Bitcoin could hit $210K in 2025, says Presto research head

Peter Chung, head of research at quantitative trading firm Presto, has repeated his prediction that Bitcoin (BTC) will reach $210,000 by the end of 2025.

In an April 28 interview with CNBC, Chung cited institutional adoption and global liquidity expansion as the primary drivers behind his long-term bullish outlook.

The analyst acknowledged that market conditions this year haven’t been as expected, specifically the challenging macroeconomic environment and market reaction.

However, he described the recent corrections as a “healthy” adjustment, suggesting they have laid a stronger foundation for Bitcoin’s progression toward becoming a mainstream financial asset.

“In hindsight, I think it was actually a healthy correction which has paved the way for the further re-rating of Bitcoin as a mainstream asset,” he said.

Related: Bitcoin trades at ‘40% discount’ as spot BTC ETF buying soars to $3B in one week

Bitcoin’s dual role

Chung also discussed Bitcoin’s dual nature, describing it as both a “risk-on asset” and “digital gold.”

He said that Bitcoin typically behaves like a high-risk asset driven by user adoption and network effects.

However, during periods of financial instability, such as the 2022 outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict or the 2023 Silicon Valley Bank collapse, Bitcoin tends to act as a safe-haven asset, similar to gold.

“These moments are rare,” Chung explained, “[They] only happened when the market has doubts about the stability of the US dollar-dominated financial system.”

While Bitcoin has lagged behind gold during recent market turbulence, Chung suggested BTC could “catch up” and potentially outperform traditional safe-haven assets by year’s end.

Chung also reaffirmed Presto’s target for Ether (ETH), maintaining its valuation model based on the ETH-to-BTC ratio, reflecting confidence in Ethereum’s ongoing network improvements.

Related: New Bitcoin price all-time highs could occur in May

Bitcoin hits $94,000 as institutional adoption expands

Echoing Chung’s view, Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley said in a recent post on X that Bitcoin’s surge to $94,000 has occurred with minimal retail participation, noting that Google searches for “Bitcoin” remain near long-term lows.

According to Horsley, the current rally is being driven by institutional investors, financial advisers, corporations, and even nation-states.

“The types of investors buying Bitcoin is expanding,” Horsley said.

Corporate Bitcoin treasuries already hold nearly $65 billion worth of BTC, according to data from BitcoinTreasuries.NET.

On April 22, analysts from Standard Chartered and Intellectia AI said institutional Bitcoin demand from exchange-traded funds and traders seeking to hedge against macroeconomic risk could cause Bitcoin’s price to more than double this year.

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