Bitwise CIO Says Trillions in Institutional Money Could Push Bitcoin to $1.3 Million by 2035

Highlights:

• Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan says institutional investors could bring trillions of dollars into Bitcoin over the next decade.
• Bitwise expects growing institutional adoption to support Bitcoin’s long-term price target of $1.3 million by 2035.
• Financial advisers, pension funds, insurers, and sovereign wealth funds could become major sources of future Bitcoin demand.

Bitcoin could attract trillions of dollars from institutional investors over the next decade, according to Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan. Speaking to CoinDesk on August 8, Hougan said growing adoption by financial advisers, pension funds, insurance companies, family offices, and sovereign wealth funds could become a major source of Bitcoin demand.

Hougan believes this institutional shift could support Bitwise’s long-term Bitcoin price target of around $1.3 million by 2035. The forecast is based on the amount of capital controlled by large financial institutions and Bitcoin’s growing role as a store-of-value asset.

🚨 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗙𝗟𝗢𝗪 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗢 𝗕𝗜𝗧𝗖𝗢𝗜𝗡, 𝗦𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗕𝗜𝗧𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗘’𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗔𝗡

• Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan says trillions of dollars in institutional capital could eventually flow into Bitcoin as adoption… pic.twitter.com/0oe9ZnG8S6

— TonTrader (@TonTraderCom) August 8, 2026

Institutional Bitcoin Demand Could Bring Trillions Into the Market

Hougan said global institutions control between $100 trillion and $200 trillion in assets. Even a small allocation to Bitcoin could therefore bring a large amount of capital into the cryptocurrency market. For example, a 1% Bitcoin allocation would represent between $1 trillion and $2 trillion in potential investment.

Financial advisers and family offices could lead the next stage of institutional Bitcoin adoption, according to Hougan. Larger investors, including pension funds, endowments, insurance companies, and sovereign wealth funds, may follow as Bitcoin becomes easier to access through regulated investment products.

Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, have already helped connect Bitcoin with traditional finance. These funds allow investors to gain exposure to Bitcoin through regular brokerage accounts without directly buying or storing BTC.

Major financial firms have also expanded access to Bitcoin investment products. Hougan pointed to institutions such as Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo as examples of traditional finance becoming more involved in digital assets. “Institutions have most of the money in the world,” Hougan said. Retail investors played an important role in Bitcoin’s early growth. However, Hougan expects institutional investors to become a much larger driver of Bitcoin demand over the coming years.

Bitwise Bitcoin Price Target Reaches $1.3 Million by 2035

Bitwise’s $1.3 million Bitcoin price forecast is partly based on Bitcoin gaining a larger share of the global store-of-value market. Hougan compared Bitcoin with gold, which remains one of the world’s largest assets used to preserve wealth. He noted that gold’s market value has expanded significantly since gold ETFs became available in the United States in 2004.

If the overall store-of-value market continues growing and Bitcoin captures around 25% of that market, Bitwise estimates BTC could reach about $1.3 million per coin by 2035. However, the figure remains a long-term forecast rather than a guaranteed Bitcoin price target. Bitcoin’s future value will depend on institutional adoption, market demand, regulation, and wider economic conditions.

Bitcoin Demand Could Expand Beyond Strategy

Hougan also expects Bitcoin demand to become less dependent on major corporate buyers such as Strategy. Strategy, led by Executive Chairman Michael Saylor, has built one of the largest corporate Bitcoin holdings in the world. However, wider access through spot Bitcoin ETFs could reduce the market’s reliance on a small number of large buyers.

Instead, Bitcoin demand could increasingly come from financial advisers, asset managers, pension funds, insurance companies, and other institutional investors. The broader shift would bring Bitcoin closer to traditional investment markets.