Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson is betting on Bitcoin, which he believes could hit $250,000 at the end of 2025 or early 2026.

In an interview on the "Beyond the Valley" podcast, the blockchain baron listed a confluence of clearer regulations in the U.S., big tech companies adopting stablecoins, and a potential pivot by the Federal Reserve as reasons behind the crypto market's next leg up.

He said, “Once the Fed lowers interest rates, you'll have a lot of fast, cheap money, and then it'll pour into crypto,"

His remarks also reflect heightened geopolitical uncertainty and a temporary pause on new U.S. tariffs unveiled by President Donald Trump. Bitcoin, which recently fell below $77,000, recovered to above $82,000 on April 9.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin sits at $81,586.33 , up by over 6% in the last 24 hours.

Hoskinson also added the so-called Magnificent 7 —Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, etc—will use stablecoins to make payment processing global. He feels crypto provides an alternative that is not as centralized in a time when traditional systems are under strain from tariff wars and trade disruption.

"Your only option for globalization is crypto," he stated, noting that treaties and global institutions are failing to keep up.

Is Hoskinson's prediction realistic?

Bitcoin's 10-year Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) has been on a steady decline, well below the 200% mark, down from over 400% in earlier years, according to Bitbo.

Though explosive growth is still possible in today's market, particularly in light of renewed inflows from institutional investors, history suggests that any jump would require particularly favorable conditions—rendering Hoskinson's prediction optimistic, if not impossible—especially with the asset's growing adoption.

According to a report published in January 2025, global crypto ownership increased by 13% year-over-year in 2024, growing from 580 million users at the end of 2023 to 659 million by December 2024.