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Stiles Mackenzie
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Host/Announcer
Welcome to this special edition. Markets daily from ConsenSys 2025 Bitwise Asset Management is a leading crypto asset manager driving institutional crypto adoption with its low fee Bitcoin ETF attracting billions in inflows and seeing client allocations rise from 1% to 3% in recent months. Chief Investment Officer Matt Hogan is no stranger to coindesk and bold forecasts, including a $200,000 Bitcoin price target for 2025. Matt, we got a lot to talk about. All right, first of all, this $200,000 price target for 2025. Right now Bitcoin is at about $103,000. What are the catalysts are going to get us to 200?
Matt Hogan
Yeah, it's great to be here. The short answer to that is demand and supply. The thing about bitcoin right now the reason this is the best moment in history to buy Bitcoin on a risk adjusted basis is there is just too much structural demand for the amount of supply in the network. Bitcoin only produces 165,000 bitcoin per year. Last year ETFs bought half a million bitcoin. I think they may buy more than that this year. Add on corporate buying and government buying, there is just too much demand. I don't think anything stops the train. We feel more confident about that $200,000 prediction today than we made it in December of 2024.
Host/Announcer
That being said, Bitcoin is now a bit Range bound. We've seen between 100, 105,000. What's going on?
Matt Hogan
Yeah, so there are select number of sellers who have been willing to sell around the $100,000 point. Why? Because some of that selling has come from FTX, some of it has come from Mt. Gox distributions. But we think that is running out of supply. Once we break loose of the $100,000 sort of range bound, I think it's blue skies ahead. I think we go to the next behavioral stopping point which may be 150 maybe we have to work through that. And then I think we end the year above 200k.
Unnamed Analyst
You all have done an amazing job of helping educate the market and bringing that kind of first 2024 year of Bitcoin adoption, getting the momentum going. I think with the rest of crypto a lot of the education has to take place. There's what a quarter trillion of stablecoins that need layer ones. There's rwas that need layer ones. There's meme coins that need layer ones. Yet I think people, the everyday investor still needs to ascertain or get a little bit more confidence with everything else outside bitcoin. How's that going? What are your next steps?
Matt Hogan
Yeah, I'll say that that story has started to shift. You know, before I came to this event I was at a major regional broker dealer financial advisor event. They managed about half a trillion dollars in assets. I had five times the number of questions about Ethereum than I had at any conference before that. And the reason was the things you were saying. People are wondering how do I invest in stablecoins, how do I invest in tokenization? I think as they start to knit that together with what that means from looking down chain beyond Bitcoin, we're going to see some diversification beyond Bitcoin. Bitcoin is still king of the hill. It's still going to track the most flows. But I think people are probably too skeptical on ETH and Solana flows into traditional financial products. I think it's got to hit up sort of tick up at the end of the year.
Unnamed Analyst
How critical will staking yields be? We saw that, you know, Europe, now Canada is that little trickle of dividend like income, although it's not dividends. Dividend like income coming on top of an ETF holding. Does that add enough kind of spice into the, into the equation?
Matt Hogan
I think it's helpful. But the real story is eth properly, right, Eth went down what 60% from its all time highs. If you, if you staked and earned a few percent, you were still sad. So I think most people are betting first and foremost on eth. The staking will be nice. It will be a reason to buy the ETF and not do it directly. But it's not a game changer. The game changer for ETH is the change in the Ethereum Foundation. The game changer is the success of the PETRA upgrade. The game changer is maybe stablecoin and market structure regulation. I would look to those things more than I would the addition of staking. If you want to see ETH ETFs go to tens of billions of dollars.
Unnamed Analyst
Right. And do you think people are starting to knit together the use cases of Defi and what Ether is trying to do? Maybe the stablecoin legislation is a pivot point there? Or are people starting to get that because the bitcoin story is pretty locked in? The growth story still is still a bit ethereal to you?
Matt Hogan
Yeah, yeah, I think they're starting to, but I don't think we're there yet. Right. I think that you need to knit together a few positive stories and you really need to see the inflection. I think if we get stablecoin legislation passed, that'll be the next sort of leg in the stool. I think it'll be helpful. Look, I'm very optimistic for ETH long term. I'm less certain in the intermediate term. I think in the intermediate and short term the stock for Bitcoin is very clear that demand supply mismatch. I think ETH has more work to do, but I do think investors are looking at it as maybe almost a value play in crypto. Those aren't words that we use very often. Often the hype exceeds the fundamentals. It may be the case that the fundamentals are exceeding the hype on eth. That can be interesting for people with, let's say a two year timeframe.
Unnamed Analyst
Right, right.
Host/Announcer
What are some of the macroeconomic factors that you're looking at that will impact the crypto markets? We see with the tariffs that had a lot of global uncertainty around trade and that brought that spooked markets earlier in April, but now they seem to be rebounding as well as what the Fed might do and what U.S. commerce Secretary Scott Besson might be doing with the treasury buybacks. What are you looking at?
Matt Hogan
Yeah, the best thing that can happen from a macro perspective is us not talking about it and not worrying about it. I mean, the crypto specific drivers are so positive right now. I think we would be much higher today if we hadn't gone through this crazy V shaped macro thing. It distracted all of us from the fundamentals being so strong in crypto. So I'm hoping we've entered this more new normal period where the tariff discussions aren't as volatile, where interest rates maybe we go down 25 or 50 basis points, but we're not going see sawing to zero and back to five again. The best thing the macro can do is get out of the way because the crypto specific fundamentals are so strong. I want crypto to be in the driver's seat of where crypto prices are going. I think that's going to happen and if that's true, it's going to be a great rest of the year.
Unnamed Analyst
That being said, Bitcoin was kind of a mooring, you know, in mid April and then sprang back to life as a, as an all time high seeker, right?
Matt Hogan
Yeah, I think that's right. Well, I do think we learned something from the April sort of tariff tantrum. Yeah. This was the first macro shock where traditional investors could access Bitcoin. If you go back to previous macro shocks like the taper tantrum or the last China trade war in 2018, traditional shops couldn't use Bitcoin as a tool. There weren't ETFs, there weren't regulated futures. People wonder why did bitcoin decouple from stocks this time when it hadn't in the past? Because all of a sudden traditional investors could use it for what it's built for, which is a hedging tool. So I think that's an indication of where we'll be in the future. I think the correlations are going to go down over time and not up. But again, the story on Bitcoin is a demand story of institutions moving hundreds of billions of dollars into this asset. And macro is sort of on the sideline.
Host/Announcer
Yep. And you're talking to them. Thanks for the update, Matt.
Matt Hogan
Thank you for having me.
Host/Announcer
Hey. That was Bitwise Asset Management Chief Investment Officer Matt Hogan. Later in the program, Robinhood and Wonderfi will be joining us to talk about their latest merger. Keep watching coin s live at consensus2025 for more.
Podcast Information:
In this special edition of Markets Daily Crypto Roundup, CoinDesk delves into the future of Bitcoin with insights from Matt Hogan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise Asset Management. With Bitwise leading the charge in institutional crypto adoption through its low-fee Bitcoin ETF, Hogan presents an ambitious $200,000 price target for Bitcoin by 2025. The discussion navigates through market dynamics, broader cryptocurrency adoption, Ethereum's evolving role, staking yields, and macroeconomic factors influencing the crypto landscape.
Host: "Matt, we got a lot to talk about. All right, first of all, this $200,000 price target for 2025. Right now Bitcoin is at about $103,000. What are the catalysts that are going to get us to 200?"
Matt Hogan ([01:40]):
"The short answer to that is demand and supply. The thing about Bitcoin right now—the reason this is the best moment in history to buy Bitcoin on a risk-adjusted basis—is there is just too much structural demand for the amount of supply in the network. Bitcoin only produces 165,000 bitcoins per year. Last year, ETFs bought half a million bitcoins. I think they may buy more than that this year. Add on corporate buying and government buying, there is just too much demand. I don't think anything stops the train. We feel more confident about that $200,000 prediction today than we made it in December of 2024."
Hogan underscores the fundamental economic principles of demand and supply driving Bitcoin's price surge. With a limited annual production of bitcoins and burgeoning institutional interest—exemplified by ETF inflows—Hogan posits that the relentless demand will propel Bitcoin to unprecedented heights by 2025.
Host: "That being said, Bitcoin is now a bit range-bound. We've seen between $100,000 and $105,000. What's going on?"
Matt Hogan ([02:21]):
"There are a select number of sellers who have been willing to sell around the $100,000 point. Some of that selling has come from FTX, some from Mt. Gox distributions. But we think that is running out of supply. Once we break free of the $100,000 sort of range bound, I think it's blue skies ahead. I think we go to the next behavioral stopping point which may be 150, maybe we have to work through that. And then I think we end the year above 200k."
Hogan explains that the current range-bound behavior around the $100,000 mark is due to selling pressures from entities like FTX and Mt. Gox. However, he anticipates that as this selling pressure diminishes, Bitcoin is poised to break out of this range, potentially soaring to $150,000 before reaching the targeted $200,000.
Unnamed Analyst ([02:49]):
"You all have done an amazing job of helping educate the market and bringing that kind of first year of Bitcoin adoption, getting the momentum going. I think with the rest of crypto, a lot of the education has to take place. There's what a quarter trillion of stablecoins that need layer ones. There's RWAs that need layer ones. There's meme coins that need layer ones. Yet I think the everyday investor still needs to ascertain or get a little bit more confidence with everything else outside Bitcoin. How's that going? What are your next steps?"
Matt Hogan ([03:18]):
"Yeah, I'll say that that story has started to shift. You know, before I came to this event I was at a major regional broker-dealer financial advisor event. They managed about half a trillion dollars in assets. I had five times the number of questions about Ethereum than I had at any conference before that. And the reason was the things you were saying. People are wondering how do I invest in stablecoins, how do I invest in tokenization? I think as they start to knit that together with what that means from looking down chain beyond Bitcoin, we're going to see some diversification beyond Bitcoin. Bitcoin is still king of the hill. It's still going to track the most flows. But I think people are probably too skeptical on ETH and Solana flows into traditional financial products. I think it's got to tick up sort of at the end of the year."
The discussion shifts to the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem, highlighting that while Bitcoin retains its dominance, there's a growing interest in Ethereum and other layer-one solutions. Hogan notes a surge in questions about investing in stablecoins and tokenization, indicating a market that's beginning to explore beyond Bitcoin's confines. However, skepticism remains around Ethereum and Solana's integration into traditional financial products, which Hogan believes will improve as the year progresses.
Unnamed Analyst ([04:03]):
"How critical will staking yields be? We saw that, you know, Europe, now Canada is that little trickle of dividend-like income, although it's not dividends—dividend-like income coming on top of an ETF holding. Does that add enough kind of spice into the equation?"
Matt Hogan ([04:21]):
"I think it's helpful. But the real story is ETH properly, right, ETH went down about 60% from its all-time highs. If you, if you staked and earned a few percent, you were still sad. So I think most people are betting first and foremost on ETH. The staking will be nice. It will be a reason to buy the ETF and not do it directly. But it's not a game changer. The game changer for ETH is the change in the Ethereum Foundation. The game changer is the success of the PETRA upgrade. The game changer is maybe stablecoin and market structure regulation. I would look to those things more than I would the addition of staking. If you want to see ETH ETFs go to tens of billions of dollars."
Staking yields are discussed as a supplementary factor for Ethereum investment. While offering some financial incentives, Hogan emphasizes that the transformation of Ethereum's infrastructure—such as the Ethereum Foundation's initiatives and significant upgrades like PETRA—are more pivotal for mass adoption and substantial ETF growth. Staking alone, though beneficial, doesn't possess the transformative impact required to drive Ethereum ETFs into the tens of billions.
Unnamed Analyst ([06:06]):
"What are some of the macroeconomic factors that you're looking at that will impact the crypto markets? We see with the tariffs that had a lot of global uncertainty around trade and that brought that spooked markets earlier in April, but now they seem to be rebounding as well as what the Fed might do and what U.S. Commerce Secretary Scott Besson might be doing with the treasury buybacks. What are you looking at?"
Matt Hogan ([06:29]):
"The best thing that can happen from a macro perspective is us not talking about it and not worrying about it. I mean, the crypto-specific drivers are so positive right now. I think we would be much higher today if we hadn't gone through this crazy V-shaped macro thing. It distracted all of us from the fundamentals being so strong in crypto. So I'm hoping we've entered this more new normal period where the tariff discussions aren't as volatile, where interest rates maybe we go down 25 or 50 basis points, but we're not seeing sawing to zero and back to five again. The best thing the macro can do is get out of the way because the crypto-specific fundamentals are so strong. I want crypto to be in the driver's seat of where crypto prices are going. I think that's going to happen and if that's true, it's going to be a great rest of the year."
Hogan expresses a desire for macroeconomic stability, asserting that minimal interference from global economic factors would benefit the crypto market. He believes that strong crypto-specific fundamentals should dictate price movements, rather than external economic turbulences like tariffs or fluctuating interest rates. This autonomy would allow crypto to steer its own trajectory, fostering a more robust and resilient market.
Unnamed Analyst ([07:16]):
"That being said, Bitcoin was kind of a mooring, you know, in mid-April and then sprang back to life as an all-time high seeker, right?"
Matt Hogan ([07:24]):
"I think we learned something from the April sort of tariff tantrum. This was the first macro shock where traditional investors could access Bitcoin. If you go back to previous macro shocks like the taper tantrum or the last China trade war in 2018, traditional shops couldn't use Bitcoin as a tool. There weren't ETFs, there weren't regulated futures. People wonder why did Bitcoin decouple from stocks this time when it hadn't in the past? Because all of a sudden traditional investors could use it for what it's built for, which is a hedging tool. So I think that's an indication of where we'll be in the future. I think the correlations are going to go down over time and not up. But again, the story on Bitcoin is a demand story of institutions moving hundreds of billions of dollars into this asset. And macro is sort of on the sideline."
Hogan reflects on how Bitcoin is increasingly recognized as a hedging tool for traditional investors, especially during macroeconomic shocks. The availability of regulated financial instruments like ETFs and futures has allowed Bitcoin to serve its intended purpose as a hedge, leading to decreased correlation with traditional markets. This evolving perception strengthens Bitcoin's position as a stable asset amidst economic uncertainties.
Matt Hogan's bullish outlook on Bitcoin, driven by solid demand-supply fundamentals and institutional adoption, paints a promising picture for the cryptocurrency's future. While Bitcoin remains at the forefront, the broader crypto ecosystem, including Ethereum and stablecoins, is gaining traction as investors seek diversification. Macroeconomic stability and continued innovation within cryptocurrency infrastructures will play crucial roles in shaping the market's trajectory. As cryptocurrencies mature, their integration into traditional financial systems and their role as hedging tools are set to redefine investment landscapes, potentially leading to the projected $200,000 Bitcoin price by 2025.
Notable Quotes:
Matt Hogan ([01:40]):
"The thing about Bitcoin right now—the reason this is the best moment in history to buy Bitcoin on a risk-adjusted basis is there is just too much structural demand for the amount of supply in the network."
Matt Hogan ([06:29]):
"The best thing the macro can do is get out of the way because the crypto-specific fundamentals are so strong."
Matt Hogan ([07:24]):
"Bitcoin is built for, which is a hedging tool... the correlations are going to go down over time and not up."
This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the podcast, providing a clear and engaging overview for those who haven't listened to the episode.