ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Standard Chartered's Head of Asset Research Geoff Kendrick predicted in a research report released on Tuesday that the native token of BNB Chain, BNB, is expected to reach $2,775 by the end of 2028.The report noted that since May 2021, the price movement of BNB has closely aligned with an unweighted portfolio composed of Bitcoin and Ethereum, and this correlation is expected to continue. Kendrick anticipates that this relationship will persist, with BNB's price rising from the current approximately $600 to $2,775 by the end of 2028.Kendrick stated that as long as Binance remains one of the largest centralized exchanges (CEX), "the value drivers of BNB are unlikely to change quickly," which means the token has the potential to become a benchmark for digital assets. He pointed out that BNB Chain is almost entirely used for decentralized exchanges (DEX), lending protocols, and liquid staking, which means it is a "more centralized and 'traditional' smart contract platform compared to competitors like Ethereum and Avalanche."

ChainCatcher news, Standard Chartered's Geoff Kendrick predicts that Bitcoin will rise to $120,000 in the second quarter, mainly due to funds being pulled from U.S. assets. He believes now is a good time to buy Bitcoin and maintains a target of $200,000 by the end of 2025.He pointed out that strong buying from U.S. investors and "whale" investors, along with ETF inflows, indicate that Bitcoin will continue to rise. Additionally, increased institutional interest and potential stablecoin legislation also support upward pressure on Bitcoin prices.Bitcoin is currently priced at around $95,500, with an all-time high of $108,786.

ChainCatcher news, according to Walter Bloomberg, Jeff Kendrick from Standard Chartered stated in a report that if concerns about the independence of the Federal Reserve persist, Bitcoin could reach an all-time high.He mentioned that due to its decentralized ledger, this cryptocurrency can hedge against the risks of the existing financial system. This risk is currently manifesting through the risks faced by U.S. Treasury bonds after President Trump hinted at possibly dismissing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell due to his willingness to cut interest rates.Kendrick noted that the yield premium for investors demanding to buy long-term Treasury bonds relative to short-term bonds has significantly increased, which is favorable for Bitcoin. Standard Chartered expects that by the end of 2025, the price of Bitcoin will rise to $200,000.

ChainCatcher news, citing sources from The Wall Street Journal, reports that a consortium of banks, including Germany's Deutsche Bank and the UK's Standard Chartered, is considering expanding its cryptocurrency operations to the United States.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Standard Chartered Bank stated that the passage of the U.S. stablecoin bill could lead to a significant increase in the supply of stablecoins, with the stablecoin market size expected to grow from the current $230 billion to $2 trillion by the end of 2028. Standard Chartered also noted that the increase in stablecoin supply would have implications for U.S. Treasury purchases and the dominance of the dollar.Additionally, Standard Chartered believes that the rising demand for dollar-denominated stablecoin reserves will lead to increased demand for the dollar, which in turn could support dollar dominance. It is expected that the stablecoin industry will shift towards the model adopted by USDC issuer Circle.

ChainCatcher news, OKX announced a collaboration with Standard Chartered Bank, Brevan Howard, and Franklin Templeton to launch a collateralized mirror program for tokenized money market funds under the VARA framework in Dubai.The program aims to enable institutional clients to use cryptocurrencies and tokenized money market funds as collateral for over-the-counter trading, with a global systemically important bank (G-SIB) serving as the collateral custodian.Franklin Templeton will be the first of a series of money market funds launched under the OKX-SCB program.

ChainCatcher news, a report released by Standard Chartered Bank regarding Ripple-related tokens indicates that XRP could rise to $12.50 before President Trump leaves office.Standard Chartered Bank predicts that by the end of this year, XRP will reach $5.50, by the end of 2026 it will reach $8, by the end of 2027 it will reach $10.40, and by the end of 2028 it will reach $12.50.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, Standard Chartered Bank stated that as signs of American isolationism begin to affect market sentiment, Bitcoin may benefit from rising tariff risks. Geoffrey Kendrick, head of global digital asset research at Standard Chartered Bank, said that $76,500 is a key support level, and Bitcoin has outperformed most tech stocks in the recent market pullback, only behind Microsoft and Google. It also predicts that Bitcoin could potentially return to last Friday's closing price of around $84,000.

ChainCatcher news, Standard Chartered Bank's latest research report predicts that the price of Avalanche (AVAX) tokens is expected to reach $250 by 2029, an increase of more than 10 times from the current level of $20.The bank noted that the Etna upgrade, which will be completed by the end of 2024, significantly reduces development costs, leading to a 40% increase in the number of developers and attracting institutions like BlackRock to introduce a tokenized fund BUIDL worth $1.9 billion into the network. Analyst Geoffrey Kendrick expects AVAX to rise year by year: $55 in 2025, $100 in 2026, and $150 in 2027 (a historical high). The Avalanche Foundation has also launched a $55 million incentive program, focusing on supporting developers and AI projects. The report also warns that AVAX's volatility is up to twice that of Bitcoin, and investment should be approached with caution.

ChainCatcher news, according to BeInCrypto, Standard Chartered's Head of Digital Assets Research, Geoff Kendrick, stated in an interview that the trend of Bitcoin as an inflation hedge is strengthening. Kendrick pointed out that Bitcoin is highly correlated with the Nasdaq index in the short term.He claimed that Bitcoin may not just be an inflation hedge, but rather more like an alternative tech stock: "Instead of viewing Bitcoin as a hedge against traditional financial (TradFi) issues, it is better to see it as a tech stock. If we were to create a hypothetical index by adding Bitcoin to the 'Magnificent Seven' tech stocks and removing Tesla, we would find that our 'Magnificent Seven + Bitcoin' (Mag 7B) index not only has a higher return but also lower volatility."

ChainCatcher news, according to the Financial Times in the UK, Standard Chartered's head of digital asset research, Geoff Kendrick, stated that Ethereum is in a "mid-life crisis," performing poorly in a series of technological upgrades aimed at attracting a broader audience.Ethereum developers have been trying to improve network speed and efficiency by offloading transaction processing to third parties, which has redirected fees to these third-party networks known as Layer 2, rather than to Ethereum developers. Kendrick believes this decision "freely forfeits value," adding that "Ethereum has essentially commoditized itself."

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, Standard Chartered has launched a hypothetical "Mag 7B" index, replacing Bitcoin (BTC) with Tesla in the "Magnificent 7" tech stock portfolio, and found that this new portfolio has higher returns and lower volatility.Geoffrey Kendrick, Global Head of Digital Asset Research at Standard Chartered, noted in his report that Bitcoin's correlation with Nasdaq is "almost always" higher than its correlation with gold in the short term, which provides a basis for viewing Bitcoin as part of the tech stock category. He stated, "If Bitcoin is included in the tech stock portfolio, it will attract more institutional investors to buy, as Bitcoin can play multiple roles in a portfolio."

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, Standard Chartered analyst Geoff Kendrick stated that given the high correlation between Bitcoin prices and the Nasdaq index, investors would be better off viewing it as a tech stock rather than a tool for hedging against traditional market volatility.Kendrick created a hypothetical "Mag 7B" index, which is a derivative of the Magnificent 7 index, replacing Tesla with Bitcoin. Typically, the Mag7 refers to tech giants Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, and Tesla. He concluded that traders who made this move in 2017 would now see a return of 5%.

ChainCatcher news, Standard Chartered has significantly lowered its price target for ETH at the end of 2025 from $10,000 to $4,000 in its latest research report, believing that Ethereum is facing structural decline. Standard Chartered pointed out that this decision was made based on the following points:L2 expansion weakens ETH market capitalization: Layer 2 (L2) solutions originally intended to enhance Ethereum's scalability, such as Coinbase's Base, have led to a $50 billion evaporation of ETH market capitalization and may continue to affect its market dominance; additionallyETH/BTC ratio expected to continue declining: Standard Chartered expects the ETH/BTC ratio to drop to 0.015 by the end of 2027, marking the lowest level since 2017.Future growth may depend on RWA: If the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA) develops rapidly, ETH may still maintain its 80% market share in security, but the Ethereum Foundation needs to adopt more aggressive business strategies (such as taxing L2), though this possibility is low.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, Standard Chartered's Head of Digital Assets Research Geoff Kendrick stated that the recent decline in Bitcoin's price is primarily influenced by the pressure from broader risk assets, rather than issues within the cryptocurrency itself. "From a volatility-adjusted basis, Bitcoin's performance is highly correlated with the 'seven tech stocks plus Bitcoin' portfolio," Kendrick noted in an email on Tuesday, "Tesla performed the worst, while Meta and Apple performed the best, with the rest being similar to Bitcoin."Kendrick believes that Bitcoin's rebound will depend on two main catalysts: a recovery in risk assets overall or Bitcoin-specific positive news (such as sovereign purchases). He pointed out that clearer tariff policies or a rapid rate cut by the Federal Reserve would help boost the market, "the probability of a rate cut in the May meeting rising from the current 50% to 75% could trigger a rebound." Although Bitcoin may quickly test the $69,000 support level if it falls below $76,500 in the short term, he still maintains a target forecast of $200,000 by the end of 2025.Next week's Federal Reserve interest rate decision will be a significant test for Bitcoin. Rohit Jain, Managing Director of CoinDCX Ventures, stated that if the Federal Reserve maintains the current interest rates as expected, it could lead to Bitcoin testing the $70,000 support level.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jin Shi reports, Standard Chartered Bank's Global Head of G10 Foreign Exchange Research and North American Macro Strategy, Steven Englander, stated that despite the slowdown in economic growth, market concerns about a U.S. economic recession may be overstated. Although high interest rates and government spending issues continue to raise worries, he believes that economic data does not fully support the most pessimistic scenarios.Englander pointed out that in the coming months, falling energy prices and improved weather conditions may boost consumer spending, thereby supporting economic growth. Englander expects the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates twice this year, in the second and third quarters, respectively. However, due to ongoing fiscal policy support for government spending, the likelihood of further rate cuts is low. In contrast, given stable inflation and wage growth, the Bank of Japan may raise interest rates twice, which would allow the yen to perform better than other major currencies.The recent wave of U.S. tariffs may push up inflation, but the impact is manageable. Englander believes that although tariffs may lead to price increases, the overall impact will still be within a controllable range. He also predicts that the U.S. government will use fiscal policy to support economic growth, which may strengthen the dollar in the second half of the year.

ChainCatcher news, Standard Chartered analyst Geoff Kendrick stated that the U.S. may sell part of its gold reserves in a budget-neutral manner to fund strategic Bitcoin reserves for purchasing Bitcoin. Geoff Kendrick added that one option is to utilize the Exchange Stabilization Fund (ESF), which holds $39 billion in net assets. He also suggested encouraging U.S. states and institutional investors (including long-term pension funds) to allocate to Bitcoin under the leadership of the federal government.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, Standard Chartered's Head of Digital Assets Research Geoff Kendrick stated that the cryptocurrency reserve strategy announced by Trump provides long-term stability for Bitcoin, bringing renewed attention to his previously predicted target of $500,000.Kendrick noted in an investor report: "We have shifted from selling on rebounds to buying on dips, so I am refocusing on the $500,000 target for Bitcoin." He predicts that Bitcoin will reach $200,000 by the end of 2025, $300,000 by the end of 2026, $400,000 by the end of 2027, and $500,000 by the end of 2028, potentially maintaining that level until the end of 2029.Kendrick also emphasized the strategic importance of Trump's cryptocurrency reserve plan, believing it could encourage U.S. states to develop their own Bitcoin reserve plans, potentially holding a quantity of Bitcoin comparable to that of the federal government (around 200,000 coins). He stated: "Trump's announcement of the crypto reserve eliminated the possibility of 'bad outcomes' and created space for the crypto market to begin to rise."