Wall Street’s most prominent cryptocurrency bulls are recalibrating their expectations for Bitcoin (BTC) as weakening institutional interest reshapes the market outlook.
In this case, Standard Chartered and Bernstein have trimmed their near-term projections while keeping a broadly optimistic long-term stance.
Standard Chartered, long known for its bullish outlook, has cut its forecasts amid a sharp decline in corporate treasury participation and slowing ETF inflows.
The banking giant now expects Bitcoin to reach $150,000 by the end of 2026, down from its earlier $300,000 estimate. Its long-range target of $500,000 has also been pushed back to 2030.
The bank noted that companies once viewed as major drivers of Bitcoin accumulation no longer have the valuations or incentives to continue adding the asset to their balance sheets, leaving ETFs as the primary source of institutional demand.
“We think that Bitcoin buying by DATs has run its course, while we expect ETF inflows to resume periodically. <…> We expect a consolidation rather than outright selling,” Geoffrey Kendrick, Standard Chartered’s global head of digital assets said.
On the other hand, Bernstein now expects Bitcoin to hit $150,000 by the end of 2026 and approach $200,000 by late 2027.
While recent price weakness prompted analysts to step back from an earlier call for a $200,000 peak this year, they argue that Bitcoin has matured beyond its traditional four-year boom-and-bust pattern, entering what they describe as a more sustained expansion phase.
Their longer-term outlook remains highly bullish, with projections that the token could climb toward $1 million by 2033.
Bitcoin price analysis
The shift comes amid heightened market pressure with Bitcoin down nearly 30% from its October peak above $126,000. At the moment BTC is struggling to hold onto the $90,000 support valued at $93,938 as of press time, up over 4% in the last 24 hours.
Indeed, the short term rally comes as spot Bitcoin ETFs saw about $60 million in outflows on Monday, while BlackRock’s IBIT recorded roughly $2.3 billion in withdrawals in November, its largest monthly redemption.
Though small relative to total assets, the pullback has raised concerns that some investors are stepping back from the long-term holding strategies that typically support strong rebounds after major sell-offs.
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