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Ethereum Price To Hit $10K As BTC Eyes $200K Rally: Standard Chartered
In a recent bold forecast, Standard Chartered said that Ethereum price is poised to hit $10,000 in the near term, sparking optimism amid the ongoing rally. Besides, the report also notes that besides ETH, Bitcoin is also gearing up for a strong run towards the north, potentially reaching the brief $200K mark. This forecast comes as the broader digital assets space is witnessing a positive momentum with Donald Trump’s election win and the 25bps Fed rate cut this week.
Standard Chartered Predicts Ethereum Price To Hit $10,000
According to a recent report, Standard Chartered predicts a 4X surge in the overall crypto market cap by the US mid-term elections in late 2026. As the current market cap hovers near the $2.5 trillion mark, the prediction, if comes true, indicates that it could potentially hit $10 trillion by that time.
In addition, the leading financial firm reiterated its previous target for Ethereum at $10,000. The firm said that the second-largest crypto by market cap could breach the level as soon as 2025 ends, bolstering market optimism amid an already strong rally.
Meanwhile, Standard Chartered Head of Research Geoffrey Kendrick cited several factors for his bullish prediction like the recent Republican victory, anticipated clear regulatory path, and others. He said that Donald Trump’s presidency is likely to drive the adoption of crypto-friendly policies, that could drive the adoption of digital assets higher in the near term.
Besides, the firm also anticipates the US SEC will take a soft stance towards the cryptocurrency market under the Republican administration. This also sparked discussions, as recent reports indicate that SEC Chair Gary Gensler may exit the office as soon as this year.
Notably, echoing a similar sentiment, prominent crypto market expert Ali Martinez said that Ethereum hitting $3,000 is “just the beginning” of its bull run. Previously, he said that ETH could mirror a similar trend as S&P 500, and could hit $10K in the coming days.
What’s Next For ETH and BTC?
The bank also reiterated its prediction that the Bitcoin price would hit $200K at the same time that the Ethereum price would hit $10K. The report said that Bitcoin and top altcoins like Solana, and ETH, among others, are poised to benefit the most under the new administration.
Besides, Standard Chartered also considers the possibility of the US implementing Bitcoin as a strategic reserve for the nation, which might support the strong run for the crypto. However, it also noted the probability of such development is quite low. But Donald Trump has previously said that he would make BTC the strategic reserve for the US, while Senator Cynthia Lummis also assured the same recently.
Meanwhile, BTC price today was up 0.3% to $76,532, after touching a 24-hour high of $77,252.75. Besides, the strong inflow into US Spot Bitcoin ETF reflects the growing institutional support towards the crypto. \
Notably recent report indicates that many fresh wallets have also started accumulating BTC as the crypto’s appeal keeps soaring among traders. Further boosting the sentiment, Ali Martinez highlighted that more than 57,800 BTC has been accumulated over the last few days, valued at around $4.16 billion.
On the other hand, ETH price rose 4% and crossed the $3,000 mark today, with its trading volume at $32.76 billion. Additionally, Ether Futures Open Interest also saw a surge of 4%, suggesting strong market confidence towards the leading altcoin.
Amid this, US Spot Ethereum ETF also started witnessing strong demand again, suggesting further rally ahead. Besides, a recent Ethereum price analysis indicates that crypto is targeting the $4,000 mark next, further supporting its potential rally to $10K by next year.
Rupam Roy
Rupam is a seasoned professional with three years of experience in the financial market, where he has developed a reputation as a meticulous research analyst and insightful journalist. He thrives on exploring the dynamic nuances of the financial landscape. Currently serving as a sub-editor at Coingape, Rupam’s expertise extends beyond conventional boundaries. His role involves breaking stories, analyzing AI-related developments, providing real-time updates on the crypto market, and presenting insightful economic news.
Rupam’s career is characterized by a deep passion for unraveling the complexities of finance and delivering impactful stories that resonate with a diverse audience.
Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.
Crypto Highlights This Week: The broader market concludes another interesting week, primarily keeping investors on their toes. Cryptocurrency exchange behemoth Bybit suffered a $1.4 billion hack this week, whereas BTC and altcoins remained stagnant despite market advancements. Simultaneously, the meme coin sector panicked amid the emergence of the Argentinian LIBRA token.
Here’s a brief collection of some of the top crypto market updates reported by CoinGape Media over the past week.
Weekly Crypto Highlights: ByBit Exchange Hacked By N. Korean Group
The renowned cryptocurrency exchange Bybit was hacked by ‘The Lazarus Group’ this week, resulting in a massive exploitation of funds. Reportedly, the North Korean criminal organization stole $1.4 billion worth of ETH from the crypto exchange.
As a result, the broader crypto market saw a whopping $566 million liquidated in a day as investors started panic selling. In turn, BTC and altcoins reversed recent gains, backtracking to previous lows. BTC price closed the week at around $96K, whereas ETH was near $2,800. XRP & SOL also reversed recent gains, trading in the red this weekend.
It’s also worth mentioning that ByBit rolled out a $140 million bounty for cybersecurity experts to recover $1.4 billion stolen in Ethereum.
LIBRA Token Panic: What Happened?
Meanwhile, Argentinian President Javier Milei endorsed the Solana-based LIBRA meme token this week, which soon rocketed in value. However, the market was taken by storm when insiders cashed out massive amounts amid the rally, urging LIBRA price to crash over 90%. This saga raised rug-pull concerns surrounding the crypto, further bringing heat to its price.
However, President Javier Milei ordered a probe into the launch and KIP Protocol, aiming to rectify the error and bolster the token. This saga has emerged as another noteworthy crypto highlight this week, underscoring the market’s risky nature.
ETF Filings This Week
Simultaneously, a stockpile of ETF advancements was witnessed this week. Canary Capital’s Litecoin ETF emerged on Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), solidifying chances of approval.
Further, Grayscale’s XRP ETF entered the U.S. SEC’s review mode.
Also, asset manager Franklin Templeton filed an S-1 to launch a spot Solana ETF with the U.S. SEC this week. Mentioned above are the top crypto market highlights for this week, which appear to have substantially impacted investor sentiment.
Coingape Staff
CoinGape comprises an experienced team of native content writers and editors working round the clock to cover news globally and present news as a fact rather than an opinion. CoinGape writers and reporters contributed to this article.
Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.
Bybit, a popular crypto exchange, is reeling from the massive hack worth $1.5 billion in digital assets. According to reports, the hackers targeted the crypto exchange’s cold wallet, an offline storage system, to steal the exchange’s assets, primarily Ether. On-chain data reveals that the stolen funds were quickly transferred into different wallets and liquidated on several platforms.
Ben Zhou, Bybit’s CEO, promptly addressed the hack and told users that the site’s other cold wallets are secure and withdrawals are processed “normally”.
As the company struggles with a surge in withdrawal requests, it received over 88,000 ETH (worth around $239 million) from popular exchanges like Binance and Bitget. The fresh crypto transfers from these two popular exchanges boosted Bybit’s liquidity, allowing it serve the customers’ withdrawal requests.
Bybit detected unauthorized activity involving one of our ETH cold wallets. The incident occurred when our ETH multisig cold wallet executed a transfer to our warm wallet. Unfortunately, this transaction was manipulated through a sophisticated attack that masked the signing…
— Bybit (@Bybit_Official) February 21, 2025
Authorities Link Breach To North Korean Hacking Group
Friday’s hacking of the Bybit cold wallet is considered the biggest crypto hacking on record. Arkham Intelligence and Elliptic said the stolen digital assets were quickly transferred to different accounts and liquidated within minutes. Elliptic reports that the hacking is by far the biggest in the industry and easily surpassed the stolen $570 million from Binance in 2022 and the $611 million worth of crypto assets drained from Poly Network in 2021.
ByBit CEO says the platform is experiencing “massive withdrawals.” https://t.co/Xi5vhqMqWI
— FORTUNE (@FortuneMagazine) February 21, 2025
Elliptic speculated that the Lazarus Group, a state-backed hacking team in North Korea, perpetrated the hack. The Lazarus Group is known for its crypto-hacking activities, stealing billions of dollars from different sites.
Bybit Gets Help From Binance And Bitget
As Bybit struggled to service the surge of withdrawals, it received help from other popular exchanges to cover the requests. Arkham said the exchange received more than 88,000 Ether or roughly $239 million from Binance and Bitget addresses.
The fund infusion can boost the exchange’s current liquidity as it addresses the massive withdrawal requests. Bybit confirmed that its users moved funds from the exchange after the hack was made public.
Arkham said Bitget transferred 40,000 Ether, or $106 million, to a Bybit cold wallet on February 21st at 19:44 (UTC). Lookonchain argued that Bitget transferred its funds to the exchange to boost its liquidity and serve as a vote of confidence.
After 10 minutes, a Binance hot wallet transferred 11,800 Ether or $31 million to the same Bybit cold wallet address. In total, Binance has transferred 47,800 Ether or $127.48 million.
CEO Explains Crypto Exchange Remains Solvent
Bybit’s CEO, Ben Zhou, has assured its users and customers that the exchange is solvent. In a Twitter/X post, the CEO explained that the customers’ funds are backed 1:1 and that the company can service the losses even if it fails to recover them.
Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from TradingView
VanEck has announced a bold prediction that Bitcoin will play a critical role in managing the United States’ rising national debt. The study, based on Senator Cynthia Lummis’ proposed Bitcoin Act, shows that a strategic Bitcoin reserve may partially balance the country’s debt by 2049. But how feasible is this concept?
The Potential Impact Of Strategic Bitcoin Reserves
The study examines a scenario in which the US government obtains up to 1 million BTC during a five-year period. If this strategy comes to fruition, VanEck believes that such a reserve may help balance almost $21 trillion in national debt by 2049. Based on forecasts of future debt growth, this equates to around 18% of the expected total debt at the time.
However, this positive forecast is heavily reliant on Bitcoin’s price trajectory. VanEck’s model forecasts that BTC will grow at a 25% compounded annual rate (CAGR). Starting with an estimated acquisition price of $100,000 per unit in 2025, the crypto would need to see sustained price increases over the next two decades.
Source: VanEck
Debt Growth Versus Bitcoin Appreciation
The study considers the expected 5% annual rate of increase in US debt trajectory. Any effort to balance the predicted $100 trillion national debt by 2049 will need assets with big appreciation potential.
Though highly volatile, Bitcoin presents both a challenge and an opportunity. A 25% CAGR is an ambitious aim considering past pricing volatility, regulatory uncertainties, and industry acceptance patterns. Should the slow down in the crypto’s expansion, the reserve might not meet expectations, therefore lessening its value in addressing national debt.
Bitcoin As A Government Asset
VanEck’s view is consistent with a broader discussion concerning the leading digital currency’s role in national economies. Countries such as El Salvador have already adopted the top coin into their financial plans, albeit on a far lesser scale. If the US took a similar strategy, it would be an unparalleled shift in monetary policy.
The practicality of building such a massive Bitcoin reserve raises concerns. Would the government buy the crypto asset gradually or in bulk? How would it safeguard and govern such an asset? These uncertainties complicate VanEck’s vision.
A High-Risk Gamble Or A Financial Breakthrough?
VanEck’s research presents an intriguing possibility, despite these obstacles. The potential of BTC as a long-term wealth reserve is still a topic of debate among economists and policymakers. It may be feasible to employ the digital asset to mitigate national debt if its value continues to increase.
For now, the feasibility of this strategy remains uncertain. The US government has yet to indicate any concrete plans to acquire the alpha crypto on a large scale. But with national debt rising and Bitcoin’s influence growing, discussions around this unconventional solution are far from over.
Featured image from Gemini Imagen, chart from TradingView
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