Joe Burnett, Strive’s Bitcoin representative, shared a remarkable price prediction for Bitcoin in 2036.
Burnett stated that he maintains his 2025 prediction of $10 million in Bitcoin investments by 2035, while his base scenario for the first quarter of 2036 is $11 million.
According to Burnett, the key dynamic of the next decade will be the interaction of two powerful structural trends: AI-accelerated productivity growth and the corresponding expansion of monetary policy. He argues that AI will create deflationary pressure on prices by lowering production costs, prompting policymakers to respond by increasing the money supply. This expanded liquidity is expected to flow into an “absolutely rare” asset.
According to Burnett’s calculations, if the price of Bitcoin reaches $11 million, the network’s value will rise to approximately $230 trillion. Reminding us that global financial assets currently exceed $1,000 trillion, Burnett suggests that if assets grow at a compound annual rate of 7%, the total financial size could reach approximately $1,970 trillion in 2036. In this scenario, Bitcoin would represent approximately 12% of global financial assets.
According to Burnett, Bitcoin doesn’t need to replace all currencies or become universally used in daily transactions. $BTC’s role is to be a “long-term accumulation asset” in an era of expanding money supply and technological deflation.
According to the analysis, artificial intelligence is the strongest deflationary force since electrification in the industrial revolution. The replacement of human labor by AI in legal, financial, software development, and operational processes is fundamentally changing companies’ cost structures. This increases price pressure and narrows profit margins.
In debt-based fiat systems, persistent deflation destabilizes credit markets. While incomes and asset prices fall, nominal debt remains constant. Therefore, Burnett argues that central banks cannot allow deflation to persist for long, and the solution is inevitably an expansion of the money supply.
According to Burnett, historically every deflationary shock has resulted in interest rate cuts and balance sheet expansions. Citing the examples of 1987, 2001, 2008, 2020, and 2022, the strategist believes a similar reflex will kick in with AI-induced shocks.
However, it is noted that traditional assets have a limited capacity to absorb this expanding liquidity. Equities face increasing competition and creative destruction pressures, while real estate is balanced by increased supply. Government bonds, on the other hand, are directly linked to monetary policy.
At this point, Burnett argues that Bitcoin will become the natural target of global liquidity thanks to its absolute supply limit, portability, divisibility, and verifiability.
Burnett also draws attention to the concept of “Digital Credit” as a new Bitcoin-based financial structure. He notes that companies holding Bitcoin reserves issue credit instruments that generate dollar-denominated income, creating a two-tiered system: increased $BTC exposure for shareholders and stable dollar income for credit investors.
Burnett states that global credit markets are worth hundreds of trillions of dollars, and suggests that even a small allocation change in this area could create a structural increase in Bitcoin demand.
Burnett’s 2036 projection shows interest rates remaining low in developed countries. While productivity increases driven by AI continue, Bitcoin is trading at around $11 million, despite occasional sharp corrections of up to 50%.
In this scenario, sovereign wealth funds, corporate treasuries, and pension funds have adopted Bitcoin as a reserve asset. Bitcoin-backed credit instruments have become a standard component of global income portfolios.
According to Burnett, the market still prices Bitcoin as a traditional cyclical risk asset. However, he argues that in the next decade, Bitcoin will begin to be perceived as a “fundamental monetary infrastructure.”
“Deflation triggers monetary expansion. Monetary expansion is directed towards a durable store of value. Bitcoin absorbs this expansion more directly than any other asset,” says Burnett, adding that eight-figure prices are the result of structural monetary dynamics rather than speculative belief.
*This is not investment advice.
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