[US Morning Briefing] Standard Chartered: “Bitcoin Will Reach $200,000 in the Second Half of This Year”

Welcome to the US Cryptocurrency Morning Briefing. We'll briefly summarize today's key cryptocurrency developments.

Prepare a cup of coffee to learn about Standard Chartered's second-half outlook for Bitcoin (BTC). Amid a mix of institutional fund flows, geopolitical tensions, and macroeconomic uncertainty, the pioneering cryptocurrency is showing strength, and experts are expecting further growth.

ETF Flows, Trump Risk, Policy Changes... BTC's $200,000 Possibility

According to recent US cryptocurrency news, Standard Chartered predicts Bitcoin will reach $200,000 by the fourth quarter (Q4).

In a statement to BeInCrypto, the bank reaffirmed its target and predicted BTC's best second half.

"We maintain our year-end $200,000 prediction... We expect the second half of 2025 to be Bitcoin's best period." – Jeff Kendrick, Head of Digital Assets Research at Standard Chartered, stated in a statement to BeInCrypto.

Kendrick's strong prediction came amid expectations of robust institutional fund inflows through ETFs and corporate financial purchases. The Standard Chartered executive said these fund inflows would exceed second-quarter purchases in both the third and fourth quarters.

Additionally, Jeff Kendrick anticipates more tailwinds from the swift passage of the US Stablecoin Bill and increased sovereign purchases.

According to Kendrick, additional catalysts could include increasing risks to the Federal Reserve's independence from President Trump, as recently reported in US cryptocurrency news.

He says these factors will make cryptocurrency traders and investors realize that this Bitcoin halving cycle is different from previous ones.

"...the market will realize the patterns of previous halving cycles... We expect Bitcoin to reach new all-time highs in H2... We believe BTC has moved beyond its previous dynamics, which could have led to price drops in September-October 2025." – Kendrick explained.

Against this backdrop, the Standard Chartered executive predicts $135,000 in the third quarter and $200,000 in the fourth quarter. Increasing investor fund inflows are the primary driver of this trend.

This aligns with the recent bullish prediction for the Ethereum ETF by Bitwise, as reported in US cryptocurrency news. However, for the Bitcoin ETF, Kendrick emphasizes fund flows and corporate financial purchases exceeding the 245,000 BTC recorded in the second quarter during the third and fourth quarters.

Nevertheless, Kendrick does not rule out price volatility, especially at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter. Mentioning concerns that historical patterns after the halving might repeat, he believes the price will eventually resume its upward trajectory and ultimately achieve Standard Chartered's $200,000 target.

BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF IBIT Generates $187 Million in Fees This Year Alone

On the other hand, BlackRock's bold leap into cryptocurrency is literally paying off. According to reports, IBIT, the company's spot Bitcoin ETF, has generated more fee revenue in 2024 than the $624 billion iShares S&P 500 ETF (IVV).

Despite having assets of only $74 billion, IBIT has earned $187.2 million in fees since the beginning of the year, slightly exceeding IVV's $187.1 million.

According to reports, BlackRock's Bitcoin fee ratio is higher than VanEck's, said Matthew Sigel, the company's Head of Digital Assets Research.

There is an economic difference because Bitcoin ETFs can demand up to 8 times higher fees than traditional index funds.

This is why BlackRock and CEO Larry Fink are focusing on digital assets. Fink predicts a $700,000 Bitcoin price target amid institutional interest.

Once a cryptocurrency skeptic, Fink now supports Bitcoin as a new asset class. This change in perspective is now backed by real dollars.

The results suggest that Bitcoin is not just diversifying investor portfolios but is reconfiguring Wall Street's business model.

As fee pressure continues to squeeze margins in traditional finance (TradFi), cryptocurrency ETFs like IBIT provide asset managers with a profitable alternative.

Today's Chart

Today's Key News

Summary of today's notable US cryptocurrency news:

• Despite the Bitcoin public class action lawsuit, MicroStrategy (MSTR) stock price breaks through $407.
• As Bitcoin reaches $110,000, Coinbase Premium and market greed surge.
• In Estonia, a crypto billionaire bites off the attacker's finger during a kidnapping attempt.
• Custodia and Kraken are leading crypto companies in the competition for the Federal Reserve master account.
• In 2025, we explore how the cryptocurrency staking regulatory approaches differ between the US and Switzerland.
• Hyperliquid whale loses $15 million by betting against the market.
• With ETF expectations triggering a new rally, BONK rises by 22%.
• There is room for Bitcoin's rally to all-time highs to continue.
• We explore the reasons for the decrease in Bitcoin mining output in June.

Cryptocurrency Stock Market Overview