Standard Chartered Says Bitcoin Will Hit $100K in 2026 — But It Has Missed 3 Straight Year-End BTC Calls

Key Takeaways

• Standard Chartered is maintaining its $100,000 Bitcoin target for the end of 2026, despite cutting that forecast twice from an earlier $300,000.

• The bank's published year-end Bitcoin targets also finished above BTC's actual Dec. 31 price in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

• The gaps varied considerably, and Standard Chartered revised its forecasts as ETF flows, US politics, corporate treasury buying and macro conditions changed.

Standard Chartered still expects Bitcoin to finish 2026 at $100,000, leaving BTC needing another substantial rally over the final four months of the year.

Previously, Geoffrey Kendrick, the bank's global head of digital assets research, reaffirmed the target in July after Bitcoin traded near $64,000, describing those levels as a buying opportunity rather than the beginning of a deeper structural decline.

Bitcoin has since recovered above $70,000, briefly reaching around $72,800 on Aug. 20. From $72,000, reaching $100,000 would require a further gain of roughly 39%. As of writing, Bitcoin is trading above $77,000.

The target is achievable mathematically. But Standard Chartered's recent forecasting record also shows how difficult precise Dec. 31 Bitcoin calls have been.