StandardChartered

The cryptocurrency market is witnessing a positive trend as more and more large enterprises not only invest in Bitcoin but also integrate digital assets into their core business operations. Recently, Bluebird Mining Ventures, a gold mining company, announced plans to commercialize a gold project at #Philippines and specifically shift future mining revenues to Bitcoin. The company will also hold Bitcoin as a reserve asset, combining a strategy between physical gold and digital gold, demonstrating confidence in Bitcoin's role as a sustainable store of value.

Is XRP about to 'moon'? Standard Chartered bets big on the strong surge of Ripple's token

Global investment bank Standard Chartered has made a bold forecast: XRP – the native token of the XRP Ledger network – could rise by up to 200% before the end of 2025, and even reach $12.50 before President Trump's term ends.

📈 Strong price forecast from a major bank

In a recently published report, Geoff Kendrick, a digital asset researcher at #StandardChartered , stated that XRP's price could reach $5.50 by the end of 2025, nearly a 200% increase from the current level (around $1.80 according to data from CoinGecko).

In recent years, Bitcoin has often been considered 'digital gold', a safe-haven asset amid traditional market volatility. However, according to a recent analysis from Standard Chartered, Bitcoin may not act as a hedge against volatility and instead is trading more like a technology stock.

Could Bitcoin Be the New Member of the 'Magnificent 7'?

Geoff Kendrick, an analyst at #StandardChartered , tested an interesting hypothesis: If Bitcoin were added to the 'Magnificent 7' group instead of Tesla, how might this portfolio perform?

According to forecasts from bank #StandardChartered , Bitcoin may continue to plummet to the $69,000 - $76,500 range due to capital outflow pressure from ETFs and the short-selling strategy of hedge funds. Could this be a buying opportunity or just the beginning of a deeper decline?
Bitcoin Is Entering A Strong Correction Phase
Bitcoin has been under significant downward pressure in recent days. After breaking below $80,000, the king coin dropped to $78,258 by the end of February, before recovering to $84,979.

Although Bitcoin started 2025 with much volatility, some major financial institutions are still aggressively accumulating it. According to Standard Chartered, this could push Bitcoin's price to $500,000 before President Donald Trump's term ends.
Bitcoin Supported By Major Financial Players
Geoff Kendrick, Head of Digital Asset Research at #StandardChartered , predicts that national investment funds and pension funds will join the wave of Bitcoin purchases, following the hedge funds from last year.

Bitcoin is on track to reach $500,000 in the next 3.5 years, according to Geoff Kendrick, head of digital asset research at Standard Chartered. The main momentum comes from 12 government entities, including U.S. pension funds (California, New York, North Carolina, Kentucky), the National Pension Service of South Korea, the Swiss National Bank, Sweden, France, and Saudi Arabia, increasing their holdings of MicroStrategy (Strategy) shares in the first quarter of 2025.

#StandardChartered , a leading British bank, has initiated coverage on #solana ($SOL ), forecasting that the cryptocurrency could reach $275 by the end of 2025 and $500 by the end of 2029. These projections, shared in a report by Geoff Kendrick, Head of Digital Assets Research at Standard Chartered, suggest a potential 54% to 180% increase from Solana's current price of $178.50.

Standard Chartered’s Solana Outlook

The report emphasizes that Solana currently trades at a discounted valuation based on market cap-to-"GDP" (application revenue from Solana-based projects). In contrast, Binance Coin (BNB) is viewed as overvalued due to its close association with the Binance exchange. Kendrick stated:

> "Solana trades ‘cheap’ on market cap-to-GDP, unlike BNB, which trades ‘rich’ due to its Binance link."

Despite this bullish long-term outlook, the bank expects Solana to underperform Ethereum ($ETH ) over the next two to three years. Standard Chartered projects that the Ethereum-to-Solana price ratio will increase from approximately 14:1 today to 17:1 by the end of 2027, implying ETH will maintain a stronger market position relative to SOL in the medium term.

Solana’s Challenges and Growth Potential

Solana is recognized as a preferred platform for memecoin trading, but Standard Chartered’s analysis suggests that memecoin activity has likely peaked. The report notes:

> "Declining usage and trading ‘cheap’ are not a good mix."

Solana’s low valuation relative to its blockchain “GDP” could pose challenges in the near term, particularly as memecoin-driven activity declines. Furthermore, Kendrick indicated that Solana may experience a two- to three-year period of lower activity before new sectors drive growth.

However, the bank remains optimistic about Solana’s potential to support high-throughput sectors such as financial services, social media applications, and decentralized physical infrastructure networks. These industries are seen as long-term growth drivers, but it may take several years for them to meaningfully impact Solana’s value.

Network Reliability and Competitive Landscape

Solana has faced network outages and security challenges in the past. Nevertheless, recent upgrades—such as the Firedancer validator client and enhanced network tools—aim to improve performance and reliability.

In contrast, Ethereum maintains a more decentralized network, stronger developer support, and a significantly larger share of total value locked (TVL) in decentralized finance (DeFi) projects.

Conclusion

While Standard Chartered’s report underscores Solana’s long-term potential, it also highlights key risks, including the platform’s current underutilization relative to its application revenue and a potential slowdown in core activities. The bank expects Solana to trade at a discount in the short to medium term, but notes that the blockchain is well-positioned to capture growth in emerging sectors over the next several years.

Standard Chartered Secures License for Crypto Custody in the EU
Standard Chartered, the British multinational financial institution, announced that it had obtained a license to enhance its global digital asset offerings and provide cryptocurrency custody services to clients within the European Union from its base in Luxembourg.
Laurent Marochini, who previously served as the Head of Innovation at Société Générale, has been appointed as the CEO of Standard Chartered Luxembourg. Expressing his enthusiasm for this new role, He stated,
“It is an honour to join the leading international bank, Standard Chartered Luxembourg as CEO. I am fully committed to delivering excellence for our clients, team and stakeholders.”
Margaret Harwood-Jones, the global head of financing and securities services at Standard Chartered, expressed excitement about the development, emphasizing the bank’s commitment to providing institutional clients with seamless access to the digital asset ecosystem.
This move comes as the European Union implements its Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulation to standardise digital asset operations across the bloc.
The landmark regulation, which came into full force on December 30, makes the EU the first major jurisdiction to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for the crypto-assets sector.
The institution is optimistic about Bitcoin’s future, predicting that the cryptocurrency could reach $250,000 before stabilizing around $200,000.
The bank provided specific conditions for this prediction, such as spot ETF inflows hitting $75 billion or reserve managers starting to acquire Bitcoin, potentially as early as 2025.
In a related development, OKX named Standard Chartered the third-party custodian for its institutional services.
According to Lennix Lai, OKX’s Global Chief Commercial Officer, this collaboration aimed to enhance the exchange’s institutional services by leveraging Standard Chartered’s extensive cross-border banking capabilities.
Lai emphasized that the partnership catered to institutional investors entering the crypto market. He referenced an OKX-commissioned report by Economist Impact, highlighting a growing demand for segregation between trade execution and asset custody.
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