Bitcoin's Bullish Future: Standard Chartered Predicts $500,000 by 2028

Standard Chartered, a British bank, has forecasted a bullish future for Bitcoin (BTC), predicting its price to reach $500,000 by 2028. This optimistic outlook is based on increased investor access to the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization and a decrease in its volatility.

Geoffrey Kendrick, the global head of digital asset research at Standard Chartered, believes that Bitcoin's role as a hedge against inflation and other economic issues will grow, contributing to its price appreciation. He also expects U.S. exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track Bitcoin's price to mature, leading to less volatility in the market.

Standard Chartered's year-end price targets for Bitcoin are $200,000 in 2025 and $300,000 in 2026. The bank's bullish outlook comes as cryptocurrencies have risen sharply since U.S. President Donald Trump's re-election in November 2020, with a promise to make the U.S. the "crypto capital of the planet."

Bitcoin is currently trading at $96,784, having gained about 3% so far in 2025. While most Wall Street firms do not offer ratings or price targets on Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency's performance has risen 28.24% in the last 12 weeks.

Standard Chartered's prediction is not without skepticism. Bloomberg Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas reacted to the report, stating that while the forecast is bold, it is not completely unrealistic. Crypto investor Thomas Kralow shared a similar opinion, noting that the prediction is not something completely unrealistic.

Standard Chartered previously predicted that Bitcoin would reach $125,000 by 2024, hinging on a Republican victory in the U.S. election. After Trump's election victory, Bitcoin surpassed $100,000 in early December 2020 but has yet to cross the $125,000 mark. The last all-time high was recorded on January 20, 2021, at $108,786. Since then, Bitcoin has experienced sharp corrections, often falling below the round psychological level.

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