Banking institution Citigroup (C) has upgraded its price projections for bitcoin BTC$83,251.45 and ether ETH$2,675.50 following a return of exchange-traded fund (ETF) inflows and favorable economic backdrops, according to a Wednesday publication.
Citi boosted its 12-month prediction for bitcoin from $82,000 to $113,000 and for ether from $2,240 to $3,028. These figures indicate projected gains of roughly 35% for BTC and 12% for ETH relative to their current valuations.
The bank anticipates “more gradual yet stickier” capital entering vehicles like ETFs as wealth managers and trading firms opt for incremental increases in their bitcoin exposure, predicting $5 billion in inflows over the upcoming year.
U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs had previously suffered cumulative net outflows of $5.8 billion leading up to July 13. However, this trend has reversed in subsequent months, with net inflows for 2026 hitting $800 million by late September.
Even though the U.S. Senate failed to pass the Clarity Act in mid-September, Citi notes that subsequent regulatory announcements by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) helped suppress negative market sentiment, describing them as “a brief yet significant positive.”
“During this phase of the electoral cycle, regulatory rulemaking might act as a substitute for a lasting Clarity Act,” Citi stated. “Nevertheless, we recognize the risk that a leadership transition in 2028 could overturn agency-issued guidelines, though this possibility remains outside our current forecasting timeframe.”
The digital asset market demonstrated strong durability following the Senate’s rejection of the Clarity Act on September 15, with bitcoin advancing upwards of 10% before the month concluded.
Citi pointed to the U.S. Treasury’s decision to repurchase long-term bonds as a key catalyst that revived enthusiasm throughout the cryptocurrency sector, enabling it to break free from a prolonged period of lagging behind other risk-on assets.
Originally published at https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/10/01/citigroup-raises-12-month-bitcoin-target-to-usd113-000-as-etf-inflows-resume.
