Standard Chartered has reduced its near-term outlook for digital assets, projecting that Bitcoin could decline to $50,000 and Ether to $1,400 in the coming months before recovering later in the year. The bank also trimmed its year-end targets for both assets, citing continued market pressure and weaker sentiment.
According to the bank’s digital assets research team, exchange-traded fund outflows have weighed on prices, with holdings down significantly from their October 2025 peak. Many ETF investors who entered at higher price levels are currently at a loss, which may limit near-term dip buying. Macro conditions, including uncertainty around US monetary policy, are also constraining risk appetite.
Standard Chartered lowered its forecasts for several major tokens, including Solana, XRP, BNB, and Avalanche, aligning projections more closely with bitcoin and ether performance. Despite the cautious short-term view, the bank noted that the current downturn lacks the structural failures seen in prior cycles, reflecting a more institutionally anchored market environment.
