A wave of bullish Bitcoin price targets from major financial institutions and prominent investors has emerged, with projections reaching as high as $500,000. The forecasts, compiled from banks, hedge funds, venture capitalists, and crypto veterans, come as Bitcoin trades near $78,000 and shows signs of renewed upward momentum heading into the month's close.

Industry Experts Set Their Targets

Bitcoin has pushed back above $78,000 this week, Spot ETF flows have turned positive again, and futures open interest is now back above $120 billion, showing that conviction is building again even as the crypto’s price is about 38% below the October 2025 all-time high of $126,080. 

The lower end of the prediction spectrum is occupied by names that, a few years ago, would not have been caught issuing a Bitcoin price target. Citigroup has set a base case target of around $126,000 for Bitcoin by the end of 2026. Analysts at CitiGroup based the prediction on the anticipated passage of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act.

Other predictions on the lower end include $148,000 from Pantera Capital, $150,000, $170,000 from JPMorgan, $180,000 from VanEck, and $150,000 and $200,000 from Standard Chartered. More bullish predictions from industry names see Bitcoin trading above or near $200,000 by the end of the year. These include venture capitalists, fund managers, and financial commentators who have spent years building their credibility on Bitcoin calls. 

Tom Lee, one of the more closely followed Bitcoin bulls on Wall Street, has outlined a $189,000 target. Further up the range, Tim Draper sees $250,000; Ark Invest’s Cathie Wood points to $275,000; Robert Kiyosaki predicted $350,000; Anthony Scaramucci has floated $400,000, while both Chamath Palihapitiya and Mike Novogratz have put forward projections as high as $500,000. A move to $500,000 from current price levels would represent a gain of more than 550%

Forecast Range Shows Just How Divided The Market Still Is

The projections span a wide range of targets, and that range shows just how divided these industry voices are when it comes to Bitcoin’s upside this year, even though the broader sentiment is still bullish. Some expectations sit just above the current all-time high, while others point to a much larger repricing.

What makes the list interesting is that not all of these calls carry the same weight right now, and at least one major forecast has already been revised lower. Citigroup, for instance, cut its 12-month Bitcoin target to $112,000 in March 2026 from $143,000 previously, while keeping a bullish scenario of $165,000. 

Standard Chartered also cut its year-end 2026 target to $150,000 late last year from $300,000, even though it still kept a longer-term $500,000 view for 2030.