Last updated: October 22, 2026.
Short answer: In the latest bitcoin price predictions for 2026, Standard Chartered and Bernstein see bitcoin at $100,000 to $125,000 by the end of the year, and Citi sees $113,000 by about October 2027. That’s 19% to 49% above the October 21, 2026 close of $84,024.67. Not everyone agrees: 10x Research expects $60,000 to $65,000 by year-end. All three Wall Street firms have cut their targets in 2026, and the $200,000 calls for the end of 2025 missed by more than half.
Key takeaways
- Wall Street targets: Standard Chartered $100,000 for end-2026, Citi $113,000 over 12 months, Bernstein about $125,000 for end-2026.
- All three cut their targets this year. Standard Chartered started at $150,000, Bernstein at $150,000 and Citi at $143,000.
- Betting markets are less upbeat. On October 22, 2026, Polymarket traders gave bitcoin a 23% chance of touching $100,000 before the end of 2026.
- The track record is weak. Bitcoin closed 2025 at $87,497.94 on Coinbase, 56% below the $200,000 that Bernstein and Bitwise had forecast. Standard Chartered cut its $200,000 call to $100,000 on December 9, 2025.
Bitcoin price prediction 2026: the latest analyst targets
Bitcoin closed October 21, 2026 at $84,024.67 on Coinbase, down 4.0% since the start of the year. Its 2026 high was $97,963.62 on January 14, 2026 and its low $57,717.55 on July 1, 2026.
| Firm | Analyst | Target | By when | Latest update | Change from October 21, 2026 close |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernstein | Gautam Chhugani | about $125,000 | End of 2026 | August 26, 2026 (cut from $150,000) | +48.8% |
| Citi | Research team (not named in reports) | $113,000 | 12 months, to about October 2027 | October 1, 2026 (raised from $82,000) | +34.5% |
| Standard Chartered | Geoffrey Kendrick | $100,000 | End of 2026 | Reaffirmed September 30, 2026 (set in February 2026) | +19.0% |
| 10x Research | Markus Thielen | $60,000 to $65,000 | End of 2026 | July 4, 2026 | −28.6% to −22.6% |
| Galaxy Digital | Alex Thorn | $250,000 | End of 2027 | December 22, 2025 | +197.5% |
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Bank notes are not public; figures are as reported. The table includes firms that published a dated, numeric bitcoin target in the past 12 months, as reported by major crypto and financial outlets.
BTC price forecast by firm: what each analyst says
Bernstein: about $125,000 by the end of 2026. Analyst Gautam Chhugani cut the year-end target from $150,000, which Bernstein had set in December 2025, on August 26, 2026, according to crypto.news. The firm still sees $150,000 by mid-2027 and keeps a $1 million target for 2033. Its model combines the four-year halving cycle with the cost of mining a bitcoin and argues that institutional buyers made this year’s drop shallower than in past cycles.
Citi: $113,000 over 12 months. Citi raised its 12-month target from $82,000 on October 1, 2026, CoinDesk reported. The bank expects “slower but stickier” inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs as financial advisers add small allocations, and assumes about $5 billion of inflows over the year. Citi had started 2026 at $143,000 and cut twice before raising. For how ETF money is moving now, see our October 2026 ETF flows report.
Standard Chartered: $100,000 by the end of 2026. Geoffrey Kendrick set a $150,000 end-2026 target in December 2025, cut it to $100,000 in February 2026 and reaffirmed it on September 30, 2026, according to Yahoo Finance. In an August 21, 2026 note, he wrote that “for the first time this year there is now a risk my end year forecast (of USD100k) is too low,” crypto.news reported.
10x Research: $60,000 to $65,000 by the end of 2026. Markus Thielen took the bearish side. On July 4, 2026, he forecast a low of $46,000 to $47,000 and a rebound to $60,000 to $65,000 by year-end, according to Yahoo Finance. As of October 21, 2026, that low had not been reached: bitcoin’s 2026 low on Coinbase was $57,717.55 on July 1, 2026.
Galaxy Digital: $250,000 by the end of 2027. Head of research Alex Thorn set that target on December 22, 2025, and called 2026 “too chaotic to predict,” according to Yahoo Finance. Galaxy had not published a newer target as of October 22, 2026.
Why it matters: the $65,000 gap between the most bullish and most bearish year-end targets is wider than bitcoin’s 2026 trading range of $57,717.55 to $97,963.62, as of October 21, 2026.
What prediction markets expect
Prediction markets put real money behind their odds, and on October 22, 2026 they were more cautious than the banks.
| Market | Question | Odds on October 22, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Polymarket | Will bitcoin hit $90,000 before the end of 2026? | 62% |
| Polymarket | Will bitcoin hit $100,000 before the end of 2026? | 23% |
| Polymarket | Will bitcoin hit $120,000 before the end of 2026? | 6% |
| Polymarket | Will bitcoin drop to $70,000 before the end of 2026? | 31% |
| Polymarket | Will bitcoin drop to $60,000 before the end of 2026? | 13% |
| Kalshi | Year-end range with the highest odds among those shown | $80,000 to $84,999.99, at 14.6% |
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Data: Polymarket “What price will Bitcoin hit in 2026?” (any touch, on Binance BTC/USDT) and Kalshi “Bitcoin price at the end of 2026,” fetched October 22, 2026. Each Polymarket strike counts only prices reached after it was listed, so earlier 2026 moves, such as the January 14 high and the July 1 low, don’t count. Odds change daily.
Kalshi’s highest-odds year-end range, $80,000 to $84,999.99, includes the October 21, 2026 close and sits below every Wall Street target, though traders give it only 14.6%. A 23% chance of touching $100,000 means traders see Standard Chartered’s target as possible but not the base case.
How past bitcoin predictions held up
The $200,000 calls for the end of 2025 all missed. Bitcoin closed December 31, 2025 at $87,497.94 on Coinbase.
| Forecaster | Target for end of 2025 | When it was made | Actual close vs. target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernstein | $200,000 | October 23, 2024 | −56.3% |
| Bitwise | $200,000 | July 1, 2025 (reiterated) | −56.3% |
| Standard Chartered | $200,000; cut to $100,000 on December 9, 2025 | 2025 (cut December 9, 2025) | −56.3% vs. $200,000; −12.5% vs. $100,000 |
| Tom Lee, Fundstrat | $250,000 | June 2025 | −65.0% |
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Standard Chartered also came up short on its year-end calls for 2023 and 2024, Yahoo Finance reported. In both 2025 and 2026, targets set after rallies were cut after the price fell: this year, the three Wall Street targets were cut from $150,000, $150,000 and $143,000 before settling at their current levels.
How to read these forecasts
- The date and the timeframe matter. A target set in February for December is a different call from one made in October for the next 12 months.
- The reasoning matters as much as the number. Citi’s target depends on ETF inflows; Bernstein’s on the halving cycle. If the driver changes, the target usually follows. Our five market indicators show where ETF flows and sentiment stand, and our 2028 halving explainer covers the supply side.
- Market odds are a cross-check. Polymarket and Kalshi show what traders are actually betting on.
- A target is not a promise. None of the forecasters above guarantees anything, and several have missed by more than 50%.
Long-term models have similar limits. Our explainer on the bitcoin rainbow chart covers why log-curve forecasts can drift far from the actual price.
What to watch next
- October 28, 2026: the Federal Reserve’s rate decision.
- Every Friday: our weekly tally of spot Bitcoin ETF flows, which drive Citi’s target, in the spot Bitcoin ETF tracker.
- December 31, 2026: the year-end close that Standard Chartered, Bernstein and 10x Research will be measured against.
FAQ
What is the bitcoin price prediction for the end of 2026? Standard Chartered expects $100,000 and Bernstein about $125,000, according to their latest notes as reported in the press. 10x Research expects $60,000 to $65,000. On Kalshi on October 22, 2026, the year-end range with the highest odds was $80,000 to $84,999.99, at 14.6%.
Will bitcoin reach $100,000 again in 2026? Polymarket traders put the chance of bitcoin touching $100,000 before the end of 2026 at 23% on October 22, 2026. Standard Chartered’s year-end target is $100,000.
What is Citi’s bitcoin price target? Citi’s 12-month bitcoin price target is $113,000, raised from $82,000 on October 1, 2026, CoinDesk reported. The bank links it to steady ETF inflows.
How accurate are bitcoin price predictions? Recent records are poor. Bernstein and Bitwise forecast $200,000 for the end of 2025, and bitcoin closed the year at $87,497.94 on Coinbase, 56% below.
What is the highest bitcoin price target for 2026? Among published targets for the end of 2026, Bernstein’s is the highest at about $125,000.
What is the BTC price forecast for 2027? Bernstein expects about $150,000 by mid-2027, Citi’s 12-month target of $113,000 runs to about October 2027, and Galaxy Digital’s Alex Thorn set $250,000 for the end of 2027 in December 2025.
Sources
- Cointelegraph via TradingView: Bernstein forecasts bitcoin to reclaim $125K by late 2026 (August 26, 2026) and crypto.news: Bitcoin could reach $150K by mid-2027, Bernstein says (August 26, 2026)
- CoinDesk: Citigroup raises 12-month bitcoin target to $113,000 (October 1, 2026)
- Yahoo Finance: Standard Chartered still sees bitcoin at $100,000 (September 30, 2026) and Standard Chartered’s target history (August 21, 2026)
- crypto.news: Standard Chartered says bitcoin could retest $126K before year-end (August 21, 2026)
- Yahoo Finance: 10x Research bitcoin forecast (July 4, 2026)
- Yahoo Finance: Galaxy Digital issues 2027 bitcoin target (December 22, 2025)
- Yahoo Finance: Tom Lee’s failed $250,000 call
- The Block: Bitwise $200,000 bitcoin call for 2025 and Bernstein $200,000 target
- Polymarket: What price will Bitcoin hit in 2026? and Kalshi: Bitcoin price at the end of 2026 (October 22, 2026)
- Coinbase Exchange: BTC-USD daily prices and Federal Reserve: FOMC meeting calendar
This article is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice.
