Different variants of the cryptocurrency, Dogecoin. – BBbirdZ // Shutterstock
By 2035 – just nine years from now – Finder.com’s group of crypto experts believe that bitcoin (BTC) will reach a peak average value of $695,882. Ether (ETH)? $21,856. And what about dogecoin (DOGE) and shiba inu (SHIB)? $0.82 and $0.0001010 respectively.
For bitcoin alone, that’s a 923% increase from its current price of $68,000 at the time of writing. But surprisingly, less than half of the Finder panel thinks these digital currencies are a buy right now.
So what’s going on here?
Each quarter, Finder asks a panel of cryptocurrency specialists where they see prices headed toward the end of the year, 2030, and 2035. Here are the averages of those predictions across four digital currencies.
Table showing price forecasts for the period 2026–2035. – Finder.com
If these predictions come true, bitcoin would gain more than half a million in value, ether would shed $20,000, and even the Shiba Inu would drop to zero. Returns like these would be hundreds of times the stock market’s historical average annual return of around 10%.
With potential increases like these, you’d think the Finder panel would be screaming for everyone to buy crypto now – right?
Well, it’s not quite that simple.
While polling the panelists, Finder didn’t just ask where crypto is headed. Here’s where the experts have come to whether to buy, hold, or sell your crypto holdings.
Table showing the percentage of probability to buy, hold or sell crypto holdings. – Finder.com
It’s a shocking disconnect. Finder experts predict returns that astronomically exceed traditional investments, but less than half recommend investing in any of the coins they were asked about.
So why is the panel predicting these absurd increases but not telling you to invest? Let’s start with bitcoin, where the disconnect is most dramatic.
The average Finder panel prediction for bitcoin by the end of the year is $133,688, but behind that average is a massive range of opinion. This divide becomes more exaggerated the further we zoom out.
Table showing Finder’s average prediction for bitcoin by the end of the year. – Finder.com
For 2026 alone, the difference between the high end and the low end is a $220,000 gap — and that’s based on a one-year prediction. By 2035, the results are even more extreme: $100 versus $1.35 million.
Chances are this isn’t just a difference in optimism. It’s a fundamentally different vision of crypto and its future place in society. Either that, or even the experts are just guessing.
Bulls in the Finder survey attribute their outlook to a few key factors. Josh Fraser, co-founder of Origin Protocol, bases his perspective on the world’s OG investment: gold.
“Bitcoin hitting $200K in 2026 and moving to $1M before 2035 comes down to a simple mathematical and macro reality: Bitcoin sits around a market cap of ~$2T, while gold is closer to ~$30M, and even reaching a third of that market cap would bring BTC to a price of $500,000 via fund adoption accelerated institutional (ETF), corporate treasuries and regulated custody, and bitcoin’s role as a global digital reserve asset continues to strengthen over the next decade.”
However, not everyone is convinced that BTC is digital gold. John Hawkins, head of the University of Canberra’s School of Government and the panel’s resident crypto-skeptic, says bitcoin has no underlying value:
“BTC is still a speculative bubble because it never achieved the original goal of being a widespread payment mechanism. Even if electronic assets like stablecoins, CBDCs (central bank digital currencies) or tokenized assets have a future, it does not mean that BTC has any fundamental value. Being supported by Trump will not keep prices up for very long.”
The panel can’t even agree on the world’s most established cryptocurrency, so you can imagine how they feel about the others.
Arguably the most well-known altcoin, ether, shares a similar outlook to bitcoin, according to Finder panelists. While a few believe it will crash and burn, others believe it will catapult into the stratosphere – increasing in value more than 30 times by 2035.
Let’s look at the predictions:
Table listing Ether, DOGE and Shiba Inu coin predictions for 2026-2035. – Finder.com
As you may have guessed, the same pattern plays out for the popular memecoins DOGE and SHIB. The most optimistic panelist thinks these memes will grow by over 300% and 7,000% respectively.
But collectively, the group advises against putting all your money into these internet jokes turned investable tokens. In fact, only 5% suggest buying shiba inu.
This is where it gets interesting. Let’s focus on bitcoin for a minute. Over half of the panel (57%) say it is currently underpriced, and yet only 43% say BTC is a buy right now. How can a majority think it’s underpriced but not recommend investing?
The answer seems to come down to time and uncertainty. Ben Ritchie, Managing Director of Alpha Node Global, explains:
“Bitcoin’s price outlook is shaped by late-cycle dynamics and tightening supply, not hype. Macroeconomic uncertainty has extended this cycle, but institutional demand is steadily building beneath the surface. A move toward $120,000 reflects bitcoin’s establishment of a new valuation range, rather than a speculative rally, although history suggests repeat discipline.”
YouHodler’s Ruslan Lienkha echoes this patience, recommending restraint:
“I think bitcoin has strong long-term growth potential because it is decentralized and has limited supply. However, as more institutions enter the market, liquidity increases and volatility decreases. This makes bitcoin more stable, but also means that its growth is likely to be slower, more gradual, and more closely tied to other risk assets and macroeconomic events.”
In other words: they see the positive side, but they are in no rush. For many members of the group, the massive potential gains do not outweigh the incredible uncertainty. If you could ask the average investor to sum up the history of cryptocurrency in one word, many would choose “volatile.”
Finder experts seem to agree on that, and possibly only that.
Take away? Crypto isn’t inherently a bad bet, but the old advice to “never invest more than you can afford to lose” may be more relevant than ever.
While there is quite a bit of disagreement, the Finder panel predicts amazing growth for crypto in the coming years. But these potential returns are weighed against equally significant downsides. Many still question whether bitcoin and its digital brethren have any real-world use, even after creating countless millionaires.
The data here isn’t a green light or a red light: it’s flashing yellow. If you choose to invest, proceed with caution and HODL.
This story was produced by Finder.com and reviewed and distributed by Forklift.
