StanChart Sees Bitcoin Heading for $200K as Institutional Demand Grows
Standard Chartered remains optimistic that bitcoin (BTC) could break away from its historical price patterns and surge to new highs in the second half of 2025, as detailed in a research note published on Wednesday.
Typically, bitcoin tends to decline about 18 months following a halving event—a process occurring every four years that cuts the rate at which new bitcoins are minted. Yet this time, strong institutional support may disrupt that usual trend.
“The bitcoin halving cycle is dead,” said Geoffrey Kendrick, Head of Digital Assets Research at Standard Chartered.
Kendrick has held firm on his year-end price target of $200,000 for BTC, forecasting that the cryptocurrency might reach around $135,000 by the close of the third quarter.
Standard Chartered attributes its bullish stance to ongoing inflows into spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and an uptick in corporate treasury allocations to BTC. During Q2 alone, these segments collectively absorbed about 245,000 BTC, with expectations for further buying momentum in the months ahead.
On the macroeconomic side, potential events like Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell stepping down early or advancements in U.S. stablecoin regulations could also act as positive catalysts for bitcoin prices, the report highlighted.
