Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson, an early cryptocurrency builder who also co-founded Ethereum, has forecast that Bitcoin will reach $250,000 within 24 months, with artificial intelligence playing a central role in his outlook for cryptocurrency demand. His argument extends beyond prices: autonomous AI agents, he said, will need digital assets to conduct business, while the industry still needs to make crypto easier and more private to use. Market data cited alongside his remarks flagged $80,000 and roughly $82,500 as key Bitcoin levels.

Hoskinson's $250,000 target

Hoskinson set out the $250,000 target during a fireside chat at TOKEN2049, a major annual crypto industry conference held in Singapore, with Ana Tutova, founder of AI Crypto Minds, according to a report by Cryptonomist. He maintained a bullish view while discussing both cryptocurrency adoption and the practical obstacles facing users.

"Yeah, I'm still very very bullish. You know, the next 24 months that Bitcoin will reach $250,000," Hoskinson said.

His prediction sits alongside a broader argument about demand for blockchain services. He pointed to AI-driven economic activity and real-world asset tokenization as applications that could move the industry beyond speculative trading. The forecast therefore rests on an adoption thesis rather than a technical one: it hinges on whether new categories of users, including automated agents, actually transact on-chain.

AI agents as a source of crypto demand

Hoskinson argued that autonomous AI agents will need cryptocurrencies to make payments, purchase services and participate in online marketplaces. He singled out stablecoins — tokens designed to hold a fixed value against reference assets such as the US dollar — as a potential financial infrastructure for those activities.

"For agents to have agency and for agents to have economic identity has to be crypto," he said.

He linked that economic activity to a substantial expansion in blockchain use. If developers integrate AI and crypto effectively, Hoskinson said, transaction volumes across several cryptocurrencies could increase 10x or 100x. He also expressed the view that such growth would benefit prices.

Utility, privacy and simpler tools

Hoskinson said the industry needs to prioritize practical applications rather than depend primarily on price speculation. AI and real-world asset tokenization were his examples of uses that could give blockchain networks a broader economic role.

"We have to move beyond speculation to utility," he said.

Despite progress in user numbers and market value, he said digital assets remain too complicated for widespread everyday use. He also identified privacy as an obstacle for institutions, since publicly accessible transactions can reveal sensitive financial information.

Hoskinson expects blockchain development to place greater emphasis on usability, identity, privacy and interoperability. In his view, improvements in those areas could help bring cryptocurrencies into mainstream financial activity before the decade ends.

Bitcoin market indicators point to key levels

The on-chain analytics platform Santiment identified $80,000 as an important Bitcoin level and said a recovery above roughly $82,500 would strengthen its case for a local bottom — analyst shorthand for a short-term price low within a broader cycle, rather than a call on the long-term trend. Its assessment also drew on a decline in wallet participation.

Santiment reported that approximately 30,000 non-empty Bitcoin wallets had disappeared from the count since October 16, leaving around 59.95 million. The platform suggested smaller holders were leaving after prolonged price stagnation, a pattern it associated with conditions that can precede a local bottom.

CryptoQuant analyst Trader Gemini separately highlighted Bitcoin's Trader Realized Price, then in the mid-$70,000 range. The metric measures the average acquisition price of coins last moved between one and three months earlier; the analyst noted its history of providing support during some bullish periods.

The market snapshot in the report recorded Bitcoin at $80,550 following a 4.14% increase over 24 hours — sitting just above the $80,000 level Santiment flagged and roughly $2,000 short of the recovery threshold it described.

For readers tracking the setup, the cited analyses leave concrete markers: whether Bitcoin holds the $80,000 area, whether it reaches the roughly $82,500 level tied to Santiment's bottom case, and whether the wallet count stops shrinking.

Read together, Hoskinson's comments tied his price outlook to adoption-driven demand from AI applications, while the analytics cited in the report focused on holder behavior and price levels during a period of prolonged stagnation.