Key Takeaways
- Tim Draper warned it is now “irresponsible” for companies not to hold Bitcoin.
- Arthur Hayes reiterated his bullish call for Bitcoin’s price to reach $125,000 by year-end.
- Michael Saylor and Mike Novogratz highlighted a potential Bitcoin supply squeeze.
Venture capitalist Tim Draper has urged companies to hold Bitcoin, calling it “irresponsible” not to, at Bitcoin 2026 in Las Vegas.
The remarks come amid renewed bullish sentiment from the industry’s biggest optimists, with BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes reiterating a $125,000 year-end Bitcoin price target, and Michael Saylor claiming a supply shock is on its way.
Draper Urges Corporate Bitcoin Adoption
Speaking at the conference on Monday, Draper said businesses should allocate a portion of their treasury to Bitcoin to hedge against what he described as the long-term erosion of fiat currencies.
“It’s irresponsible now for a company to operate and have a big treasury and not have some portion of that 5, 10,15% of that in Bitcoin,” Draper said.
He argued that traditional currencies lose value over time due to inflation, contrasting that with Bitcoin’s historical upward trajectory.
Draper claimed that where he used to tell people to hold Bitcoin because it was interesting, he now says they “better hold Bitcoin.”
“If you want to protect your family, you want to protect your company, you want to protect your country, you’d better have some Bitcoin,” he told the Las Vegas audience.
He also outlined a scenario in which increasing merchant acceptance of Bitcoin could accelerate a shift away from traditional banking.
“That can be a cataclysmic event,” Draper said, adding that companies should prepare for financial system disruptions.
Hayes Reiterates $125,000 Bitcoin Price
In a separate keynote, Hayes said global liquidity conditions appear to have bottomed late last year.
“The liquidity chart has bottomed… now it’s time to break out,” Hayes said, adding that he expects Bitcoin to reach around $125,000 by the end of the year.
Hayes has made similar predictions in recent days. Appearing on a podcast with Kyle Chasse, he cited potential monetary easing as a catalyst for dramatic growth.
He argued that geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty could push central banks toward looser policy, benefiting Bitcoin as a hedge.
However, Hayes’ forecasts have varied in the past.
Earlier this year, he warned Bitcoin could fall toward $60,000 amid tightening credit conditions before any sustained rally.
Previous Draper $250,000 Bitcoin Price Call
Draper recently revived his long-standing prediction that Bitcoin could reach $250,000.
Most recently suggesting the milestone could be achieved within the next 18 months.
The forecast is not new.
Draper first made the call in 2018, with his initial target for 2022. However, he has since extended the timeline several times while keeping the view that Bitcoin was heading higher.
Draper’s credibility as a respected forecaster for some stems from an earlier call in 2014, when he predicted Bitcoin would reach $10,000 within three years.
The crypto crossed that level in 2017.
However, the repeated delays to his $250,000 target have drawn scrutiny.
Novogratz Warns of Supply Squeeze
Also on stage at the event, Strategy CEO Michael Saylor told the crowd that a “massive supply shock” was heading towards Bitcoin.
It comes just days after Galaxy CEO Michael Novogratz said a supply squeeze could be imminent, pointing in particular to Strategy’s aggressive accumulation strategy.
Strategy recently disclosed it had acquired additional Bitcoin worth roughly $2.5 billion, bringing its holdings to more than 815,000 BTC.
Novogratz said the scale of such buying raises questions about market capacity, noting that sustained purchases at that level could exceed new supply.
“There’s not enough supply to eat up a billion a month—forget a billion a week,” he said.
Broader data also points to a tightening supply backdrop, with institutional investors and exchange-traded funds collectively holding a growing share of Bitcoin in circulation.
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
