Bitcoin’s $500,000 Bet, Ethereum’s AI Warning, Dogecoin ETF Drama and More: This Week in Crypto
Crypto markets had plenty to discuss this week, from a long-range Bitcoin forecast to shifting ownership patterns among governments. Corporate strategy, cybersecurity and exchange-traded funds also entered the conversation.
Analysts and industry executives offered competing signals: optimism about Bitcoin’s future, caution over dilution, concern about artificial intelligence and disappointment surrounding Dogecoin’s short-lived ETF experiment.
Bitcoin’s $500,000 Possibility
Strive CEO Matt Cole said Bitcoin could reach $500,000 by 2030, citing rising U.S. debt, potential Treasury bond market intervention and a weakening dollar. Speaking on the "What Bitcoin Did" podcast, Cole predicted the dollar could suffer its largest decline of the Bitcoin era within three to seven years.
Strategy’s Dilution Challenge
TD Cowen lifted its Bitcoin forecast to $109,000 but kept its price target for Strategy at $260. Analysts Lance Vitanza and Jonnathan Navarrete said the company’s capital structure could reduce the per-share benefit investors might otherwise receive from a higher Bitcoin price.
Governments Expand Bitcoin Holdings
Cryptocurrency analyst Willy Woo said nation-state adoption of Bitcoin has outpaced individual ownership. Woo referenced data from Bitcoin-focused company River, showing that the number of countries holding Bitcoin increased from two in 2016 to as many as 23 in 2025.
Buterin Flags AI-Related Cryptography Risks
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin urged the crypto industry to take "AI-accelerated attacks" seriously. In an X post, he said artificial intelligence could speed mathematical advances enough to weaken lattice-based cryptography, which is considered more resistant to quantum attacks.
Dogecoin ETF Heads Toward Shutdown
Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley called the firm’s spot Dogecoin ETF "tragic" as trading is scheduled to end after Oct. 14, less than one year after its November 2025 launch. Horsley said, "I like Dogecoin, I own Dogecoin," but added that the token "went nowhere as an ETF."
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