Standard Chartered Slashes #Bitcoin 2026 Target to $100K, Warns of Potential Drop to $50K

The $800B+ global banking giant Standard Chartered has revised its end-2026 Bitcoin (BTC) price forecast downward to $100,000, a 33% cut from its previous $150,000 target (and a significant reduction from the $300,000 projection it held late last year).
In a client note released on February 12, 2026, the bank's head of digital assets research, Geoffrey Kendrick, highlighted risks of further near-term downside, with BTC potentially sliding to $50,000 (or just below) amid ongoing capitulation before any meaningful recovery takes hold later in the year.
Similar adjustments were made to Ethereum (ETH), with the end-2026 target lowered to $4,000 from $7,500, and a cautioned downside risk to around $1,400.
Key reasons cited for the more cautious outlook include:
- Persistent outflows from Bitcoin and crypto ETFs (with holdings down nearly 100,000 BTC from October 2025 peaks)
- Weaker macroeconomic conditions
- Delayed expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts
- Overall deterioration in risk appetite across digital assets
Despite the near-term bearish warnings, Standard Chartered remains constructive on crypto's long-term trajectory, leaving its end-2030 forecasts unchanged (e.g., $500,000 for BTC and $40,000 for ETH). The bank views the current correction as liquidity-driven rather than structural, with potential buying opportunities emerging at lower levels.
This marks the second major downward revision in under three months, reflecting the volatile market environment where $BTC has already fallen over 40% from its October highs and is trading in the mid-$60,000s as of mid-February 2026.$BTC ‌