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2026 has been a tough time for Bitcoin so far, but that has not stopped the wild predictions from flooding in. |
Bitcoin has fallen more than 50% from its 2026 peak.
Standard Chartered and Bernstein remain bullish.
Cathie Wood, Tom Lee, and Michael Saylor have issued far more ambitious long-term targets.
Bitcoin has spent much of 2026 under pressure after tumbling more than 50% from its record high, but some of Wall Street’s biggest crypto bulls remain convinced the current downturn will eventually give way to another major rally.
Despite one of Bitcoin’s deepest corrections since the 2022 bear market, many prominent investors and research firms continue to make massive price predictions for Bitcoin’s future.
Their forecasts range from a recovery above $100,000 this year to long-term targets of up to $21 million per coin.
Bitcoin’s 2026 Price Action So Far
Bitcoin’s price entered 2026 attempting to build on the momentum that carried it to a record high of around $126,000 late last year.
Although it was driven by heavy corporate treasury buying and sustained inflows into spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds, the optimism was short-lived.
As investors grappled with elevated interest rates and inflation, Bitcoin steadily lost ground through the first half of the year.
The decline accelerated as ETF investors withdrew billions of dollars, while some public miners sold portions of their Bitcoin holdings to fund artificial intelligence infrastructure investments.
Bitcoin’s price is down around 50% from its all-time high. |
The selloff marked one of Bitcoin’s weakest annual performances since the 2022 crypto winter, which raised concerns that the market had entered another prolonged bear phase.
However, many of the industry’s most prominent investors have continued to argue that Bitcoin will soon be soaring back to fresh record highs over the coming years.
Here are the top five Bitcoin predictions of 2026 so far.
5. Standard Chartered: $100,000
Among the more conservative bullish forecasts, Standard Chartered’s Head of Digital Assets Research, Geoff Kendrick, expects Bitcoin to recover to $100,000 by the end of 2026.
The forecast represents the bank’s second downward revision this year, after it previously projected Bitcoin would reach $300,000, then cut that target to $150,000 and later to $100,000.
Kendrick warned Bitcoin could still fall toward $50,000 before recovering later in the year.
Despite lowering his target, the analyst argued the long-term investment case remains intact.
