Citi Raises Bitcoin Target To $113,000 As ETF Flows Recover
Citigroup lifted its 12-month bitcoin and ether forecasts after ETF inflows resumed, SEC rulemaking eased sentiment and bitcoin recovered after the Senate failed to advance the Clarity Act.
Citigroup lifted its 12-month bitcoin target to $113,000 from $82,000, CoinDesk reported, after exchange-traded fund inflows resumed and macro conditions turned more supportive for the cryptocurrency market.
The bank also raised its ether forecast to $3,028 from $2,240.
At the cited market levels, the new targets imply about 35% upside for bitcoin and roughly 12% for ether.
ETF demand is the main change behind the higher forecasts.
Citi expects inflows into products such as bitcoin ETFs to become “slower but stickier” as advisers and brokerages add allocations gradually rather than through one-off surges.
Citi put expected ETF inflows at $5 billion for the coming year.
After U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs showed $5.8 billion in net outflows for 2026 through July 13, later buying reversed the balance and left net inflows at $800 million by late September.
Regulatory momentum also shifted after the Senate failed to advance the Clarity Act on Sept. 15.
Citi described later Securities and Exchange Commission rule announcements as “a temporary but meaningful positive” because they softened negative sentiment around the bill’s setback.
“At this stage of the electoral cycle stage, rulemaking clarity may substitute for a durable Clarity Act,” Citi said.
The bank also warned that a 2028 administration change could roll back agency-issued rules, though it placed that risk outside its forecast horizon.
Bitcoin held up after the legislative setback, gaining more than 10% by the end of September.
The move gave Citi another sign that the market was absorbing policy uncertainty rather than treating the failed vote as a lasting brake on prices.
Citi also tied the improved setup to a Treasury buyback program for longer-dated bonds, which helped restore crypto-market momentum after months of underperformance against other risk assets.
For digital-asset investors, Citi’s revised targets turn the forecast on two measurable conditions: whether ETF inflows keep building from the $800 million year-to-date level, and whether agency rulemaking can keep supporting sentiment after the Clarity Act stalled.
