Standard Chartered Doubles Down on Its Bitcoin Price Forecast to $500,000 by 2029, Citing Surge in Government Exposure

The British multinational bank believes that growing sovereign interest in Bitcoin proxies, especially Strategy (MSTR) shares, supports its long-term bullish thesis.

Standard Chartered is doubling down on its bold forecast that Bitcoin will reach a staggering price of $500,000 by 2029, and now, fresh data from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on institutional investment provides support for the bank's thesis.

As reported by Ben Armstrong on his YouTube channel,্যাউরে 8, Standard Chartered's projection is closely tied to its assumption that Donald Trump will win a second presidential term in 2024. The bank's economists believe that a second Trump term could bring about significant changes in crypto policy, ultimately paving the way for Bitcoin to hit the $500,000 mark.

Specifically, Standard Chartered anticipates Trump's administration to roll back regulatory constraints, like the controversial SAB 121 accounting rule, which hampers institutional investment in crypto.

Moreover, the bank predicts that the administration could promote the creation of a strategic Bitcoin reserve, similar to the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, to provide institutions with greater access to the asset. These initiatives, in combination with the integration of Bitcoin into the global financial system, could generate substantial demand for the cryptocurrency.

Indeed, recent 13F filings, which disclose the equity holdings of U.S. institutional investment managers with over $100 million in assets under management, reveal a concerning trend of these institutions acquiring shares of MicroStrategy (MSTR), a move seen as a way to gain indirect Bitcoin exposure in jurisdictions where direct holdings may be limited by regulatory frameworks.

In the first quarter of 2025, several sovereign and government entities, including Norway's Government Pension Fund, the Swiss National Bank, South Korea's pension bodies, and a few U.S. state retirement funds, collectively increased their MSTR exposure to positions in the tens of thousands of Bitcoin, according to Geoffrey Kendrick, Standard Chartered's global head of digital assets research.

These institutions appear to be adjusting their institutional portfolios toward what they deem the "optimal level" of Bitcoin exposure from previously underweight positions.

While there was disappointing news on the direct ETF front, with the State of Wisconsin Investment Board liquidating its 3,400 BTC-equivalent position in iTrust Bitcoin ETF (NYSE:IBIT), the rise in MSTR investments painted a more encouraging picture.

Kendrick posits that in some cases, entities are using MSTR as a proxy to circumvent regulatory limitations on direct Bitcoin holdings. For instance, the Mubadala Investment Company, a sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi, also slightly increased its holdings in IBIT to a Bitcoin-equivalent of 5,000 BTC, further highlighting persistent institutional interest despite regulatory challenges.

This aligns with Standard Chartered's broader thesis that Bitcoin could surge to $500,000 by 2028. The bank's economists are projecting a scenario where a second Trump term will bring about policies that significantly improve institutional access to Bitcoin and drive up demand for the asset.

In his analysis, Kendrick highlighted the expanding investor base and decreasing market volatility as tailwinds for Bitcoin adoption. He concluded, "The latest data from the SEC supports our core thesis that Bitcoin will reach the $500,000 level before Trump leaves office."

As Ben Armstrong noted in his video, Standard Chartered's projection is already commensurately optimistic, but other high-profile figures in the crypto space are even more bullish.

For instance, Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX and CIO of Maelstrom, believes Bitcoin could hit $1 million by 2028. In a recent blog post, Hayes warned of eroding confidence in U.S. Treasuries, arguing that geopolitical instability and capital controls under a Trump-led administration would drive capital into Bitcoin.

He envisions a scenario where the U.S. Federal Reserve is forced to resort to money printing to offset foreign investment outflows, ultimately weakening the dollar and enhancing Bitcoin's appeal as a global hedge.

Similarly, Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream and a key figure in Bitcoin's early development, has also expressed the $1 million target. Citing strong inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs, increasing regulatory clarity, and a rise in institutional adoption, Back questioned why Bitcoin remains below $100,000.

"There doesn't seem to be a clear logical reason for why we are only at $100,000," Back stated in a recent interview with Decrypt.

Meanwhile, the algorithmic Bitcoin price prediction from CoinCodex is currently forecasting a more toned-down but still optimistic scenario. According to this prediction, Bitcoin will hit a peak of roughly $308,000 in 2029 before experiencing a multi-month price correction. Afterward, the prediction suggests that Bitcoin will continue to rally, potentially surpassing the $1 million mark by 2038.

As the dust settles on