Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has made a bold prediction for Bitcoin, suggesting its price could surge to $180,000 within a year. Speaking at Binance Blockchain Week, he attributed his bullish outlook to improving regulatory clarity in the United States, stating he is “more optimistic than I’ve been in years” about the market’s direction heading into 2026.

His forecast arrives even as the digital asset market navigates renewed turbulence, with Bitcoin recently pulling back significantly from its latest record high. Despite the volatility, Garlinghouse and other industry leaders appear unfazed, pointing to strengthening fundamentals.

Institutional Capital and a Shifting U.S. Stance

Garlinghouse argued that the primary catalyst for Bitcoin’s potential growth is accelerating institutional engagement, driven largely by a changing U.S. regulatory environment. He noted that the U.S., which represents 22% of the global economy, had been “really openly hostile to crypto” for years, but that sentiment is now shifting.

This change is encouraging major financial players to enter the market. “Just this week, Vanguard has now opened up… [after] historically saying we won’t touch crypto,” he remarked. Garlinghouse also highlighted the growing inflows into crypto Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) as a key indicator. While acknowledging that crypto currently makes up a small fraction of the total ETF market, he confidently stated, “a year from now, that will be more than 1% or 2%.”

From Speculation to Real-World Utility

Addressing the market’s recent downturn, Garlinghouse framed it as part of a familiar cycle. “Crypto has gone through cycles. When you have risk on, people are excited… now you have kind of a risk-off moment,” he explained. He insisted that institutions haven’t been scared away by the volatility, but are instead taking a measured approach. “They’re getting involved, and they’re starting small… they’re going to crawl, then they’re going to walk, then they’re going to run,” he said.

More importantly, he believes the industry is maturing beyond pure speculation toward practical applications. “We are also seeing real-world applications where it’s not just about the speculation,” Garlinghouse noted. “It’s about solving real-world problems.”

Market Corrections Viewed as Normal

Bitcoin has faced significant volatility recently, with a sharp correction wiping out roughly $20 billion in leveraged positions and causing funding rates in perpetual futures to turn negative. However, many industry veterans view these movements as a healthy feature of a maturing market.

Solana Foundation President Lily Liu described the pullback as an expected event following a major rally. “Irrational up, you’re going to have a correction… that’s exactly what we’ve seen,” she said. Recalling past market cycles where Bitcoin’s price saw extreme fluctuations, she suggested the current price action is a sign of long-term health and growth.

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