Analysts say institutional shifts, ETF demand, Fed leadership changes, and U.S. crypto regulation will shape 2026 pricing.
Bitcoin had an outstanding 2025, making so many all-time highs we lost count, until it stood at the latest, above $126,000. But then it crashed to around $80,000 by the end of the year, according to CoinMetrics data.
But the OG crypto is now down by like 30%, and no one seems to agree on where it’s going next. For 2026, crypto analysts and execs are predicting price numbers for Bitcoin anywhere from $75,000 to $225,000 in 2026, with volatility guaranteed.
Carol Alexander, professor of finance at the University of Sussex, says Bitcoin’s price will bounce between $75,000 and $150,000 in 2026, settling “around $110,000.”
Carol has had a decent record with previous predictions, like back in 2023, she called for a 2025 peak of $150,000, give or take $50K. During summer 2025, Bitcoin did go over $100,000, but her earlier $200,000 prediction hasn’t happened… yet.
At CoinShares, head of research James Butterfill said he expects Bitcoin to land between $120,000 and $170,000 this year, adding that price action will improve once markets know who replaces Jerome Powell at the Fed when he leaves in May.
“The new person is likely to be dovish. Regulation has been a persistent overhang; resolution here would be a meaningful catalyst.”
Butterfill’s track record isn’t spotless either, though. I mean, he did correctly predict a crash to $80,000 in 2025, but his call for $150,000 didn’t come true last year.
Standard Chartered dropped its forecast from $300,000 to $150,000 in December. Geoff Kendrick, who leads the bank’s digital asset research team, said the 2025 dip was “within expected bounds,” but it forced them to revise the number. He said digital asset treasury (DAT) companies aren’t buying anymore. These firms had loaded up on Bitcoin, hoping to outperform markets. But with prices now lower and capital drying up, they’ve hit pause.
“Valuations no longer support further Bitcoin DAT expansion,” Kendrick wrote. “We expect a consolidation rather than outright selling, but DAT buying is unlikely to provide further support.”
ETFs, however, could still drive demand. Kendrick said any future Bitcoin growth is “likely to be driven by one leg only – ETF buying.” These products let people track Bitcoin without owning it, and Kendrick expects them to pick up the slack left by DAT firms.
At Maple Finance, CEO Sidney Powell set a target of $175,000 for Bitcoin in 2026. He’s banking on two forces: rate cuts and more institutional adoption. Back in December 2024, he warned of corrections in 2025, which did happen. But his call for $200,000 that year didn’t land.
Powell’s new bet for 2026 is based on lending.
Sidney says Bitcoin-backed lending will pass $100 billion this year. “Bitcoin holders are becoming more and more sophisticated,” he added. “They don’t want to sell their BTC; they want to borrow against it. This creates a virtuous cycle: less selling pressure, more utility, higher prices.”
Youwei Yang, chief economist at Bit Mining, isn’t narrowing it down at all. His forecast stretches from $75,000 to $225,000, and he says that kind of range is expected in today’s climate.”2026 could be a strong year for Bitcoin,” Youwei said. He cited possible rate cuts, a friendlier regulatory tone, and new liquidity as drivers.
But he also warned: “Heightened volatility is likely amid current macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainties.”
Youwei’s 2024 call was halfway correct. He called for a fall to $80,000 in 2025, which happened. But his $180,000 to $190,000 target didn’t pan out.
Nexo analyst Iliya Kalchev blamed missed price targets on shifting market mechanics. Their 2025 call of $250,000 didn’t hit because long-term holders started dumping, and institutions scooped up the leftovers.
For 2026, Kalchev said, “Bitcoin is entering 2026 with less supply risk and a bigger capital base.” He added that if we see looser policy, a weaker dollar, or more liquidity, Bitcoin could test or even break past old highs.
While all these price calls flood the headlines, Bank of America is betting on Coinbase. The bank upgraded the stock to Buy and kept its $340 price target.
Coinbase stock has fallen 5% over the past year and 37% in the last quarter. But BofA analyst Craig Siegenthaler said the company is moving fast despite the downturn.
“While the stock is off 40% from its July highs, under the surface of the 4Q25 crypto correction the company’s product velocity has increased and its [total addressable market] expanded in parallel,” he wrote.
Coinbase announced in December that it’s getting into stock and ETF trading, as well as prediction markets. Siegenthaler said this could help the company become an “everything exchange,” adding that cross-selling more products to users could grow the platform.
He also pointed out Coinbase’s move into infrastructure with Base, a layer-2 blockchain. That network is decentralized and permissionless. A native token is coming soon, and Siegenthaler says it’ll bring in billions. He also highlighted Coinbase Tokenize, a new platform for institutions looking to tokenize real-world assets.
“Asset managers are looking to tokenize their investment products as they look to take advantage of the benefits of blockchain rails and address the growing parallel market on-chain of younger investors,” Siegenthaler said.
He believes Donald Trump’s White House is helping the case too. The president’s crypto-friendly stance is expected to give Coinbase an edge. Siegenthaler said the company’s status makes it “the perfect TradFi partner.”
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