Standard Chartered has lowered its near-term price forecasts for digital assets, warning that Bitcoin could drop to $50,000 and Ethereum to $1,400 Geoff Kendrick, the bank's global head of digital assets research, said recent price action has been "challenging, to say the least," and expects further losses before a recovery later this year.

The latest sell-off has been less severe than in 2022 and hasn't triggered the collapse of any major platforms, suggesting "that the asset class is maturing and becoming more resilient," Kendrick wrote. Bitcoin ETF holdings have declined by nearly 100,000 coins from their October 2025 peak, with the average holding down about 25%. With many investors facing unrealized losses, Kendrick argues ETF holders are "more likely to sell, rather than buy the dip, for now."

Despite the near-term downgrade, Standard Chartered maintains a constructive longer-term view. Kendrick now forecasts Bitcoin at $100,000 by end-2026, down from $150,000 previously, and Ethereum at $4,000, versus $7,500 earlier. Long-term targets through 2030 remain unchanged. Macro conditions are seen as unsupportive, with mixed U.S. economic data and expectations of no rate cuts before a change in Federal Reserve leadership in June, leaving digital assets vulnerable to weaker inflows.