Standard Chartered Forecasts Bitcoin Surge to $500K as BTC Price Rallies

Key Points

• Standard Chartered projects Bitcoin at $500,000 and Ethereum at $40,000 by 2030.
• Bitcoin rose modestly amid higher trading volume following the forecast.

Standard Chartered has outlined a long-term projection placing Bitcoin at $500,000 by 2030, with the asset rising about 100 basis points to $67,500 after the comments circulated.

The forecast came from Geoff Kendrick, the bank’s Global Head of Digital Assets Research, during a podcast discussion rather than through a formal published research report.

Institutional Rationale Behind the 2030 Projection

During the interview, Kendrick also projected Ethereum at $40,000 by 2030, framing both targets around long-term adoption trends.

He described Bitcoin as a digital equivalent to gold, emphasizing its fixed supply of 21 million coins and the potential impact of expanding institutional participation.

Under a scenario where Bitcoin captures a market capitalization comparable to gold, the implied valuation per coin would exceed the bank’s $500,000 base case.

Kendrick also identified interim milestones, including a possible move to $100,000 by the end of 2026, alongside the risk of a pullback toward $50,000 if U.S. monetary policy remains tighter than expected.

The bank has previously issued bullish projections, including six-figure targets tied to macroeconomic and regulatory developments in prior market cycles.

Current Market Activity and Scenarios

Trading data showed Bitcoin recording a 16.75% rise in 24-hour volume to $18.68 billion, with total market capitalization near $1.35 trillion.

According to chart data from TradingView, price action reflected moderate gains rather than a decisive breakout.

In a bullish scenario, analysts point to a move above $70,000 supported by continued ETF inflows and potential U.S. dollar weakness.

A base-case outlook suggests consolidation between $65,000 and $72,000, depending on Federal Reserve policy direction and sustained investment flows.

A bearish case envisions a decline toward $50,000 if macroeconomic conditions tighten more than anticipated.

Separately, Michael Saylor posted an updated holdings chart on X indicating Strategy holds 762,099 BTC, though no new acquisition was formally announced.