Standard Chartered Declares Crypto Winter Over, Reaffirms $100,000 Year-End Bitcoin Target

Bitcoin reached a record of about $126,000 in October 2025 before retreating, reviving concerns that the cryptocurrency market was entering another prolonged downturn. Standard Chartered’s forecasts are closely watched because its digital-assets research tracks institutional flows, while spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund subscriptions and derivatives positioning have become key gauges of whether large investors are returning.

Standard Chartered’s head of digital-assets research said short covering and renewed inflows into US spot Bitcoin ETFs could propel Bitcoin back toward its $126,000 record by the end of 2025. The bank’s earlier $100,000 year-end target may now be too conservative, the analyst said, adding that recent market signals suggest the cryptocurrency bear market could be nearing an end.

Strategy’s recent bitcoin sales have alarmed cryptocurrency investors. As bitcoin is a global benchmark for digital assets, reductions in holdings by major institutions directly affect confidence in the long-term outlook for cryptocurrencies. The move has therefore drawn widespread attention and left the market seeking credible analysis from established financial institutions to clarify the broader crypto market’s long-term direction and potential investment value.

Standard Chartered sought to reassure the market in a research report published in July 2026, reiterating its forecast that bitcoin would surpass $100,000 by the end of 2026. The bank said Strategy’s bitcoin sales reflected only a communication problem during the company’s transition, rather than a warning sign for fundamentals. It also described the current price of about $64,000 as a prime entry point and reaffirmed its bullish long-term outlook for bitcoin.