Tim Draper, a prominent venture capitalist and cryptocurrency enthusiast, has made Bitcoin price predictions since 2014.
That year, Draper predicted Bitcoin to be $10,000 by the end of 2017. Despite skepticism, his forecast proved accurate, as Bitcoin hit $10,000 in November 2017 during its dramatic bull run.
In 2018, Draper forecast Bitcoin to reach $250,000 by the end of 2022. This bold prediction was not fully realized, though Bitcoin did reach an all-time high of approximately $69,000 in November 2021.
When Bitcoin failed to hit the target price in 2018, Draper extended the timeline to mid-2023. The futurist and investor based this target price on mass adoption, particularly by women and retail investors.
Draper said in an interview with Benzinga: "My first prediction was in 2014 when Bitcoin was at $180. I said that it would be $10,000 in three years. Sure enough, by the end of 2017, Bitcoin hit $10,000. Since then, I have not been as prescient. I thought Bitcoin would hit $250,000 by 2022! I think I am going to be three years off.”
Draper added: “I think we can chalk those three years up to a weak government that regulated rather than encouraged new technologies. Our new government is more encouraging."
Since the U.S. presidential election in November, the crypto world has been celebrating with a decidedly more bullish outlook. Though many tokens have seen significant gains, including Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) and Solana (CRYPTO: SOL), Bitcoin has taken center stage, reaching a record high of $99,000 on Nov. 21, the second all-time high of the month.
Benzinga asked Draper what his prediction was for Bitcoin with the end of 2024 rapidly approaching and he responded: "This is just the beginning! If you are asking about price prediction, I would say about Bitcoin will reach about $120,000 by end of year."
Benzinga asked Draper what drives his future forecasts for Bitcoin, he pointed to the superiority of the cryptocurrency over traditional fiat and long-term trends in usage.
"It is a long-term trend. Bitcoin is just better technology than using banks and governments as the trusted third party. It is transparent, global, open, keeps perfect records, etcetera. It will make the world wealthier. When retailers (for currency) and governments (for taxes) realize that Bitcoin will save them money on each transaction, then there will be a great incentive for everyone to use Bitcoin."
When asked for his prognostication for 2025, Draper said he is holding out for the $250,000 level and cited the proposed U.S. Bitcoin reserve as a contributing factor.
"Assuming a standard supply and demand curve, if there is a big buyer like that, the price will continue to rise. I think 2025 is the year Bitcoin will finally hit my mark of $250,000," Draper noted.
Michael Saylor, co-founder of MicroStrategy, tweeted todaythat the company acquired $5.4 billion in Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), the single biggest purchase of the world's leading decentralized digital currency.
In the tweet, Saylor stated, "MicroStrategy has acquired 55,500 BTC for ~$5.4 billion at ~$97,862 per #bitcoin and has achieved BTC Yield of 35.2% QTD and 59.3% YTD. As of 11/24/2024, we hodl 386,700 $BTC acquired for ~$21.9 billion at ~$56,761 per bitcoin. $MSTR"
This is after the news that the company is making $500 million a day with its Bitcoin holdings, which Saylor said have appreciated by $5.4 billion over the past two weeks. Saylor predicted Bitcoin could reach $13 million by 2045, which would elevate its market cap to $250 trillion.
Optimism Among Web3 Leaders
Nathan Berkley, CEO of Muhdo Health Limited, a health technology company specializing in DNA and epigenetic testing which incorporates cryptocurrency into its operations, has a bullish outlook on Bitcoin and independently concurs with Draper's forecast.
"I think we could see Bitcoin hit $120,000. With U.S. sentiment being positive to this market now, and understanding Web3 can have real impact, it's a great time to be in the space," Berkley noted.
Lisa Loud, executive director of Secret Network Foundation, a blockchain platform designed to enable privacy-preserving decentralized applications, said: "The Bitcoin of today is not the Bitcoin of 2020: we have a broader finance interest, politics, and uncertain regulatory changes. A conservative estimate would say it will end in the range of $92,000-115,000, but if we get a large opt-in from mainstream, we could blow this estimate out of the water."
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