According to Financial News on January 1 (editor Zhou Ziyi), after Bitcoin surged 110% in 2024, crypto investors and industry executives believe this flagship cryptocurrency will set new historical highs this year.

In the past month, the world's largest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, has surpassed the $100,000 mark, setting a new historical high, as market participants are optimistic about the crypto-friendly policies that incoming U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to bring.

Previously, Trump achieved a historic victory in the November election, and one of his campaign platforms is to support policies for cryptocurrencies. During the campaign, Trump vowed to fire the current chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, who has taken a tough regulatory stance against various crypto companies; additionally, Trump envisions that the U.S. could create a strategic Bitcoin reserve by pooling funds seized from criminal activities.

With Trump set to return to the White House, his various statements have boosted sentiment around cryptocurrencies, and many industry executives and analysts expect Trump to create a more favorable regulatory environment for digital assets.

Bold Predictions for Bitcoin Prices

In the recently concluded 2024, the price of Bitcoin has already more than doubled. Wall Street insiders generally expect that by 2025, the price of this token will exhibit more positive momentum, with some bold predictions even heading straight for $250,000. James Butterfill, head of research at crypto-focused asset management firm CoinShares, stated that he believes Bitcoin's price will be in the range of $80,000 to $150,000 in 2025.

Butterfill stated that a favorable regulatory environment in the U.S. next year will be the main driving force supporting Bitcoin's price, and in the long term, Bitcoin will reach a price of $250,000, "This will not happen in 2025, but it will trend in that direction."

As for the expected lower limit of $80,000, Butterfill stated that this would be the result of Trump's promised support for cryptocurrency policies not materializing, "Disappointment and skepticism regarding Trump's proposed crypto policies could trigger significant market adjustments."

Alex Thorn, head of research at cryptocurrency-focused asset management firm Galaxy Digital, expects Bitcoin to break through $150,000 in the first half of this year and reach $185,000 in the fourth quarter.

Thorn pointed out, "The adoption by institutions, corporations, and countries will propel Bitcoin to new heights in 2025. Since its inception, Bitcoin's appreciation rate has outpaced all other asset classes, particularly the S&P 500 and gold, and this trend will continue into 2025. Bitcoin will also reach 20% of gold's market value."

Geoffrey Kendrick, head of digital asset research at Standard Chartered Bank, stated that Bitcoin's price will double. In a recent report, he predicts that Bitcoin will reach $200,000 by the end of 2025.

The bank noted that since the beginning of this year, institutions have heavily purchased Bitcoin through the U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF and 'Bitcoin whale' MicroStrategy, with a net purchase of 683,000 Bitcoins. Among these, 245,000 Bitcoins were bought within weeks after the U.S. election. It is expected that this year's institutional flow will continue to maintain or exceed the pace of 2024's inflow into Bitcoin, and MicroStrategy's Bitcoin purchase amount should 'match or exceed the purchases of 2024.'

Sid Powell, co-founder and CEO of the financial platform Maple finance, aims for Bitcoin's price to be between $180,000 and $200,000 by the end of 2025.

Powell stated, "Historically, when gold ETFs enter the market, the inflow of funds increases sharply in subsequent years after the first year — I believe we can expect a similar situation with Bitcoin ETFs." He added, "I think as Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies become core assets for institutional asset management firms, we will see more inflows of funds in the following years."

Nonetheless, Powell remains vigilant about the crypto market's pullbacks, as Bitcoin has seen significant rises over several months in previous market cycles, only to then experience sharp declines in value. He noted, "Cryptocurrencies are still a cyclical industry."

The boldest prediction is heading straight for $250,000.# Elitsa Taskova, Chief Product Officer of crypto lending platform Nexo, is very optimistic about Bitcoin's prospects in 2025.

Taskova believes, "We expect Bitcoin to more than double within a year, reaching $250,000." She added that in the long term, for example, in the next decade, she believes the entire crypto market's market value will exceed that of gold.

She noted, "These predictions align with current trends and social indicators: people are increasingly recognizing Bitcoin as a reserve asset, and more Bitcoin and crypto-related exchange-traded products will be adopted more widely."

Venture capital in the crypto space will double

Recently, PitchBook analyst Robert Le predicted that venture capital in the crypto industry could exceed $18 billion in 2025, with several quarters' investment amounts expected to reach $5 billion.

Data shows that the total amount of crypto venture capital in 2023 was about $9 billion, expected to reach $11 billion in 2024, with quarterly average investments around $2 billion to $2.5 billion. Although investment activity slowed down this summer, data has rebounded following the U.S. election results, and general venture capital firms are expected to refocus on the crypto space next year.

Le also noted that the investment theme of 'crypto and artificial intelligence' will continue to heat up, as crypto technology may provide innovative solutions to certain core issues during the expansion of artificial intelligence, or become a new growth point.