Bitcoin (BTC) was trading around $115,000 on Friday, September 12, as investor sentiment improved and the global crypto market topped $4 trillion in market capitalization.
Daily trading volume also rose more than 5% to $54.13 billion, fueled by steady institutional inflows and greater liquidity, both of which signalled renewed confidence among short-term traders and long-term holders alike.
With a volume-to-market-cap ratio of 2.36%, the so-called digital gold remains dominant in the market, its future outlook remaining bullish on multiple grounds. The question is: just how high can Bitcoin go this year and by the end of the decade?
To shed light on these projections, Finbold examined forecasts from leading voices in the crypto market for the flagship digital asset over the next four years.
Bitcoin price prediction 2026
At the time of writing, Bitcoin was trading at $115,090, up nearly 1% on the daily chart and seemingly well positioned for growth from a technical perspective.
Namely, the asset has reclaimed the $114,000 resistance level, which now acts as support. Likewise, it is trading firmly above key simple moving averages (SMA), with the 7-day SMA at $112,158 and the 200-day SMA at $102,081.
Momentum indicators are likewise positive, the relative strength index (RSI) sitting at 58.08, reflecting neutral momentum, and the moving average/convergence divergence (MACD) rising histogram (663.57) pointing to accelerating bullish strength.
In a September 8 interview with CNBC, Fundstrat analyst Tom Lee claimed Bitcoin could easily get to $200,000 before year-end as the world’s largest crypto began to recover.
“Crypto typically does really well in the fourth quarter, so I think Bitcoin can easily get to $200,000 before year-end. I know it’s a big move—it’s almost a double.”
On September 11, Galaxy CEO Mike Novogratz commented on Lee’s prediction in another interview. “From his lip to God’s ears,” he said, approving of the $200,000 price target.
“I think, probably, we have another big surge up towards the end of the year in Bitcoin, as the Fed starts the cutting cycle. This kind of crypto idea just keeps gaining momentum,” Novogratz added.
On the same day, analyst Peter Brandt agreed in a post on X with similar year-end peak projections, adding further support to the fact that most bullish predictions see an early 2026 price target nearly double that at the time of writing.
This is what I think https://t.co/3JDdIJSW13
— Peter Brandt (@PeterLBrandt) September 11, 2025
Bitcoin price prediction 2028
While 2026 forecasts are already staggering, more long-term predictions are even more incredible, sometimes in the seven digits ballpark.
For example, Arthur Hayes, an American entrepreneur and co-founder of BitMEX, has predicted multiple times this year that Bitcoin could reach $1 million by 2028.
During his Bitcoin 2025 talk, for instance, he highlighted how the U.S. government will be forced into even greater debt issuance, money printing, and inflationary policies, all of which can contribute to crypto rallies.
“Where do I get this idea that Bitcoin could hit a million dollars? So if we think about QE for poor people, banks lending more into the real economy, I estimate that that could be up to $3 trillion of bank credit that’ll be created between now and 2028.”
Standard Chartered, a British multinational bank, projected the cryptocurrency could climb to $200,000 by the end of 2025 and upward of $500,000 by 2028.
“The latest 13F data from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) supports our core thesis that Bitcoin (BTC) will reach the $500,000 level before Trump leaves office as it attracts a wider range of institutional buyers,” said Geoffrey Kendrick, Standard Chartered’s global head of digital assets research.
The outlook is built on the premise that persistent macroeconomic uncertainty will push investors to reallocate capital into Bitcoin as a digital alternative to gold.
What’s more, Bitcoin’s next halving is scheduled for early to mid-2028. With the rate of new coins entering circulation reduced, buying pressure is expected to rise ahead of the event as supply tightens.
Bitcoin price prediction 2030
Projections looking even further ahead, toward the end of the decade, highlight just how overly optimistic numbers can get.
Cathie Wood, for example, CEO of ARK Invest, an American asset management firm, gave her bear, base, and bull Bitcoin cases for 2030 at $300,000, $710,000, and $1,500,000 per BTC in the company’s Big Ideas 2025 Recap.
“Many people know us for our bull case $1.5 million, and we actually think the odds have gone up that our bull case will be the right number because of what is becoming the institutionalization of this new asset class. So many institutional investors are now looking at Bitcoin and thinking that they need to add it to their asset allocation because its return profile looks so much different,” said Wood.
Late in August this year, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said the world’s largest cryptocurrency could hit $1 million by 2030, citing clear regulations as crucial for widespread adoption.
“Regulatory clarity is finally emerging, the US government is keeping a BTC reserve, there’s a growing interest for crypto ETFs, among many other factors.”
I think we'll see $1M per bitcoin by 2030.
— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) August 20, 2025
Regulatory clarity is finally emerging, the US government is keeping a BTC reserve, there's a growing interest for crypto ETFs, among many other factors.
(Not financial advice of course, it's impossible to guarantee) pic.twitter.com/w5EfcYFvVp
Jack Dorsey, the former Twitter chief and founder of Block, who has repeatedly argued that Bitcoin will become the internet’s native currency, has also expressed opinions about a potential $1 million price target.
As early as May last year, Dorsey said the price would hit “at least a million” in an interview with Mike Solana.
In September of the same year, Michael Saylor, co-founder of Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), went even further, predicting that Bitcoin could trade at $5 million in the long-term.
Featured image via Shutterstock
