Two prominent financial institutions on Wall Street have recently updated their forecasts for Bitcoin, reflecting changing patterns in institutional engagement. Standard Chartered has lowered its short-term price expectations for Bitcoin, attributing this revision to a decrease in corporate treasury participation and a slowdown in inflows into exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
The bank now anticipates that Bitcoin will achieve a lower price point by the close of 2026 compared to its earlier projections. Additionally, it has pushed back its long-term target timeline to 2030. Standard Chartered highlighted that corporations, once seen as key players in Bitcoin accumulation, currently lack the necessary valuations and incentives to continue increasing their holdings of the digital asset. As a result, ETFs have emerged as the principal avenue for institutional demand.
Geoffrey Kendrick, Standard Chartered”s global head of digital assets, stated that the trend of Bitcoin purchases by digital asset traders has likely reached its limit.
On the other hand, Bernstein has raised its Bitcoin forecasts for the end of 2026, predicting further increases by late 2027. Although the firm has stepped back from an earlier optimistic projection for this year due to recent price fluctuations, it believes that Bitcoin has transitioned beyond its traditional four-year cycle into a more enduring expansion phase. Bernstein”s long-term outlook extends to 2033.
Currently, Bitcoin is trading significantly lower than its peak in October and is hovering near critical support levels. Recent data indicates that spot Bitcoin ETFs have experienced outflows, with some of the largest funds facing their most substantial monthly redemptions in November. While these outflows remain minimal relative to the total assets under management, they raise concerns regarding investor confidence in long-term holding strategies, which have typically provided support during recoveries after considerable price declines.
Despite these short-term adjustments to their forecasts, both institutions maintain a broadly positive outlook on Bitcoin. This update coincides with the announcement from Libeara, a blockchain infrastructure platform backed by Standard Chartered”s venture arm, SC Ventures, regarding the launch of a tokenized gold investment fund in Singapore.
