Standard Chartered’s head of digital assets, Geoff Kendrick, has issued a sobering short-term forecast, warning that Bitcoin could fall as low as $50,000 in the coming months, with Ethereum potentially dropping to $1,400. The bank cites “challenging” price action and expects further capitulation before a recovery takes hold later this year.
Kendrick has also lowered his year-end 2026 targets, now seeing Bitcoin at $100,000 (down from $150,000) and Ethereum at $4,000 (down from $7,500). However, his long-term projections through 2030 remain unchanged.
For traders, this distinction matters. A respected institutional voice is saying “near-term pain, long-term gain.” This isn’t a call to abandon crypto—it’s a roadmap. The strategy it implies is clear: size positions appropriately, avoid leverage, and maintain conviction through the volatility. The $50,000 level, if reached, may ultimately be remembered not as a catastrophe, but as the final opportunity before the next cycle begins.