World’s ‘Smartest Man’ Says Bitcoin Will Replace the Dollar by 2026 — Economists Push Back

The self-proclaimed “world’s smartest man” has issued yet another sweeping forecast about the future of cryptocurrency, this time alleging that Bitcoin will replace the U.S. dollar as the world’s dominant currency as early as next year.

Even in a market accustomed to bold projections and dramatic price targets, many economists and analysts say this latest claim stretches far beyond the boundaries of plausibility, especially given the structural role the dollar plays in global trade, finance, and geopolitics.

Latest Claim in a Growing List of Bold Forecasts

The prediction came this week from Younghoon Kim, a prominent social-media figure known for his dramatic macroeconomic calls. Kim declared on X that, “I think Bitcoin may replace USD by 2026.”

The post adds to a series of increasingly bullish statements Kim has made about Bitcoin’s trajectory and long-term valuation. 

Earlier in the week, he told his followers that Bitcoin’s current price levels represented only a “temporary discount” caused by what he described as market manipulation.

“I think any such manipulation may disappear within a week, and then it could start accelerating toward a new ATH,” he wrote.

That claim followed another attention-grabbing forecast from November, when Kim asserted that Bitcoin would surge to $220,000 within 45 days—more than doubling from recent price levels at the time.

“As World’s Highest IQ Record Holder, I expect BITCOIN is going to $220,000 in the next 45 days,” he wrote, tying his market outlook directly to his oft-repeated claim of possessing an IQ of 276.

Also read: Crypto Asset Manager CoinShares Sees Bitcoin and Tokenization Reshaping Finance by 2026

Supporters and Skeptics Clash Online

Reactions to Kim’s latest statement have been sharply divided, with advocates and detractors colliding across social media. 

Supporters argue that accelerating institutional adoption, growing demand for digital assets as inflation hedges, and the spread of central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilots could erode confidence in fiat currencies more quickly than many expect.

“Look at adoption trends, CBDC trials, and institutional inflows,” one believer wrote. “The shift is already happening.”

Others dismissed the prediction outright, targeting not only the feasibility of Bitcoin supplanting the dollar but also Kim’s claimed intellectual credentials.

“I think it’s time for a retest, Kim — this app has definitely taken a few of those IQ points,” one user responded.

Also read: Bitcoin Finally Shakes the Tulip Bubble Label After 17 Years, Says Eric Balchunas

Can Bitcoin Realistically Replace the Dollar?

Economists argue that replacing the U.S. dollar would require seismic shifts in global trade, financial infrastructure, and consumer behavior—developments that typically unfold over decades, not months.

Jon Danielsson, Director of the Systemic Risk Centre at the London School of Economics, said the comparison itself is far more complex than headline predictions suggest, largely because there is no single, universal definition of what constitutes “money.”

Whether Bitcoin could replace central-bank money, on-demand transactional money, or broader monetary aggregates remains unclear, he said. Assumptions about transaction velocity, liquidity, settlement infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks further complicate any attempt at modeling such a transition.

Using M1 money across G20 economies as a simplified benchmark, Danielsson said the total value of that money supply amounts to roughly $31 trillion.

At a Bitcoin price of about $550,000, holders would command purchasing power of roughly $10 trillion—only a fraction of what would be needed to match M1-level utility. To fully equal the purchasing power of M1 alone, Bitcoin would need to trade at approximately $1.5 million per coin, he said.

Current BTC price (Source: CoinGecko)

“These are very rough approximations,” Danielsson noted, emphasizing that even such figures do not account for trade settlement, sovereign debt markets, or the dollar’s role as the dominant global reserve currency.

Structural Barriers to a Rapid Monetary Shift

Beyond valuation math, analysts point to deep structural anchors that underpin the dollar’s dominance. 

Global energy markets, international shipping, commodities, sovereign bond markets, and cross-border banking systems remain overwhelmingly dollar-denominated. Central banks collectively hold trillions of dollars in U.S. Treasuries as reserve assets, reinforcing systemic demand for the currency.

While Bitcoin’s fixed supply and censorship-resistant design continue to attract long-term capital, critics argue that its volatility alone makes it ill-suited to function as a primary unit of account for wages, taxes, and global trade in the near term.

Still, Kim’s comments show how rapidly the narrative around Bitcoin continues to evolve—from speculative asset to store of value, and now, in the eyes of some, a potential challenger to sovereign money itself.

For now, most economists agree that while Bitcoin may continue to grow alongside the existing financial system, the idea that it could dethrone the dollar within a single year remains firmly in the realm of extreme speculation.