared to the closing price on Monday, December 8.
The bank also lowered its forecasts through 2029. Jeff Kendrick, the bank's head of global digital asset research, said he now expects the price to reach $500,000 in 2030, two years later than the previous forecast.
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Kendrick added that the current Bitcoin pullback is "normal" in scale compared to previous periods since the launch of cryptocurrency-linked exchange-traded funds (ETFs). However, he explained that valuations are not supporting further corporate buying, leaving investment funds alone to drive price gains in the near term.
"We now believe that future Bitcoin price increases will effectively depend on only one factor — ETF buying," Kendrick wrote in a note to clients on Tuesday. "Therefore, we are lowering our year-end price forecast."
He noted that the long-term target of $500,000 remains achievable, as portfolio optimization shows that global portfolios are underweight in Bitcoin. While investment committees may take time to make allocation decisions, these moves will help push Bitcoin to higher levels in the future.
Kendrick concluded by saying that investors should view this period not as a "crypto winter," but rather as a "cool breeze.
