With a market cap north of $2.2 trillion, more than half the value of every cryptocurrency combined, Bitcoin is a financial phenomenon.
But one of its most outspoken champions, Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor, doesn’t think Bitcoin’s story has even started. In fact, his latest forecast makes today’s price tag look like pocket change.
Earlier this year, Saylor floated a long-term target of $13 million per coin by 2045. By June, he raised it again, to a jaw-dropping $21 million but could Bitcoin truly get there?
Key Points
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Michael Saylor believes Bitcoin could reach $21 million per coin by 2045.
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At that price, Bitcoin’s market cap would soar to $440 trillion.
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Even if Bitcoin simply matches the $24.4 trillion gold market, it could be worth over $1.1 million per coin.
Why Saylor Thinks Bitcoin Will Reshape Finance
Most people still don’t use Bitcoin to buy groceries or pay rent. The real traction has come from investors who treat it like “digital gold” a scarce, decentralized store of value secured by blockchain.
But Saylor’s vision goes far beyond gold comparisons. He believes every major asset in the world, from real estate to stocks to commodities, will eventually be “tokenized” and tracked on blockchains, eliminating entire layers of friction in global finance.
Saylor sees Bitcoin as the reserve currency that would underpin this new tokenized world. Because it’s decentralized and outside the control of governments or corporations, he argues Bitcoin could become the universal medium for settling transactions in tokenized assets.
The implications of Saylor’s $21 million per coin call are staggering. With a hard-capped supply of 21 million coins, that price would give Bitcoin a market value of over $440 trillion.
The Roadblocks Few Talk About
For all the enthusiasm, there are thorny challenges. Tokenization doesn’t automatically mean Bitcoin must be the bridge asset. Even if equities, or bonds migrate to blockchains, participants could just as easily settle trades in dollars, euros, or central-bank digital currencies.
And while Saylor points to a pro-crypto White House under Donald Trump as a tailwind, turning that into a coordinated global framework is another matter.
A More Grounded Benchmark Is Gold
Here’s where things get interesting for investors. If Bitcoin simply matched the value of the world’s gold reserves, about $24.4 trillion, each coin would be worth roughly $1.16 million, a 10x.
And while Bitcoin doesn’t generate cash flows like stocks or bonds, that’s also true of gold. Value here is about trust and scarcity. The question is whether Bitcoin can win over enough investors, institutions, and eventually governments treat it as a legitimate store of value.
Why Saylor Keeps Beating the Drum
It’s worth remembering that Saylor isn’t just an observer. Through Strategy, he controls over 630k Bitcoin, making him one of the largest individual holders on the planet.
His bold forecasts keep the spotlight on Bitcoin, and by extension, on Strategy’s approach of using it as a corporate treasury asset. The higher Bitcoin goes, the more justified his controversial balance-sheet gamble looks.
So, Now What?
Saylor’s $21 million Bitcoin target may never happen because it would require Bitcoin to eclipse the value of every stock, bond, and home on Earth.
But even dialing his vision back leaves room for extraordinary upside. If Bitcoin merely claims gold’s mantle as the world’s dominant store of value, it could still mint million-dollar coins and deliver life-changing returns for early adopters.