Can 50 Million New Investors Push Bitcoin to $100K?

• Vanguard reversed its crypto ban and now allows 50 million clients to access Bitcoin ETFs starting December 2025.

• Bitcoin jumped 6% to $93,000 on the news and liquidated $400M in short positions within 24 hours.

• If just 1% of Vanguard’s $11T flows into Bitcoin that represents $110B in new potential capital.

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Vanguard—one of the world’s largest asset managers—shocked the financial industry by reversing its long-held anti-crypto stance. The firm, which oversees $11 trillion in client assets, now allows Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and cryptocurrency ETFs on its brokerage platform starting December 2, 2025. This policy shift opens access for Vanguard’s 50 million clients (many of them conservative investors) to finally buy regulated crypto investment products.

The move validates crypto’s place in mainstream finance and raises a critical question: could this influx of potential capital help drive Bitcoin’s price back to the $100,000 mark?

For years, Vanguard stood out as a major holdout  even as other financial giants embraced digital assets. When the first U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs launched in January 2024 after lengthy SEC battles, Vanguard actively blocked its customers from buying those funds. So what changed by late 2025?

Vanguard’s reversal came from shifts both inside and outside the company—new leadership played a key role. In July 2024, Vanguard appointed Salim Ramji as CEO, the first outsider to head the firm. Ramji came from BlackRock’s iShares division, where he helped launch that firm’s Bitcoin ETF, bringing a much more crypto-friendly perspective.

Externally, regulations around crypto developed significantly. Under a more innovation-friendly administration, the SEC eased its stance and approved multiple spot crypto ETFs. Competitors like Fidelity, Charles Schwab, and traditional banks moved ahead with crypto offerings, creating competitive pressure Vanguard couldn’t ignore. Studies found many younger, wealthy clients were leaving advisors who couldn’t offer crypto options, highlighting a growing business risk.

Faced with these realities, Vanguard capitulated. The firm still won’t launch its own crypto funds, sticking to its core indexing philosophy. However, it now serves as a gateway for clients to buy crypto ETFs from other issuers like BlackRock, Fidelity, and Bitwise.

The sheer scale of Vanguard’s $11 trillion clientele means the impact won’t arrive as a one-time tsunami, but as persistent demand. Fifty million new potential investors with trillions in assets don’t create overnight pumps—they create steady, persistent demand that supports multi-year bull markets.

The immediate market reaction to Vanguard’s crypto reversal was emphatic. Bitcoin’s price jumped roughly 6% in a single day when the news hit, briefly breaching $93,000 before settling around $91,000. Within minutes of the U.S. market opening on December 2, a wave of buying pressure sparked a sharp rally, catching many traders off guard.

The surge liquidated an estimated $400 million worth of short positions—bets that Bitcoin’s price would fall—in 24 hours, as pessimistic traders scrambled to cover. One analyst noted the “violent move from $88,000 to $93,000 happened so fast because the market had loaded up on shorts” that got squeezed.

Options markets saw heavy activity too, with large call options accumulating around the $95,000 to $100,000 strikes. That’s a sign some big players are positioning for Bitcoin approaching the $100K threshold soon.

Many crypto analysts are bullish about what Vanguard’s entry means for Bitcoin. They point out that Bitcoin’s supply is fixed at 21 million coins, with over 19.6 million already mined. Any influx of new buyers can have an outsized effect on price given the scarce supply. With tens of millions of new investors now gaining easy access through a trusted platform, the pool of potential Bitcoin demand has expanded dramatically.

Each major wave of institutional adoption in the past has coincided with a leap in Bitcoin’s valuation. The late 2017 boom was fueled by retail and initial coin offerings. The 2020-2021 cycle saw Bitcoin soar to $69,000 amid retail frenzy and corporate treasury buys. The 2024-2025 cycle, after ETF approvals, sent Bitcoin to new highs around $126,000 in October 2025.

Bulls argue that Vanguard’s embrace could mark the next leg of Bitcoin’s maturation, potentially driving it to six-figure prices on sustained institutional buying. Some optimistic projections suggest Bitcoin could climb to $150,000-$200,000 by the end of 2026 if mainstream adoption continues at this pace, meaning $100K might be just a stepping stone.

Vanguard’s entry has sparked a new wave of bullish Bitcoin predictions. Here are three possible predictions for the BTC price heading into 2026.

In an optimistic scenario, Bitcoin enters 2026 with strong momentum as Vanguard clients allocate even modest percentages to crypto. If just 1% of Vanguard’s $11 trillion flows into Bitcoin ETFs over the next year, that’s $110 billion in new capital. Combined with continued institutional demand and regulatory clarity, Bitcoin could push past $100,000 and test $120,000-$150,000 by late 2026.

Outside Vanguard’s influence, other catalysts support this case. U.S. regulators approved the first spot Bitcoin ETFs in January 2024, opening crypto to mainstream funds. ETFs have gathered roughly $121 billion in assets by December 2025. Assuming continued strong ETF inflows (several billion per quarter) and no major macro shocks, Bitcoin would likely follow a grinding uptrend toward new all-time highs.

In a moderate scenario, Bitcoin’s price rises steadily but without parabolic gains. Vanguard’s customers remain conservative and allocate slowly. Initial allocation rates might be around 0.1% to 0.2% of eligible Vanguard assets flowing into crypto early on, translating to just a few billion dollars spread across various crypto ETFs over the first year.

That alone won’t catapult Bitcoin’s price to six figures overnight. The base case portrays Bitcoin making modest gains into 2026, aided by steady investment from Vanguard investors, institutional flows, and clearer U.S. regulation, but without the hyper-enthusiasm or panic of extreme cases. Bitcoin trades in a $90,000-$110,000 range for much of 2026, with occasional tests of $115,000-$120,000 during bullish periods.

Cautious analysts urge a more tempered outlook if things don’t go according to plan. Critics point out that Vanguard is late to the party—their clients missed out on huge gains from 2023 to 2025 while the firm dragged its feet, and those big early opportunities won’t simply repeat on command.

Additionally, macroeconomic headwinds could dampen enthusiasm. If the Federal Reserve holds rates higher for longer or if recession fears intensify, risk assets like Bitcoin could suffer. The timing of Vanguard’s reversal also matters. Bitcoin already rallied from $15,000 in late 2022 to over $126,000 in October 2025—much of the institutional adoption story might already be priced in.

In a bearish scenario, Bitcoin could consolidate in the $70,000-$85,000 range through 2026, with brief spikes to $95,000 followed by pullbacks. The $100,000 milestone would remain elusive as profit-taking and cautious macro sentiment cap gains.

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