Ripple CEO Believes Bitcoin Price Will Hit $180,000 by 2026

• Ripple CEO predicts that the Bitcoin price will double to $180,000 by December 2026.
• Other crypto executives on the same panel were more skeptical in their price targets.
• Analysts say the Bitcoin Market Structure is similar to that of Q1 2022 and is very fragile.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse expects Bitcoin to be worth $180,000 by the end of next year. Garlinghouse shared this view on a panel at the Binance Blockchain Week.

He said:

“I’ll go out on a limb, and I’ll say Bitcoin is $180,000 by December 31st, 2026.”

With Bitcoin trading above $92,000 according to CoinMarketCap, Garlinghouse’s prediction suggests its value will double by December 2026. This represents a very bullish take at a time when BTC is just recovering after more than 30% decline from its peak.

According to Garlinghouse, his optimism about the Bitcoin price is rooted in the improving regulatory environment in the US. He noted that the US economy accounts for 22% of global gross domestic product (GDP), meaning its positive regulatory environment would have a significant impact on Bitcoin’s value.

The bullish sentiment is not entirely surprising, given Bitcoin’s performance this year and its increasing adoption. Even BlackRock CEO Larry Fink acknowledged the shift in his stance about crypto, noting that it is an evolution of his thought process.

Crypto Execs Skeptical About Bitcoin Bullish 2026

Interestingly, Garlinghouse was the only member of the panel who was fully bullish about Bitcoin. The panels also included Solana Foundation president Lily Liu and Binance CEO Richard Teng.

Both offered less bullish opinions on Bitcoin price targets. Teng, for instance, did not offer any price prediction. Instead, he noted that long-term fundamentals are more important for Bitcoin than its short-term price movements.

Meanwhile, Liu predicted that Bitcoin would be trading above $100,000 by the end of 2026. This highlights how market sentiments have shifted since the crypto market crash. A few months ago, stakeholders were predicting Bitcoin to reach $150,000 this year and cross $200,000 by 2026.

The opinions of these execs align more with those of Fink, who said at the New York Times DealBook summit that Bitcoin is not for everyone due to its volatility.

He said:

“If you bought [Bitcoin] for a trade, it’s a very volatile asset. You’re going to have to be really good at market timing, which most people aren’t.”

Bitcoin Market Structure Mirrors 2022 Q1

While stakeholders predict the Bitcoin price target for 2026, onchain analysts note that the current Bitcoin market structure is similar to that of Q1 2022. On both occasions, more than 25% of the supply was held at a loss.

Even with the recent gains that have caused BTC to recover above  $90,000, they noted that demand has been weak on all fronts. Spot, futures, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) demand has declined, while options are underpriced with compressed volatility and cautious positioning.

All these suggest that the market remains fragile and the current structure is sensitive to any shock. The only solution to this would be for the BTC price to increase to the $96,000 – $106,000 range, where only 15% of holders will be underwater.

Glassnode analysts said:

“This creates a fragile balance between the risk of top-buyer capitulation and the potential for seller exhaustion to form a bottom. Nevertheless, the current structure remains highly sensitive to macro shocks until the market can reclaim the 0.85 quantile (~$106.2) as support.”