THE LATEST CRYPTO NEWS

Crypto analyst Bird has indicated that the XRP price may be on course to record its greatest rally ever. The analyst alluded to the falling Bitcoin dominance as the reason why the altcoin could surge soon enough, noting how this development has preceded previous XRP rallies.  Analyst Predicts Huge XRP Price Rally On The Horizon In an X post, Bird predicted that the XRP price is set to record its strongest rally yet based on the breakdown in Bitcoin’s dominance. This came as he noted that BTC.D dropped hard the last three times when XRP went truly parabolic, in 2018, 2021, and 2024. The 2018 run was when XRP rallied to its previous all-time high (ATH).  Related Reading: Why XRP Is About To Experience A Legendary Next 3 Months Bird stated that after that first XRP price ATH between 2018 and 2021, the Bitcoin dominance began to trend back up. The BTC.D then backtested the trend and rebuilt strength before eventually rolling over. Once that rollover occurred, XRP went parabolic again in 2021. A similar scenario is said to have played out in 2024, as Bitcoin’s dominance dropped sharply through the trendline, briefly breaking down and triggering the surge.  The analyst noted that the move in 2024 didn’t fully commit as Bitcoin’s dominance recovered and the breakdown failed. However, the attempt was enough to send the XRP price flying, reaching all-time highs. Bird reiterated that XRP is sensitive to a breakdown in Bitcoin’s dominance, even temporarily.   Now, a similar move could be playing out again, which could send the XRP price to new highs. Bird stated that between 2023 and 2025, the Bitcoin dominance has trended up once more, broke down through the trend, backtested it from underneath, and is now chopping and rolling over. The analyst added that this is the same historical area where XRP has gone parabolic before, but that this time the setup is even bigger.  The Altcoin Could Rally To Double Digits The analyst again alluded to the 2024 run. He stated that if a brief uncommitted breakdown in Bitcoin’s dominance was enough to send the XRP price surging, then a confirmed breakdown would be exponentially stronger. In line with this, Bird remarked that the next move is the one that sends XRP into double digits and beyond.  Related Reading: Analyst Updates XRP Price Prediction: Why $16 Is Still On The Table Bird stated that the key difference is what comes next, as this next move isn’t just a fake-out or a shallow drop. Instead, it is the one where the Bitcoin dominance finally loses the trend for good and breaks down hard toward the lower boundary, around the 44 to 40% region. He added that when that happens officially, the XRP price doesn’t just run but enters true price discovery.  At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $2.14, down almost 5% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

US President Donald Trump’s allied super PAC has received more than $21 million in donations from major players in the cryptocurrency sector, filings show. The money landed in the account of MAGA Inc., a group that has been building a large war chest ahead of the 2026 midterm contests. Related Reading: A Maduro Bet, A Market Alarm: US Lawmaker Targets Trading Abuses According to Federal Election Commission records, Gemini Trust Company gave 1.5 million USDC, which was converted to dollars when reported. At the same time, Foris Dax Inc., the parent of Crypto.com, made two separate $10 million contributions. Who Might Benefit The contributions add weight to MAGA Inc.’s already large balance. Reports show the super PAC entered 2026 with nearly $300 million on hand, a figure driven by many high-dollar donations from across tech, finance, and other sectors. The PAC says the funds will be used to support candidates and efforts aligned with Trump’s priorities. Money talks in close races. When groups have hundreds of millions available, they can buy more ads, staff, and outreach. That can change outcomes in tightly contested House and Senate battlegrounds, and it can shape which lawmakers hold sway over policy — including rules that affect crypto firms and digital assets. Regulatory And Industry Context Based on reports, the crypto sector has been more active politically in recent years, directing funds to both national PACs and smaller groups that press for friendlier regulation. Some industry leaders have pushed for clearer rules on tokens, custody, and exchanges, and political donations are a tool used alongside lobbying. Campaign strategists say large donations tied to specific industries can sharpen messaging on hot-button topics. In this case, the visible crypto contributions arrive as regulators and lawmakers continue to debate how to treat digital assets. That debate could influence product approvals, enforcement approaches, and tax rules for crypto companies and their customers. Related Reading: Bitcoin Wealth Isn’t About Hype—It’s About Time And Stacking, Expert Says What The Filings Show The filings provide a snapshot of who gave money and when. They do not show how the PAC will spend every dollar or which individual races will get direct help. Still, the timing — months ahead of the 2026 midterms — suggests these gifts were aimed at building influence before candidate slates and budgets are finalized. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Shiba Inu (SHIB) has ridden a fresh wave of speculative buying this week, with the token jumping nearly 16% while the broader meme coin sector surged. Related Reading: $18 Million Ethereum Loss Sends Whale Running To Gold According to Santiment, total meme coin valuation rose by about 23% over the period as traders piled back into higher-risk tokens. Trading volumes jumped from $2.16 billion to roughly $8.6 billion, a whopping increase that shows how fast money rotated into this corner of the market. Supply Concentration Raises Eyebrows Reports have disclosed that supply remains highly concentrated among a handful of wallets. The top 10 holders control over 60% of SHIB’s maximum supply, which equals around 1 quadrillion tokens. ???????? Meme coins, the most “speculative” of assets, have proceeded with their post-holiday run. The entire meme market cap is now above $45.3B, growing by +20.8% in just the past week. ???? Notable 7-day gainers include: ???? $PEPE +54% ???? $USELESS +54% ???? $MOG +38% ???? $DOG +36% ????… pic.twitter.com/htdfiXLaLf — Santiment (@santimentfeed) January 4, 2026 Those wallets together hold about 630 trillion SHIB. Based on Santiment’s figures, the official burn wallet alone holds roughly 40% of the total supply, a stake valued at over $3 billion. This kind of concentration can magnify price swings if large holders move coins onto exchanges or sell. Technical Setup Points To A Test Analyst Charting Guy flagged the token’s weekly chart as “looking good” in a January 4 tweet, noting a strong weekly candle that closed up 22%. Based on reports, SHIB started 2026 at $0.000006904 and has since pushed higher. $SHIB weekly looks good pic.twitter.com/YigTTQ3kEW — Charting Guy (@ChartingGuy) January 4, 2026 The meme coin briefly traded above $0.0000093 before a pullback and is currently around $0.000008766. Year-to-date gains sit near 64% and the token was up 2.14% over the past 24 hours and 15.7% over the last week. Charting Guy’s chart shows SHIB approaching the tip of a long-running descending trendline that traces back to a high of $0.0000334 in December 2024. A break above that line would raise the chance of a larger move higher. Meme Coins See Wide Gains Other tokens have also posted big moves. Dogecoin recorded about a 20% rise while Pepe surged roughly 65% over the same span. The group’s sharp gains came as speculative interest accelerated and traders chased short-term returns. Related Reading: A Maduro Bet, A Market Alarm: US Lawmaker Targets Trading Abuses Market Volume And Trader Behavior Santiment’s data highlights that trading activity spiked dramatically, signaling a swift return of hot money to meme coins. The jump from $2.17 billion to $8.7 billion in daily traded value shows more participants are active and willing to take bigger risks. Based on the mix of heavy supply concentration and a crowded technical setup, Shiba Inu’s path could widen in either direction. A decisive breakout above the descending trendline might extend last week’s rally, while heavy selling from large wallets could trigger sharp pullbacks. Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView

Crypto phishing losses plunged in 2025, but experts warn the threat has only changed shape rather than disappeared. Reports show a sharp fall in money stolen by wallet-draining scams, even as attackers tested new tricks tied to recent protocol changes. Related Reading: Bitcoin Dominance Grows As Altcoins Post Another Losing Year: Analyst Scam Sniffer Data Shows Drop According to Scam Sniffer’s 2025 analysis, wallet drainer phishing losses fell to about $83.85 million — an 83% decline from roughly $494 million in 2024. The number of affected wallets dropped to around 106,000, a fall of about 68% year-on-year. These figures come from the security platform’s annual study and were picked up by major crypto outlets. Attackers Shift, Not Stop Only 11 incidents topped $1 million in 2025, down from 30 the prior year, signaling fewer headline grabs but a rise in smaller hits. The largest single theft recorded last year was roughly $6.5 million, tied to a malicious Permit signature attack. Average losses per victim fell to roughly $790, which suggests attackers moved toward more frequent, lower-value strikes. Market Moves Mattered Losses followed market activity. The third quarter logged the highest damage at about $31 million, when Ethereum’s rally brought more users and approvals onchain. Monthly peaks included August, which posted about $12.17 million, while December was the quietest with roughly $2 million. That pattern shows fraudsters target busy trading windows. 1/ Ever woken up to an empty crypto wallet? With scammers draining $107K+ across EVM chains JUST THIS WEEK (per @zachxbt), it’s scarier than ever! Shoutout to @realscamsniffer for their 2025 report – losses down 83%, but threats are evolving FAST. Let’s recap & warn on 2026… https://t.co/uSerpsg80d — JP (@rugpullfinder) January 3, 2026 Permit Signatures And New Vectors Reports highlighted Permit and Permit2 signature abuses as a major driver of big losses, accounting for a large share of multi-million cases. Scam Sniffer also flagged EIP-7702 batch signature techniques that were used in a few complex attacks after network upgrades. Security teams say these methods exploit user approval flows rather than raw smart-contract bugs. Why The Drop Happened Analysts attribute much of the improvement to better wallet warnings, wider use of approval revocation tools, and more active tracking by onchain monitors. Some defenders also point to reduced market froth in parts of the year, which lowered the pool of high-value targets. Still, multiple outlets stress that reduced totals do not equal safety. Related Reading: A Maduro Bet, A Market Alarm: US Lawmaker Targets Trading Abuses Based on reports, phishing will likely remain cyclical: losses could spike again during big rallies or when new signing features are introduced. Security firms urge users to check approvals, avoid blind signing, and use wallet tools that flag risky requests. Regulators and exchanges are watching the trend, but responsibility for many attacks still falls to individual users and wallet software. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

US Rep. Ritchie Torres said he will introduce legislation to curb what he and other lawmakers describe as possible insider trading on prediction markets, after a single, highly timed wager on Polymarket paid off when Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured. Related Reading: Bitcoin Dominance Grows As Altcoins Post Another Losing Year: Analyst Reports have disclosed that the bill — being called the Public Integrity in Financial Prediction Markets Act of 2026 — would bar federally elected officials, political appointees and executive branch staff from trading on event markets when they hold material nonpublic information. Public Integrity In Focus According to reporting, a newly created Polymarket account placed roughly $32,500 in bets on a contract that asked whether Maduro would be out of power by January 31, 2026. That stake bought about 438,000 shares when the market price was as low as $0.07 per share late Friday. Within about 24 hours, after action by US forces and an announcement by US President Donald Trump, the position surged—returning more than $400,000 to the account. NEW — RITCHIE TORRES (D-N.Y.) will introduce a bill on this. Bill will be called the Public Integrity in Financial Prediction Markets Act of 2026 Description, per a source: This bill prohibits federal elected officials, political appointees, and Executive Branch employees… https://t.co/eZZ9BmAMgJ — Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 3, 2026 The trade’s timing set off immediate questions. Social media users and some investors flagged the purchase as suspicious because it came hours before the public announcement. Observers noted that prediction markets can move quickly on small flows of information, and that enforcement rules vary across platforms. Reports note that other markets, like Kalshi, had priced similar outcomes at roughly $0.13, underlining how unexpected the outcome was to many traders. A newly created Polymarket account invested over $30,000 yesterday in Maduro’s exit. The US then took Maduro into custody overnight, and the trader profited $400,000 in less than 24 hours. Insider trading is not only allowed on prediction markets; it’s encouraged. https://t.co/EtZyW1IWTa pic.twitter.com/MzsU9kOU73 — Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) January 3, 2026 How The Bill Would Work Torres’s proposal would adapt principles from existing rules that limit trading by officials in traditional securities markets and extend them to online prediction exchanges. The draft language aims to make it unlawful for covered government figures to trade on contracts tied to government actions or political events when they possess nonpublic information because of their official roles. The measure would also task regulators with clarifying which platforms are covered and how violations would be enforced. Market Reaction And Questions Platform operators have long said their terms forbid trading on material nonpublic information, but critics say those rules are hard to police in real time. Some analysts and lawmakers argue that this episode shows a gap between written policies and effective oversight. Others warn against overreach that could stifle legitimate market activity used for forecasting and research. Related Reading: A Maduro Bet, A Market Alarm: US Lawmaker Targets Trading Abuses Investigations may look at the account’s origins and any links to people with privileged knowledge. Lawmakers, meanwhile, are pushing for clearer legal guardrails. If Congress moves quickly, new rules could reshape who may legally bet on political and national security events. Featured image from AFP/Getty Images, chart from TradingView

XRP’s recent price action in 2025 was more of a dynamic movement than a simple sideways drift. After rallying strongly earlier in 2025 and pushing to new all-time highs, the cryptocurrency has spent much of the recent months digesting those gains through pullbacks and consolidations. That structure was referenced in a chart shared on the social media platform X by Steph, which proposed that XRP’s current market behavior is beginning to resemble the long compression phase that preceded its breakout in 2017. Related Reading: Bitcoin Dominance Grows As Altcoins Post Another Losing Year: Analyst XRP Completes Nearly 400 Days Of Sideways Accumulation According to Steph’s analysis, XRP has just completed roughly 393 days of sideways accumulation, a duration that almost perfectly matches the 395-day consolidation phase it went through between 2016 and 2017. During that earlier cycle, XRP spent months moving within a relative range, producing a choppy price action. This kind of extended consolidation reflects a balance between buyers and sellers, where neither side is strong enough to force a decisive trend.  In 2017, that balance led to a transition into another technical formation of a descending channel before breaking out. The current setup in 2024-2025, at least structurally, shows XRP once again spending an unusually long time building a base in a range. A more detailed look at the chart shows another important similarity with the transition into another descending channel.  Back in the 2016-2017 cycle, XRP transitioned from sideways movement into a descending channel that gradually pushed the price lower over several months. That downward-sloping structure ultimately resolved with a sharp breakout to the upside. The 2024-2025 chart shows XRP moving through a comparable descending channel, with price compressing toward the lower boundary before showing early signs of a breakout while attention is still low. XRP Price Comparison. Source: @Steph_iscrypto on X What To Expect For XRP The 2016-2017 chart segment above shows XRP trading for roughly 395 days in a broad sideways range between about $0.005 and $0.01. Once XRP broke out of the descending channel in early 2017, price moved up very fast, first reclaiming $0.01, then surging past $0.03 and $0.05 within a few days. The expansion did not stop there, as XRP eventually rallied into the $0.40 region later that year, cementing XRP’s first 5,000% move in its history. The 2024-2025 chart shows XRP peaking near the $3.40 zone before entering a sideways consolidation phase throughout 2025. Price action is now in the descending channel, which is gradually compressing around the $1.70-$1.90 area. Related Reading: Crypto ETFs Defy The Pullback With $32 Billion In Fresh Investor Cash That channel now looks similar to the location where XRP was in 2017 before its breakout, adjusted for scale. A comparable 5,000% move from the current zone of price action would mathematically project the XRP price to about $100. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

A crypto analyst has predicted that the Ethereum price could balloon to $3,500 soon, potentially breaking free of the bearish pressure that has suppressed its momentum for much of 2025. Although ETH is currently trading more than 37.5% below its all-time highs, the analyst has outlined technical indicators and market structure signals suggesting $3,500 is a realistic short-term target for the cryptocurrency.   Related Reading: Crypto ETFs Defy The Pullback With $32 Billion In Fresh Investor Cash Ethereum Price Setup Points To $3,500 Rebound Crypto market analyst Tryrex has delivered a fresh outlook on the Ethereum price, pointing to conditions that could support a strong upside move to $3,500 in the coming months. In his post on X, the expert suggested that ETH may be approaching the end of its prolonged corrective phase and may be preparing for a decisive bounce.  Tryrex highlighted the possibility of a strong rebound developing in the first quarter of 2026, driven by Ethereum’s current hold of a critical liquidity zone between $2,800 and $3,000. He explained that while Bitcoin (BTC) bottomed out in 2025 and entered a range-bound period right after, Ethereum showed relative strength by firmly defending the liquidity region.  Based on the analyst’s weekly TradingView chart, this price area also represents a weekly demand zone that has absorbed repeated selling pressure. The fact that the price continues to hold this area indicates that market participants are buying ETH rather than distributing it. Volume behavior at the bottom of the chart also suggests that selling pressure has been weakening compared to earlier phases of Ethereum’s downtrend.  Tryrex expects an impulsive move to emerge as Ethereum continues to react to the $2,800 to $3,000 liquidity range. If momentum builds as anticipated, ETH could break out of its current structure and push toward higher resistance levels, with a move above $3,500 seen as an increasingly likely near-term target. With its price currently sitting above $3,000, this would represent a more than 13% increase.  The analyst has also revealed that his bullish forecast for ETH reflects broader conditions across the altcoin market. He highlighted that many major altcoins appear to be bottoming out after extended downtrends, increasing the possibility of coordinated upside moves if market sentiment and volatility improve.  Ethereum Shows Early Moves In 2026 The market is just three days into 2026, and although major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Dogecoin closed 2025 in the red, Ethereum appears to be showing early signs of recovery. Initially, the ETH started the year in a similar downtrend, but over the past 24 hours, its price has increased by approximately 2.5%. Related Reading: Bitcoin Dominance Grows As Altcoins Post Another Losing Year: Analyst CoinMarketCap data shows that from January 1 to date, Ethereum has declined by more than 9.5%. However, its trading volume in the last 24 hours has increased by over 100%, signaling strong trader interest despite the recent price dips. In addition, whales have been steadily accumulating ETH, taking advantage of lower prices to increase their positions. Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

A well-known finance coach in the XRP community has urged patience, calling the cryptocurrency’s price sliding under $2 a rare long-term chance to buy. According to his public posts, he described XRP trading below $2 as “one of the greatest blessings of our lifetime” and said he remains actively accumulating at current levels. Related Reading: Crypto Exchange Korbit Fined $1.90 Million By South Korean Regulators XRP Below $2 Seen As Entry Point Coach JV’s portfolio centers on a mix of major coins and infrastructure tokens. His top crypto holdings include XRP, Bitcoin, WLFI, Solana, XLM, HBAR, and VET. On the equities side, he highlighted American Bitcoin Corp (ABTC) and Twenty One Capital (XXI) as key stock positions. The disclosure was used to argue that steady exposure, not frantic trading, fits a long-term plan. Market watchers in the XRP sphere are pointing to several possible tailwinds. According to other commentators, growing interest in XRP spot ETFs has pushed combined holdings to about $1.16 billion. There are also reports that companies such as VivoPower and Wellgistics Health have added XRP to their treasuries, which some analysts say could take supply off the market and tighten available coins. Investor Mix Of Crypto And Stocks XRP under $2.00 is one of the greatest blessings of our lifetime. I am still accumulating. My top crypto holdings: XRP Bitcoin WLFI Solana XLM HBAR VET My top two stocks: ABTC XXI Cash-value life insurance is the foundation of my family’s wealth empire. Cash flow is the… — Coach, JV (@Coachjv_) January 1, 2026 Mason Versluis, a popular crypto YouTuber, offered a grounded view about expectations. He urged followers to focus on “the real things” and fundamentals, rather than clinging to failed three-digit forecasts. Versluis reminded the community that XRP began January 2025 at $2.08 and moved to $3.40 by the end of that month. The token then reached a yearly high of $3.66 in July before sliding back to close 2025 at $1.84, which represented an 11.5% YTD decline. “We just look at the fundamentals,” he said, adding that those who loudly predict extreme prices often end up wrong. My thoughts on Jake Claver’s TRIPLE DIGIT $XRP prediction: (Clip from my stream today) pic.twitter.com/y7JJQfPsPf — MASON VERSLUIS (@MasonVersluis) December 31, 2025 According to several voices in the space, regulatory moves could also matter. One influencer cited a White House confirmation that the CLARITY Act markup is scheduled for January 2026, which supporters believe may clarify crypto rules and encourage institutional flows. Based on reports, such policy milestones are being watched closely by investors who expect clearer rules to broaden participation. Focus On Systems Over Hype As for Coach JV’s public statements on this issue, he emphasized and stressed the process more than making predictions. JV explained that he maximized cash-value life insurance as part of his wealth strategy, managed debt very carefully, and created systems which enforce discipline on himself and his business. Related Reading: Crypto ETFs Defy The Pullback With $32 Billion In Fresh Investor Cash The mix of voices in the community reflects two linked ideas: some see current prices as a buying window, while others warn that timing markets is risky. Based on reports and the coach’s disclosures, the common advice is simple — build a plan, stick to it, and buy if the thesis still holds. For many holders, the current sub-$2 trading range is being treated not as failure, but as an opportunity to prepare for possible wider adoption down the road. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Altcoin season was widely anticipated for 2025, but the reality has unfolded very differently. Instead of a broad-based rally, most altcoins suffered deep and prolonged drawdowns, erasing years of gains and forcing many investors out of the market. As 2026 approaches, sentiment around altcoins remains fragile. A growing number of analysts now warn that the worst may not be over, arguing that structural weakness, declining liquidity, and fading retail participation could drive another leg lower across the sector. Related Reading: Ethereum Liquidity Rebuilds On Binance: December Inflows Signal Strategic Repositioning Market data reinforces this cautious outlook. The Crypto Total Market Cap, excluding the top 10 assets—commonly referred to as the OTHERS index—has collapsed by more than 50% since December 2024. Market capitalization has fallen from roughly $451 billion to around $182 billion in just twelve months, highlighting the scale of capital destruction across mid- and small-cap tokens. This sharp contraction reflects aggressive de-risking, weak demand, and sustained selling pressure across the altcoin market. However, not all analysts are convinced the altcoin cycle is finished. A smaller group points to historical precedents, arguing that periods of extreme underperformance and investor capitulation have often preceded powerful altcoin recoveries. From this perspective, 2026 could mark the delayed arrival of an altcoin season—if liquidity conditions improve and capital rotation resumes. Altcoin Trading Activity Remains Elevated Despite Price Weakness A recent CryptoQuant report challenges the widely held belief that this cycle has produced “no altcoin season.” According to the data, centralized exchange trading volume for altcoins—excluding the top five assets—has reached levels significantly higher than those seen in previous market cycles. In other words, altcoins are being traded more actively than ever, even as prices remain deeply depressed across much of the market. This divergence between volume and price helps explain the prevailing confusion. While many tokens have lost a substantial portion of their value, on-chain and exchange data show that activity has not disappeared. Instead, the market has undergone a structural shift. Retail participation has largely faded after months of losses, with many smaller investors capitulating and exiting positions. Their absence, however, has not resulted in lower overall trading activity. CryptoQuant’s analysis suggests that altcoin dominance has increasingly concentrated among larger players. Whales and professional participants now account for a growing share of altcoin volume, using periods of low liquidity and weak sentiment to accumulate positions or actively rotate capital. From this perspective, the current phase may not signal the absence of an altcoin cycle, but rather its transformation. If whale-driven positioning continues and broader market conditions improve, these participants are likely to push prices higher to maximize returns. Related Reading: Bitcoin Miner Distribution Re-Emerges: BTC Enters A Fragile Price Phase OTHERS Market Cap Shows Prolonged Compression The OTHERS chart, which tracks the total crypto market capitalization excluding the top 10 assets, highlights the depth and duration of the ongoing altcoin correction. After peaking near $450 billion in late 2024, the market has lost more than half of its value, stabilizing around the $200–210 billion zone. This sharp contraction confirms that the altcoin market has experienced a full reset rather than a shallow pullback. From a technical perspective, the structure reflects prolonged compression. Price is currently oscillating around the 200-week moving average (red), a level that historically acts as a long-term equilibrium zone during transitions between bearish and recovery phases. The failure to reclaim the 100-week and 50-week moving averages suggests that upside momentum remains weak and that buyers lack conviction at higher levels. Related Reading: Bitcoin Supply In Profit Sets The Stage For Bullish Cross In Q1 2026 Volume dynamics reinforce this view. While periodic spikes appear during sell-offs and relief rallies, there is no sustained expansion in volume that would signal broad-based accumulation. This implies selective positioning rather than widespread risk appetite. Importantly, the market is no longer making aggressive lower lows, indicating that forced selling may be largely exhausted. However, the absence of higher highs keeps the structure neutral-to-bearish. For a meaningful altcoin recovery, OTHERS would need to reclaim the $260–280 billion range and hold above key moving averages. Until then, the chart suggests consolidation, dominance by larger players, and a market still searching for a durable bottom rather than the start of a classic altcoin season. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com 

Crypto analyst Crypto Whale has explained why the Bitcoin price could still crash to as low as $25,000. The analyst also stated this would form the macro bottom for the leading crypto, as it recovers from this bear market.  Why The Bitcoin Price Could Drop To As Low As $25,000 In an X post, Crypto Whale stated that the monthly chart suggested that the Bitcoin price could form a macro bottom near $25,000 sometime in 2026. The analyst further remarked that if history rhymes, these deep retracements tend to mark long-term accumulation zones. He added that this doesn’t signify the end of the cycle but the reset before the next expansion.  However, in another X post, Crypto Whale suggested that the Bitcoin price isn’t yet in a bear market, highlighting how the 2026 bull run is likely to unfold. He stated that this month, the crypto market will see a Bitcoin-led rally, while there will be a broad altcoin expansion in February. The analyst expects the bull trap to set in in March, which he predicts would lead to volatility and panic selling.  Related Reading: Analyst Reveals Why The Bitcoin Price Is Extremely Bearish Right Now Once that happens, Crypto Whale predicts that May will usher in the capitulation phase, while a full bear market confirmation will happen in June. This outlook for the Bitcoin price comes as research firm XWIN Research noted that BTC has not clearly entered a new bullish trend. The firm further stated that the crypto market remains in a high-volatility range environment, which is neither decisively bullish nor bearish.  Meanwhile, XWIN Research raised the possibility that the Bitcoin price could drop to as low as $50,000. They stated that this could happen if recession risks intensify, with deleveraging and ETF outflows pushing the leading crypto below $80,000 and making $50,000 a possibility.  BTC Death Cross Signals Drop To $38,000 In an X post, crypto analyst Ali Martinez drew attention to a death cross, which has been recurring on the BTC weekly chart. The analyst noted that if history repeats itself, the Bitcoin price could record a similar 50% to 60% correction, dropping to as low as $38,000 in the process.  Related Reading: Bitcoin Enters Decision Phase, But What Does It Mean For The Crypto Market? This death cross between the 10-week and 50-week simple moving averages is said to have occurred in September 2014, leading to a Bitcoin price correction of 67%. It also occurred in June 2018, March 2020, and January 2022, resulting in price corrections of 54%, 53%, and 64%, respectively.  Martinez opined that the zone between $50,000 and $38,000 is starting to become interesting from a long-term spot accumulation standpoint. He added that the market will confirm the next move for the Bitcoin price in its own time.  At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is trading at around $88,700, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Pngtree, chart from Tradingview.com

South Korea’s top money-laundering watchdog has slapped crypto exchange Korbit with a fine worth about ₩2.73 billion, or roughly $1.90 million, after finding widespread lapses in its compliance controls. Related Reading: Crypto Headed For A $10 Trillion Future? Hoskinson Says RWA Is The Key According to regulator statements and multiple news reports, the move follows an on-site inspection that uncovered thousands of rule breaches and several risky transfers abroad. Regulatory Findings And Scope Of The Inspection The Financial Intelligence Unit said inspectors found nearly 22,000 breaches related to AML and KYC rules. The FIU said the inspection, carried out from October 16 to 29, 2024, exposed serious gaps in how Korbit verified customer identities and handled transactions. Reports have disclosed that the exchange allowed some customers to trade before full verification was completed and accepted unclear or incomplete identity documents in many cases. The regulator also flagged 19 overseas transfers involving three unregistered foreign virtual asset service providers, a practice that is restricted under Korean law. The FIU highlighted the failure to carry out required risk checks for certain services, including some nonfungible token activities. In total, 655 cases were cited where mandatory risk assessments were not completed, according to the findings. Corporate responsibility measures were taken as well: the CEO received a formal caution and the compliance officer was reprimanded. An institutional warning was issued alongside the monetary penalty. Transaction Failures And Enforcement Details The inspection report described multiple instances where trading or withdrawals proceeded despite incomplete KYC steps. Such lapses raise the chance that illicit funds could move through the platform without timely detection. The FIU’s action is part of a broader push by South Korean authorities to tighten oversight of exchanges and bring them into closer alignment with international anti-money-laundering standards. Market sources indicate Korbit has been in discussions with Mirae Asset Group about a potential deal, with the exchange’s valuation reported at around ₩140 billion — roughly $97–$98 million. That interest comes even as regulators step up scrutiny, showing that traditional finance remains curious about crypto assets despite compliance headaches. Related Reading: Crypto ETFs Defy The Pullback With $32 Billion In Fresh Investor Cash What The Penalty Means For The Industry Other exchanges have also faced tougher checks in recent years as authorities press platforms to shore up controls. The Korbit case is likely to prompt more internal reviews across the sector and could speed up changes in procedures, staffing and technology meant to prevent repeat failures. Some measures will be public, while others may be handled behind closed doors. Korbit declined to comment directly to some outlets, while the FIU confirmed the sanction on December 31, 2025. The exchange will now need to demonstrate fixes or face possible further action. Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

According to Farside Investors data, US investors put close to $32 billion into US crypto exchange-traded funds in 2025 even as markets lost steam late in the year. Related Reading: Crypto Headed For A $10 Trillion Future? Hoskinson Says RWA Is The Key Spot Bitcoin ETFs drew the biggest share, with $21.4 billion in net inflows. That is smaller than the $35 billion that poured into Bitcoin ETFs in 2024. Blackrock Dominates Flows BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF, IBIT, accounted for most of the activity. Reports show IBIT took in about $24.7 billion. That makes its inflows roughly five times larger than the nearest rival, Fidelity’s FBTC. Market watchers noted IBIT ranked near the top among all ETF flows, placing behind only a few broad index funds and a big treasury bond fund. If IBIT’s number is removed, the wider spot Bitcoin ETF group actually finished the year with about $3 billion in combined outflows. Grayscale’s Bitcoin product lost nearly $4 billion on the year. Bitcoin’s price was lower than at the start of 2025; it began the year around $93,500. Ethereum Interest Strong But Cooling Based on reports, interest in Ethereum ETFs was real, but the momentum looks uneven. BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust, ETHA, sits at nearly $12.6 billion in inflows. Fidelity’s FETH follows at $2.6 billion, while Grayscale’s Ethereum Mini Trust ETF holds about $1.5 billion. Still, public on-chain data showed little renewed demand for spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs in the last month of the year, suggesting flows may slow into 2026. Ether ETFs benefited from being new and giving investors a regulated way to own ETH, but recent days have seen quieter buying. Spot Ether ETFs, which only became widely tradable after their July 2024 launch, gathered $9.6 billion in their first full year. Spot Solana ETFs, launched in late October, added $765 million through year end. Altcoin ETFs Show Curiosity, Not Frenzy Litecoin and XRP ETFs also began trading in the latter half of the year, giving investors more choices for regulated altcoin exposure. The sums are small compared with Bitcoin and Ether. Solana’s $765 million is an example of early interest that has not yet turned into a large, steady stream of assets. These products are being tested by the market. Related Reading: Gold And Stocks Ran Ahead, But Bitcoin May Close The Gap In 2026 Global Flows Tell A Different Story Industry trackers reported that crypto ETFs listed worldwide experienced $2.95 billion in net outflows in November, and there was about $179 billion invested in crypto ETFs globally at the end of that month. Regulators and exchanges moved faster this year under new SEC leadership that was more open to approvals, which in turn helped institutional adoption in the US. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Standard Chartered analysts have predicted that the XRP price could surge by around 330%. They also outlined catalysts that could spark this price surge, which would lead to a new all-time high (ATH) for the Ripple-linked token.  Standard Chartered Predicts XRP Price Surge To $8 Standard Chartered’s global head of digital assets research, Geoff Hendrick, has predicted that the XRP price could surge to $8 by the end of 2026, which represents an increase of around 330%. This would also mark a new all-time high for the token, with its current ATH at around $3.84. The analyst expects the token to record such growth, as it now has legal clarity following the settlement of the Ripple-SEC lawsuit.  Related Reading: This Double Bottom Formation Could Send XRP Soaring To $2.5 Kendrick also expects the XRP price to surge to $8 on the back of regulatory clarity for the U.S. crypto industry and institutional adoption of the token through the XRP ETFs. The Standard Chartered analyst noted how the improving regulatory environment has made it easier for institutions to gain exposure to the token. Meanwhile, Ripple has been able to grow its payment system, which involves XRP, thanks to the regulatory-friendly environment. These XRP ETFs are notably seeing significant demand, which is bullish for the XRP price as it eyes a rally to $8 next year. SoSoValue data shows that these ETFs have yet to record a daily net outflow since the first spot fund launched last month. The XRP ETFs currently boast a net asset of $1.27 billion, which reprersents 1.12% of the token’s market cap.  Crypto pundit Unknow noted that these ETFs are absorbing the supply fast, which is why he predicts that a supply shock could happen by early 2026, sending the XRP price higher. The pundit also declared that next year is the inflection point where the altcoin shifts from speculation to global liquidity infrastructure.  XRP Is Preparing For a Breakout In an X post, crypto analyst TARA stated that the XRP price is approaching the critical $1.88 level and is in a very tight range, signaling a breakout is coming soon. The analyst noted that XRP needs to hold support at $1.87, even as Bitcoin approaches $88,000. She added that if the altcoin bounces from here and tests $1.88 again, it could break above that resistance and then hold it as support, which TARA noted would be a very bullish sign.  In another X post, she revealed that XRP’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) was trying to break to the upside. TARA further remarked that if today’s close is bullish, with a close above $1.88, it could fuel the next wave to $2.30 for the XRP price. A positive for XRP is that Glassnode data shows that XRP on exchanges has dropped to a seven-year low of 1.6 billion tokens, down from 3.76 billion in October.  Related Reading: XRP Hasn’t Entered A Bear Market Yet; Analyst Shares Why At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.86, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

Charles Hoskinson isn’t backing away from big predictions. The Cardano founder says crypto is still early, despite years of growth and repeated boom-and-bust cycles. In his view, the industry is setting up for something much larger—both in size and in reach. Related Reading: Crypto Heat Fizzling Out? US Search Interest Plunges As Retail Shy Away Today, crypto counts more than 500 million users worldwide. The combined market value already sits in the trillions, with Bitcoin alone worth about $1.75 trillion. That’s impressive, but Hoskinson argues it’s nowhere near the finish line. He believes the sector can grow to 2 billion users and hit a $10 trillion total valuation. That’s a fourfold jump in adoption and more than triple today’s market size. His timeline is clear too. Hoskinson says this could happen within the next 10 years, by 2035. Why Hoskinson Thinks Crypto Explodes From Here The key driver, according to Hoskinson, is real-world asset tokenization, often called RWA. It’s the idea of putting traditional assets—like bonds, property, and commodities—onto blockchains. This isn’t theoretical anymore. Data from RWA.xyz shows close to $20 billion worth of assets, including bonds and real estate, have already been tokenized. That number keeps climbing, even during slow market periods. UPDATE: #Cardano $ADA Founder Charles Hoskinson says the crypto industry will “grow to 2 billion users over the next 10 years and a $10 trillion market cap, because of the RWA revolution and the unification of the financial markets.” $NIGHT pic.twitter.com/F9mntPZd0I — Angry Crypto Show (@angrycryptoshow) December 28, 2025 Hoskinson says this trend changes everything. When assets move on-chain, crypto stops being just about trading tokens. It becomes financial infrastructure. Add in global payment rails and shared standards across blockchains, and you get what he calls a “unified financial market.” Privacy-focused projects also matter here. Hoskinson has pointed to initiatives like Midnight, which aim to balance compliance and privacy. He believes these tools could make institutions more comfortable bringing large pools of capital on-chain. Cardano’s Reality Check In The Market Still, Hoskinson’s optimism comes at an awkward time for his own network. Cardano (ADA) is ending the year under pressure. Selling has stayed heavy, and rallies haven’t lasted. Buying volume remains thin. Price action is stuck below key resistance levels, and momentum hasn’t flipped. As a result, ADA is hovering near important support zones. If those levels break, traders warn the token could drop below $0.30, a psychological line many are watching closely. Market activity overall has slowed, and for now, sellers are still in control. This disconnect hasn’t gone unnoticed. Critics argue Hoskinson’s push for cooperation is partly driven by Cardano’s struggle to attract users at the pace seen on other major chains. Abundance Of Wealth Hoskinson rejects the idea that crypto is a winner-takes-all game. He says the future isn’t about one chain dominating the rest. Instead, he sees room for many networks to grow together. Related Reading: Crypto Policy In The Hot Seat As US Lawmaker Calls SEC Hearing There’s lots of wealth to spread around, he’s said recently. In his view, projects with real use cases will find users naturally as the market expands. That thinking explains his openness to partnerships. Hoskinson has previously hinted at collaborations involving major ecosystems like XRP and Solana. The goal, he says, is shared growth, not tribal fights. Whether the industry reaches $10 trillion remains an open question. But here’s the thing: If RWAs keep moving on-chain and global finance truly starts to merge with crypto rails, the market Hoskinson imagines won’t sound so far-fetched anymore. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

In the evolving landscape, the narrative around XRP’s real use case is increasingly standing out in a market often driven by speculation. The altcoin is embedded in live financial workflows, particularly in cross-border payments and liquidity management. Its role as a bridge asset allows institutions to move value quickly, cheaply, and at scale, solving real inefficiencies in the global payments system. Why XRP Functions As A Bridge Asset In Global Payments This design choice is centered on understanding why its utility will drive price appreciation. An analyst known as SMQKE revealed on X that the core of this model is payment utility. XRP is designed to operate within the global payment infrastructure, and Ripple has integrated with existing financial systems to enhance speed, reduce costs, and improve settlement efficiency. Related Reading: Pundit Shares ‘Urgent Update’ With XRP Community – Here’s What He Said Through Ripple’s integrations, financial institutions adopt the network, and the altcoin is utilized directly to move value across borders. From a price perspective, this document outlines how institutional settlement activity has created a sustainable demand for XRP, supporting price appreciation through real transaction flow. Analyst Vet has highlighted the areas where XRP and the XRP Ledger were great in 2025. One is smart contracts, and a significant amount of development went into getting the alpha testnet live, where individuals can currently deploy and play around with it. Community awareness toward this also increased meaningfully. On the DeFi front, momentum came out strongly from late 2024, especially driven by meme coins. However, the activity dried out over the year. Baseline DEX activity is now higher than it was before the DeFi wave, but this raises the potential for more growth in 2026.  Furthermore, interoperability has made tangible progress as Wormhole went live, Axelar live became operational, and yield-bearing issued assets were bridged onto the XRPL. Currently, Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKP) appear to be a key enabler for trust-minimized bridging. On the application side, existing XRPL projects and wallets doubled down. Apps became more polished, with new feature-rich and better integrations, while no new app took over the community.  At the same time, tokenization stood out as one of the strongest verticals. RLUSD was a major milestone, complemented by smaller launches of other stablecoins and tokenized funds. The distribution channel of these assets needs a lot of work, which directly ties back to application-layer development. That’s why this year should be viewed as the foundation for 2026. How Fee Destruction Changes Economic Incentives Ripple’s XRP is designed to compete in low-fee markets and has built programmable economics. According to Xfinancebull, every transaction fee is destroyed; it is not paid to validators,  no middleman, and there is no inflation loop. Related Reading: Flare Launches New Way For XRP Investors To Earn This is because XRPL is designed to scale global payment rails, not enrich toll collectors. That’s why XRP is one of the few chains where volume is value, not congestion. Xfinancebull stated that this isn’t a trading feature, but it’s a monetary policy shift hidden at the protocol layer. Featured image from Pxfuel, chart from Tradingview.com

US Representative Maxine Waters has formally asked House Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill to schedule an oversight hearing with Securities and Exchange Commission  (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins, saying the agency must explain recent choices that, she argues, weaken enforcement of securities laws. Related Reading: Bitcoin Rules The Decade: Outshines Gold And Silver, Analyst Says Waters Seeks Answers On Dropped SEC Cases According to Waters’ letter, the SEC has terminated or stayed a number of high-profile crypto enforcement actions that had been moving through the agency’s process, and committee Democrats want an explanation for those decisions. Reports have disclosed that the letter names actions involving Coinbase, Binance, Justin Sun, Kraken, and Ripple among those of concern. The request lists nine areas where the SEC’s recent conduct raises questions for lawmakers, including whether enforcement choices were driven by legal judgment or by outside pressures. Waters, who is the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee, told Chairman Hill that the public deserves clarity about changes to enforcement strategy and about how investor protections will be preserved. Concerns About Politicization And Investor Protections Based on reports, Waters expressed particular alarm that the agency’s handling of cases since US President Donald Trump took office looks different from prior enforcement patterns, and she argues that some moves could amount to an erosion of investor protections. Industry observers and several media outlets have picked up the story, noting the broader context: a year of big shifts in crypto policy and new legislation that has altered the regulatory picture. ???? MAXINE WATERS CALLS FOR HEARING ON SEC CHAIR ATKINS’ CRYPTO DECISIONS — The Wolf Of All Streets (@scottmelker) December 30, 2025 Some outlets say the timing of Waters’ letter—sent late in December—reflects rising pressure from Democrats as they prepare for oversight if they regain more committee influence. What Waters Wants From The SEC In her request, Waters seeks direct answers about why certain cases were dropped or delayed, what internal analyses the SEC relied on, and whether staff reductions or policy shifts affected enforcement. She also asked that Chairman Atkins appear before the committee so members can question him in public. Committee Role And Next Steps Reports indicate the letter was delivered to Chairman Hill on December 29, 2025, and that Waters urged him to set a date for an oversight hearing as soon as possible. Related Reading: Crypto Heat Fizzling Out? US Search Interest Plunges As Retail Shy Away The committee could use a hearing to examine documents and testimony from SEC officials, and to press for a public accounting of how decisions were made about major crypto matters. How quickly that happens will depend on the committee’s calendar and on whether Hill agrees to a formal public session. The issue has drawn attention because it involves both enforcement of existing securities law and the future of crypto oversight in the US. Investors, industry groups, and lawmakers on both sides are watching to see whether the SEC’s recent moves represent a long-term policy shift or isolated choices tied to individual cases. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Investor Paul Barron’s hint at “big news” has reignited attention on XRP exchange-traded funds this week, sending the community into speculation over possible upcoming announcements or launches. Related Reading: Crypto Heat Fizzling Out? US Search Interest Plunges As Retail Shy Away Traders and holders reacted fast on social channels, pushing chatter and price focus higher even as specifics remain unclear. ETF Flows Heat Up According to data shared by Nate Geraci, President of NovaDius Wealth, Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs dominated year-to-date inflows. BlackRock’s IBIT Bitcoin ETF led with $25 billion in inflows. Grayscale’s Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF followed at $1.11 billion. Fidelity and VanEck posted $477 million and $305 million respectively. On the Ethereum side, BlackRock’s offerings recorded about $9.12 billion. A Solana staking ETF from Bitwise pulled in $839 million. These numbers show where most large investors are putting money right now. Expect some big news this week $XRP ETFs https://t.co/3BY5XJosPx — PaulBarron (@paulbarron) December 29, 2025 Community Reaction And Speculation Barron’s remark has been read by many as a hint at another XRP-related announcement. Some expect a new ETF launch; others are watching for updates from issuers already in the market. That talk has helped push attention — and inflows — to XRP products that only debuted late in the year. XRP Ledger Tokenization Surge Based on reports from rwa.xyz, on-chain data indicates tokenized real-world assets on the XRP Ledger rose by 2,200% in 2025. The network saw about 23x growth in the value of native real-world assets, including stablecoins, and crossed the $500 million threshold. Themes around RWA tokenization were widely discussed this year by figures such as BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and former SEC Chair Paul Atkins, and the XRPL appears to be drawing benefit from that interest. XRP ETFs Show Early Strength Canary’s XRP ETF (XRPC) registered $384 million in year-to-date inflows after launching in November. Other XRP spot funds have built sizable holdings too: 21Shares holds about $250 million, Bitwise roughly $227 million, Grayscale around $244 million, and Franklin about $206 million. Based on reports, all of these XRP spot ETFs launched in November and December and now tally roughly $1.24 billion in total assets under management with cumulative inflows near $1.14 billion. For a new category, that level of money moving in over a short span is notable; some industry voices point out the total might have been higher if market mood had not cooled recently. Reports also say XRP ETFs pulled in over $1 billion through 21 days of steady inflows. Pending Products And Rumors WisdomTree’s XRP ETF is among the pending offerings that market watchers expect to arrive next. At the same time, talk about a BlackRock XRP ETF has circulated widely. There is currently no public filing tied to a BlackRock XRP product, and reports caution that such expectations are premature without official filings or approvals. Related Reading: Bitcoin Rules The Decade: Outshines Gold And Silver, Analyst Says Current flows note that XRP’s ETF debut has shifted part of investor focus from pure crypto bets to spot ETF allocations and tokenization themes. Whether Barron’s hinted “big news” becomes a concrete catalyst will depend on filings and formal product launches. For now, the mix of solid early inflows and rapid XRPL tokenization growth has put XRP squarely in the conversation among ETF-focused investors and network adopters. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Search interest for the word “crypto” has fallen to levels not seen in a year, signaling a sharp drop in retail curiosity as 2025 ends. According to recent Google Trends readings, worldwide interest stood at 26 on the 0–100 scale, just above this year’s low of 24. Related Reading: Bitcoin Forecasts For 2026 Range From $65K To $250K As Sentiment Hits ‘Extreme Fear’ Searches Slide As Prices And Headlines Stumble Based on reports, US search activity for “crypto” hit a one-year low of 26, underscoring that casual investors are not hunting for basic information the way they did in earlier cycles. The dip follows a turbulent year that included a severe market sell-off in April and a sharp October flash crash that knocked major coins down from recent highs. Market watchers point to several triggers. Memecoin collapses tied to high-profile figures shook confidence. Policy shocks tied to US President Donald Trump’s tariff moves also coincided with big drops in interest during the spring. Some commentators say retail users moved on after heavy losses and viral token drama. There is close to no retail interest in crypto right now Do we need to start pumping the dino coins again to get retail to come back? After the Trump/Melania memecoin drama it seems that retail lost a lot of faith in the space None of my normie friends or family ask me… pic.twitter.com/ZNnOwT4FKe — 0xMarioNawfal (@RoundtableSpace) December 27, 2025 Retail Pullback Could Mean Quieter Weeks Ahead The practical effect is a quieter retail base. Trading volumes from small accounts have thinned. That does not mean prices must fall; it can mean fewer headline-grabbing rallies driven by newcomers. Institutions, which do not typically show up in Google searches, still play a big role in market flow. Year-end coverage highlights that institutional activity and regulatory moves shaped much of 2025’s action. Analysts Offer Different Takes On What Comes Next Some analysts warn that low retail interest removes a source of quick upside, making long rallies harder to sustain without strong macro catalysts. Others argue this lull is a pause, and that interest can return if prices break out or a major positive regulatory decision lands. Mario Nawfal and other commentators have described the current environment as a near-total absence of retail buzz. Data Points And What They Show The Google Trends scale gives a quick read. A 26 reading is low compared with earlier peaks during boom months. Reports from several industry outlets show the same pattern across regions, with the US particularly muted. Industry trackers note that big headline events still move markets, but everyday search traffic — the kind that often signals mass retail involvement — is down. Related Reading: Bitcoin Rules The Decade: Outshines Gold And Silver, Analyst Says A fall in Google searches is a sentiment indicator, not a trading rule. It shows fewer people are asking basic questions like how to buy or where to trade. That can cut both upside and downside volatility driven by inexperienced traders. Crypto is likely to remain under the radar until new catalysts appear, like significant price changes, regulatory updates, or a compelling story that captures mainstream interest again. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

XRP is trading around $1.87 and has slipped below the $2 mark after a recent slide. According to market trackers, the token is down about 30% in the fourth quarter of 2025, yet some analysts say the current weakness may be part of a larger build-up that has preceded strong rallies before. Investors and commentators are watching price action closely as debate grows over whether the token is setting up for a sharp rebound or more weakness. Related Reading: Bitcoin Forecasts For 2026 Range From $65K To $250K As Sentiment Hits ‘Extreme Fear’ Historical Accumulation Patterns Based on reports from chart watchers, XRP has shown what some call repeatable accumulation phases in past cycles. One run of consolidation unfolded from early 2015 through early 2017. During that span a steep drop took XRP from $0.00885 to $0.005, and later it rallied hard, climbing to about $3.30 by January 2018. A second cycle ran from mid-2023 into late 2024, where an August to November slide saw prices fall from $0.62 to $0.50, before a quick push up to roughly $3.4 in January 2025. Analysts point to these past moves as a pattern that could provide clues about what happens next. Recent Downtrend And Support Levels Reports show that since October 2025, XRP has fallen from about $2.8 to the current price near $1.84. Technical commentators have highlighted that the $1.8–$2 band, which acted as resistance earlier, may now be acting as support after recent trading. One analyst framed the present setup as an ABC reset, a short-term corrective structure that sometimes precedes renewed upward movement. Still, traders are split; some see a base forming, while others view the decline as evidence of continued selling pressure. The most hated $XRP rally is about to start! ???? pic.twitter.com/HTwbTIwxZ2 — STEPH IS CRYPTO (@Steph_iscrypto) December 16, 2025 Market Voices And Possible Catalysts According to community commentators, legal and market actions could influence XRP’s next leg. The potential end of a long-running SEC case, the arrival of XRP-focused ETFs, and pending legislation known as the Clarity Act were all cited as items that might change investor sentiment. One market watcher went so far as to say this could become the “most hated” rally, a phrase meant to describe a sudden surge that comes while many remain doubtful and frustrated. Utility Versus Price Several observers have urged a focus on real-world use. According to Aljarrah, the token’s value comes from practical utility and improved liquidity, which allows larger transfers with fewer tokens and makes the payment rails more efficient. People obsess over price, but XRP’s value is in its utility. A higher price strengthens liquidity, efficiency, and adoption. Let the tech and leadership do the work, short-term noise doesn’t matter. — Black Swan Capitalist (@VersanAljarrah) December 21, 2025 Related Reading: Big Bet On Ethereum: CEO Sees 10X TVL Growth In 2026 Price moves matter, he said, but not as speculation—rather as a factor that can broaden adoption by improving liquidity and network function. Traders should note that past patterns do not guarantee future results. While the accumulation thesis rests on historical parallels and technical charts, the market remains sensitive to news and flows. Selling now could mean missing gains if a rally follows, some warn; others say patience and careful sizing remain essential. For investors, the coming weeks may tell whether the current slump is the end of a retracement or the start of another climb. Featured image from LumerB/Getty Images, chart from TradingView

XRP is slowly entering one of the most important structural phases in its history. Price action has been mostly bearish and sentiment across the broader crypto market has been cautious, but on-chain data tells a very different story.  Data from Glassnode shows XRP balances on centralized exchanges falling to around 1.5 billion XRP, their lowest in over a year. This trend is unfolding alongside accumulation from newly launched XRP ETFs, creating conditions that could change the altcoin’s price dynamics heading into 2026. Related Reading: Bitcoin Forecasts For 2026 Range From $65K To $250K As Sentiment Hits ‘Extreme Fear’ XRP Exchange Balances Fall To Multi-Year Lows Data from Glassnode’s XRP balance on exchanges metric points to a clear and persistent downtrend in balances held on crypto exchanges throughout 2025. Earlier in the year, about 4 billion XRP sat on centralized platforms.  Since then, balances have steadily declined, with a particularly sharp drop visible in the fourth quarter of the year. As it stands, exchange-held XRP has compressed toward the 1.5 billion mark, one of the lowest levels recorded in recent years. This decline has occurred despite the current downtrend in XRP’s price action, meaning that some holders are increasingly opting to move tokens into longer-term custody, even as some others are selling off their holdings. This trend is important for bullish momentum, as falling exchange balances reduce near-term sell pressure and make cryptocurrencies more sensitive to incoming demand. At the center of this supply contraction are US-based Spot XRP ETFs, which have risen as a powerful new source of demand. Market estimates indicate that about 750 million XRP have been absorbed by the six Spot ETF products since the first one launched in November.  As ETFs continue pulling XRP off exchanges, the pool of liquid supply available to the spot market keeps shrinking. This dynamic does not force an immediate price response, but it changes the balance between supply and demand, and we could start to see the effects on the crypto in 2026. Related Reading: Big Bet On Ethereum: CEO Sees 10X TVL Growth In 2026 Weekly Chart Points To Exhaustion As XRP Sits On Support While on-chain data highlights tightening supply, technical conditions are beginning to reflect a similar theme. Crypto analyst Steph Is Crypto recently pointed out that XRP is now sitting on an important horizontal support zone on the weekly timeframe.  The chart shows XRP’s price action is now compressing into the $1.90 to $2.00 range after an extended decline from mid-2025 highs near $3.50, placing XRP back at a level that previously acted as a launch point earlier in the cycle.  Furthermore, the weekly Stochastic RSI is now in extreme oversold territory and this means that selling pressure has already done much of its work. Steph’s analysis noted that turning points tend to form when downside momentum is exhausted and there is little energy left for sellers to continue pushing price lower. Based on this, traders can expect XRP to transition into bullish momentum in early 2026. Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView

Crypto analyst and XRP advocate Levi Rietveld recently shared a short post on X stating that “$XRP is built for this,” alongside a video clip of US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaking about reviewing regulatory barriers around blockchain, stablecoins, and new payment systems like the crypto industry. Bessent’s comments focused on reforming financial infrastructure so capital markets can function more efficiently for mainstream users. In turn, Rietveld viewed those comments as closely matching the original purpose XRP was created to serve. Related Reading: Ethereum’s 2026 Overhaul Aims To Cut Costs, Boost Speed, Limit Censorship What XRP Was Designed To Do In the video clip that Levi Rietveld shared on X alongside his statement of XRP being built for this, Scott Bessent outlined a policy direction that places emphasis on evaluating regulatory impediments to blockchain technology, stablecoins, and new payment systems.  Bessent stated that officials will take a close look at regulatory impediments to blockchain, stablecoins, and new payment systems and consider reforms to unleash the power of American capital markets. Notably, this plan corresponds to a more crypto-positive approach adopted by the current US administration under President Donald Trump.  $XRP Is Built For This! pic.twitter.com/WNDUoeFPC4 — Levi | Crypto Crusaders (@LeviRietveld) December 22, 2025 These are a part of efforts by the US government to modernize crypto regulation and define clearer frameworks for digital assets, including proposed acts aimed at bringing clarity to markets and stablecoins. One example of this is the Clarity Act, a legislative proposal that aims to clearly define the regulatory treatment of digital assets, separate payment-focused tokens from securities, and assign clearer oversight roles to agencies such as the SEC and CFTC.  Bessent’s comments focused on improving payment systems and removing friction around new financial technology. XRP proponents like Levi Rietveld would quickly point out that the theme aligns closely with how the cryptocurrency and the XRP Ledger were engineered.  The XRP Ledger works with transparent settlement, predictable transaction costs, and finality that does not depend on mining or complex smart contract execution. These characteristics are important for institutions that need clarity and reliability.  In practice, XRP’s real-world role is most visible through payment solutions developed by Ripple. Banks and other financial institutions do not need to hold large balances of foreign currencies, since XRP can be used as an intermediate asset during settlement.  XRP’s Current Regulatory And Institutional Position Progress on regulatory clarity has been helping real institutional infrastructure around XRP. Multiple Spot XRP ETFs have gained approval and launched in 2025 and early numbers are positive, with over $1.14 billion worth of inflows. Bloomberg estimates suggest these funds could draw $5 billion to $7 billion in institutional capital by 2026.  Related Reading: Could XRP Make Trillionaires? Tech Firm Founder Thinks It’s Possible This creates new avenues for asset managers, pension funds, and other institutional allocators to hold XRP within traditional investment vehicles. All these cannot be possible without the clear framework for blockchain, stable coins, and new payment systems proposed by Bessent. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Ethereum has spent much of December under pressure, and the recent fall below $3,000 has left a visible mark on investor positioning.  On-chain data now shows a notable deterioration in profitability across the network, with the share of ETH supply sitting in profit falling below 60%. At the same time, institutional demand has decreased, with data from Glassnode showing how both retail profitability and institutional participation in Ethereum have weakened simultaneously. Related Reading: Could XRP Make Trillionaires? Tech Firm Founder Thinks It’s Possible Ethereum’s Percent Supply In Profit Falls Below 60% The drop in Ethereum’s percent supply in profit has been one of the clearest signals of stress for Ethereum. Ethereum’s investors have fallen into deeper losses, and this is a reflection of recent price action.  Speaking of price action, Ethereum had initially reclaimed the $3,000 price level on December 22. During this time, the percentage of ETH supply in profit pushed back above 60% and reached as high as 63%. However, this break was for only a very brief time, and price action fell back below $3,000 after just a few hours.  As ETH broke below $3,000 again, the share of supply held at unrealized gains fell under 60%, down from above 70% earlier in December. This fall shows that the pullback has not been limited to recent buyers but has begun to impact investors who accumulated during the beginning of the month. ETH Percent Supply In Profit. Source: Glassnode ETF Net Outflows Indicate Waning Institutional Participation The weakness in on-chain profitability and price action is also a reflection of trends in the ETF market. Another data metric from Glassnode shows that since early November, the 30-day moving average of net flows into US Spot Ethereum ETFs has turned negative and remained there. This persistence of outflows points to a phase of muted participation and disengagement from institutional traders. The ETF chart below shows that inflows, which supported Ethereum’s push to new all-time highs in August, have faded, replaced by continued outflows through November and December. This matters for price action because ETF demand has been a key source of incremental buying. As that bid has weakened, Ethereum has struggled to absorb sell-side pressure, contributing to its failure to hold above $3,000. ETH: US Spot ETF Net Flows. Source: Glassnode The combination of negative ETF net flows and Ethereum’s recent price behaviorhelps explain rising unrealized losses. Interestingly, various on-chain data sources also reveal different instances of whale addresses reducing their exposure to Ethereum outside of spot ETFs.  For instance, Lookonchain recently highlighted activity from a wallet believed to be linked to Erik Voorhees, which swapped 4,619 ETH, valued at about $13.42 million, into Bitcoin Cash (BCH) over the past two weeks after having been inactive for nearly nine years. Voorhees later responded by clarifying that the wallet does not belong to him and that he does not hold any Bitcoin Cash. Related Reading: Ethereum’s 2026 Overhaul Aims To Cut Costs, Boost Speed, Limit Censorship Lookonchain also pointed to selling pressure from Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX, who has offloaded a total of 1,871 ETH at about $5.53 million in the past week. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

XRP’s open interest has reportedly crashed to lows not seen since last year, when the altcoin surged by around 600%. On-chain analytics platform CryptoQuant noted that this development could be bullish for XRP as it looks to rebound to new highs.  XRP’s Open Interest Drops To Lowest Level Since 2024 In a blog post, CryptoQuant analyst Arab Chain revealed that XRP’s open interest on Binance has fallen to its lowest level since 2024. The analyst noted that analysis of XRP Ledger data on the crypto exchange shows a clear rebalancing in the derivatives market, with open interest falling to almost $453 million, the lowest level since the end of last year.  Related Reading: Why You Should Pay Attention To XRP’s Exchange Netflows This Month Arab Chain noted that this development reflects a fundamental shift in trader behavior and confirms a significant decrease in leverage usage compared to previous periods. Notably, the XRP price looks to have been fueled by leverage in the early parts of this year. The analyst noted that open interest in XRP futures contracts exceeded $1 billion on several occasions, which coincided with strong price surges.  The XRP open interest also rose again in mid-2025 to levels similar to those recorded in the early months of the year, sparking significant volatility for XRP. However, Arab Chain noted that the current landscape is “markedly different.” Open interest has declined gradually and then sharply, indicating a significant exit by short-term speculators.  Meanwhile, the analyst explained that the decrease in XRP open interest carries dual implications. The first is that the decline in risk appetite and weakening momentum in the derivatives market explain the volatile price behavior in the absence of strong, liquidity-driven breakouts.  The second is that the contraction represents a healthy structural development, as it reduces the risk of forced liquidations and mitigates the abnormal pressures associated with excessive leverage. Arab Chain noted that periods of low open interest often represent transitional phases, during which the market shifts froma highly speculative environment to a calmer one that relies heavily on genuine spot demand.  XRP May Be Preparing For Another Significant Rally Crypto analysts have suggested that XRP may be preparing for another significant rally, although it remains to be seen if it could rally 600% like last year. In an X post, crypto analyst Niels stated that the altcoin is forming a higher low around this level. He noted that this is a similar structure that happened in April this year, before a new all-time high (ATH). The analyst added that a push above $2 could put the bulls in control.  Related Reading: XRP Stochastic RSI Just Touched 0.0 For The Second Time In History Crypto analyst Chart Nerd predicted that XRP could reach a new ATH on its next leg to the upside. This came as he noted that the altcoin was in the middle of an ABC reset. His accompanying chart showed that XRP could reach as high as $4.5 on this impulsive move to the upside, which is expected to happen in the first half of next year.  At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.84, down in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

According to Charles Hoskinson, the race between Solana and Ethereum looks different depending on the time frame. Solana may win ground quickly because it moves fast. Ethereum looks set to aim for a broader, slower build that could matter more later. Related Reading: Could XRP Make Trillionaires? Tech Firm Founder Thinks It’s Possible Short-Term Gains For Solana Solana’s appeal is plain. Its network pushes a lot of transactions every day and it can adopt upgrades more quickly, Hoskinson said. That speed has helped projects bring tokenized stocks and other finance tools onto the chain. Reports have disclosed that the total value of tokenized equities on Solana recently hit about $185 million. Platforms such as xStocksFi, Superstate, and Remora Markets are among those building there. For traders and some institutions, low fees and high throughput are hard to ignore. A Large Financial Gap Remains Still, there are big differences under the surface. Solana’s total value locked and stablecoin use sit at about 10% of Ethereum’s levels. That gap means the kinds of financial activity seen on Ethereum are not yet matched on Solana. The size of a chain’s financial ecosystem affects what kinds of services and markets can grow on it. So while adoption on Solana is growing, the scale of on-chain lending, staking and stablecoin volumes is still much smaller when compared with Ethereum. Ethereum’s Research-First Approach Ethereum’s work is focused on research and longer-term upgrades, especially in areas like zero-knowledge proofs and advanced scaling methods. Reports have suggested that Ethereum is aiming to move more of its validation to cryptographic proof systems so it can act as a verification layer for many networks. Speed Now, Strategy Later Hoskinson framed the difference as one of timing. Solana’s leadership and design allow quicker decisions and faster rollout of new features. Ethereum’s path is marked by heavy research and slow coordination. This means Solana may capture use and attention in the near term, while Ethereum’s technical direction could shape broader infrastructure over a longer span. Both approaches come with trade-offs. One focuses on quick adoption, the other on building systems that rely on stronger mathematical proofs. Tokenized stocks on Solana reach a new All-Time High with ~$185M in total value. Solana stands as the institutional infrastructure of choice for leading tokenized stock platforms like – @xStocksFi – @SuperstateInc’s Opening Bell – @RemoraMarkets pic.twitter.com/xr7q54sucs — Capital Markets (@capitalmarkets) December 24, 2025 Related Reading: Ethereum’s 2026 Overhaul Aims To Cut Costs, Boost Speed, Limit Censorship What This Means For Markets For investors and builders, the split is clear: architects chasing rapid growth may prefer Solana today, while those betting on deep financial stacks and broad verification may stick with Ethereum. The $185 million milestone for tokenized stocks on Solana signals rising trust in blockchain-based equity products, but it is small compared with traditional markets. Reports and comments from industry figures like Hoskinson help explain why different teams pick one chain over another. In the end, both chains are being tested by real use, and their paths will be measured by what users and institutions choose to run on them. Featured image from Equiti, chart from TradingView

Crypto analyst Skipper has drawn attention to a significant development for XRP, even as it continues to trade below the psychological $2 level. Based on this development, the selling pressure could be easing for the altcoin, while ETFs continue to contribute to buying pressure as they maintain their inflow streak.  Analyst Reveals XRP’s Stochastic RSI Has Hit 0.0 In an X post, Skipper revealed that XRP’s stochastic RSI has hit 0.0 for only the second time ever. This came as he noted that the altcoin has had a rough run, as it is down 35% in this quarter, 10% this year, marking its first yearly loss since 2022. The analyst added that XRP is also below the key $2 level.  Related Reading: XRP Price Must Stay Above This Level Or Crash To $0.9 However, Skipper suggested that analyst Steph’s discovery about XRP’s Stoch RSI hitting 0.0 on the 3-week chart provides some optimism. He noted that this has only happened once before, which was in 2020, right before the altcoin bottomed at $0.28 during the Terra LUNA crash.  Skipper also pointed to Steph’s statement that this could mean selling pressure is almost gone for XRP, though a quick bounce may not occur. The altcoin notably stayed flat for months in 2022 before it recovered. The analyst also mentioned that the drop in the stoch RSI marks cycle lows, not short-term trades.   While the selling pressure looks to be cooling, XRP continues to see significant buying pressure from the XRP ETFs, which marks a positive for the altcoin. SoSo Value data shows that these funds have recorded daily net inflows since they launched. As a result, they hold net assets of $1.25 billion, which is almost 1% of XRP’s market cap.  XRP Supercycle To Happen Next Year Self-acclaimed largest IQ holder YoungHoon Kim stated in an X post that the XRP supercycle will happen next year. Kim had earlier predicted that the altcoin could reach $10 or higher next year, which would mark new all-time highs (ATHs). This looks to be based on his belief that “all crypto will eventually connect with XRP.”   Related Reading: Pundit Explains Why This Changes Everything For XRP In The Long Term In the meantime, crypto analyst Crypto King has stated that patience is key as XRP looks to reclaim key levels. The analyst noted that the price is holding just above the $1.85 critical support and that a strong bounce and a reclaim of $1.98 would signal a momentum shift. He added that if that price level breaks, the first upside target is the first resistance at $2.58. Meanwhile, there is also room for the altcoin to rally to as high as $3.66 next.  At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.86, down in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from iStock, chart from Tradingview.com

According to reports, Ethereum plans two major hard forks in 2026 that aim to change how the network runs. Mid-2026 will see the Glamsterdam upgrade, and late 2026 is set for Heze-Bogota. These steps are meant to speed up transaction handling, add new validation tools, and make the chain harder to censor. Related Reading: Could XRP Make Trillionaires? Tech Firm Founder Thinks It’s Possible Ethereum Trading, Options Pressure Ethereum is currently above $2,900 as the market awaits a large options expiry. Reports put the expiring notional at $6 billion, with more call options than puts. Many contracts could end up worthless if ETH fails to rise above $3,100, the so-called max pain level. Analysts see a consolidation range between $2,700 and $3,100 into year-end, and some experts offer a bearish 2026 view, pointing to possible drops toward $1,800–$2,000 if broader market conditions worsen. Parallel Execution Glamsterdam targets parallel processing by letting multiple transactions run at the same time instead of one after another. Block access lists will tell nodes which data each transaction needs, which makes parallel work safer and more efficient. Ethereum will undergo key upgrades in 2026, with the Glamsterdam fork enabling parallel processing and increasing the gas limit to 200 million, up from 60 million. Validators will shift to validating ZK proofs, paving the way for Ethereum L1 to achieve 10,000 transactions per… — Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) December 25, 2025 Protocol-level proposer-builder separation, or ePBS, is also planned. That move is expected to cut some centralization risks and make it easier for validators to use zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs without being penalized for extra compute time. Gas limits are expected to rise in stages, with talk of reaching 200 million per block after key changes land. About 10% of validators could start verifying ZK proofs rather than rechecking all transactions by year-end, based on current projections. The push toward parallel execution could reduce slowdowns that happen when demand spikes. But higher gas limits come with tradeoffs. Running bigger blocks or faster workloads can raise hardware needs, which could make it harder for smaller validators to stay in the network. That balance between speed and decentralization will be watched closely. Layer-2 Throughput Could Jump Sharply A major part of the story is layer-2 scaling. Increasing the number of data blobs per block to 72 or more would give L2 systems much more space to store transaction data, which could let them process hundreds of thousands of transactions per second in aggregate. Designs like ZKsync’s Elastic Network aim to let users keep money on Ethereum while using faster L2s. An interoperability layer is also being discussed to move activity between different L2s more easily. Still, user experience, liquidity splits, and coordination between chains remain open issues that need work. Related Reading: JPMorgan Eyes Crypto Services As Institutional Demand Grows – A Boost For BTC Price? Heze-Bogota: Censorship Resistance Heze-Bogota will add tools to help groups of validators make sure certain transactions are included. Fork-choice inclusion lists are meant to reduce the risk that transactions get blocked if only part of the network remains honest. That change is more about values and permissionless access than it is about raw speed. Featured image from Firi, chart from TradingView

Crypto analyst Steph has pointed to an “interesting” chart, which has previously led to an XRP price rally. This came as the analyst also suggested that the altcoin may be forming a bottom in preparation for the next leg to the upside.  Analyst Shares Why This Chart Is Interesting For The XRP Price In an X post, Steph highlighted the 3-week XRP price chart, stating that it was “interesting” for one reason. He revealed that the Stochastic Relative Strength Index (RSI) has dropped to 0.00 on the 3-week timeframe, which is extremely rare and has only happened once before, which was the 2022 bear market bottom.  Related Reading: Pundit Explains Why This Changes Everything For XRP In The Long Term Steph further explained that on such a high timeframe, this indicator only reaches zero when selling pressure is fully exhausted, which is a positive for the XRP price. The analyst added that this means that momentum to the downside has dried up, although he warned that this doesn’t mean that price must instantly reverse.  Steph noted that the last time this signal appeared, the XRP price entered a long accumulation phase before the next major move higher. As such, the analyst claimed that this again suggests that the downside risk is structurally limited and that long-term holders are absorbing supply rather than distributing. He further remarked that these signals tend to mark cycle lows rather than short-term trades.  The XRP ETFs also mark a positive for the XRP price as these funds maintain their inflows streak. These funds have recorded daily inflows since the Canary’s fund launched on November 13. As a result, they now boast net assets of over $1.1 billion, even as XRP continues to see significant demand from institutional investors.   XRP Remains Below Key Levels In an X post, CryptoXLarge stated that on the weekly chart, the XRP price remains below the descending trendline around the 8 to 21 EMA levels. He further remarked that this week, the price is attempting to break below the key support zone around $1.95, which aligns with the Fib 0.5 level and the 89-week EMA, which is a support that has held throughout the year.  Related Reading: Here’s Why The XRP Price Keeps Crashing CryptoXLarge stated that a weekly close below this level could increase the probability of a move toward the $1.60 support, which is the Fib 0.618. Meanwhile, a weekly close above $1.95 may boost buying interest, which could trigger a relief XRP price rally toward $2.30 and then $2.70. Crypto analyst Crypto King also echoed a similar sentiment, stating that a reclaim of $1.98 could eventually send the altcoin to as high as $3.66.  At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.87, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

According to reports, Joshua Dalton, founder of Triblu, has put forward a striking scenario: that XRP holders could become millionaires, billionaires, or even trillionaires if the token were used as part of a US strategic crypto reserve. Related Reading: JPMorgan Eyes Crypto Services As Institutional Demand Grows – A Boost For BTC Price? Dalton argued that XRP, because of its ties to a US-based company, is a safer fit for a national reserve than Bitcoin. The claim has energized some corners of the crypto community, but it also faces steep legal and market obstacles. Dalton’s Bold Claim And The Numbers Dalton’s case relies on hard math. Based on reports, the US national debt is about $38 trillion. Ripple’s escrow holds roughly 34.4 billion XRP. Using those figures, Dalton and others calculate that an XRP price near $883 would be needed to offset roughly 80% of that debt. Many people won’t like what I say below. “Bitcoin cannot be the official currency for the United States’ reserves because Satoshi Nakamoto is still unknown and it could be the currency operated by China. The government can ???? trust XRP because it is operated by @Ripple and ????… — Joshua Dalton (@J9Dalton) January 23, 2025 At present, XRP trades around $1.91. That would mean a rise of over 46,000% for the token. By comparison, Bitcoin is trading near $89,000 and would have to reach about $30 million per coin to meet a similar debt-offset goal if the plan focused on 1 million BTC, an idea once floated by US Senator Cynthia Lummis. That would be a gain of more than 33,000% from current levels. Legal And Market Limits US President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this year creating a national Bitcoin reserve and a wider crypto stockpile framework. But policymakers appear to be focused mainly on Bitcoin for the reserve role, with other coins treated as seizure assets or general holdings. Importantly, Ripple’s escrow is privately controlled and governed by contracts. It cannot be commandeered by a government without legal action and likely long court fights. Even if US authorities somehow obtained large amounts of XRP, unloading such a position on global markets would likely push the price down, not up. Markets are not built to absorb trillions of dollars without heavy distortion. Holders And Wealth Scenarios Based on wallet data, some XRP addresses would see big nominal gains at an $880 price. For example, a holder of 10,000 XRP — currently worth about $19,100 — could see that stake climb to nearly $9 million on paper. Reports show 179,546 wallets hold between 5,000 and 10,000 XRP. About 2,006 addresses sit between 500,000 and 1 million XRP. Yet most of the largest reserves are held by Ripple, its founders, or exchanges. Only 20 wallets contain between 500 million and 1 billion XRP, and six addresses hold more than 1 billion. 2026 is going to be epic! Locked in! XRP will be the star of 2026. — Coach, JV (@Coachjv_) December 23, 2025 Market Reaction And Expert Views Matthew Sigel, lead researcher at VanEck, has argued in public that Bitcoin offers the best path to large-scale fiscal uses, and other analysts remain skeptical of any single token being used to “solve” national debt. Related Reading: XRP To $1,000? Korean Researcher Lays Out 10-Year Roadmap Coach JV and other commentators have shifted attention to 2026 as a potentially strong year for XRP price action, framing the outlook as speculative and time-bound. These views are primarily sentiment-driven and rely on factors beyond government policy, such as market demand and regulatory clarity. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from TradingView

Recent market dynamics have seen Ethereum (ETH) at the forefront of a significant decline in the altcoin sector, pushing many top cryptocurrencies below crucial price levels.  Market expert CyrilXBT has taken to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to unravel the factors contributing to this downturn and explore the potential for a recovery rally in 2026. Altcoin Struggles CyrilXBT began his analysis by addressing the role of Bitcoin (BTC) dominance in the market. When Bitcoin’s dominance increases, capital tends to concentrate within the asset rather than exiting the broader cryptocurrency market.  Related Reading: Expert Predicts Bitcoin Could Hit $70,000, Drawing Parallels To December 2021 Crash This indicates that Bitcoin becomes a refuge for investors seeking safety, while altcoins transform into sources of liquidity. As a result, risk compresses prior to any expansion, a pattern consistently observed in previous cycles before altcoins regain strength. Another contributing factor to the current turmoil is tax-loss harvesting. Cryptocurrencies are one of the few major asset classes that have seen declines compared to January 1st, with equities and gold demonstrating gains.  To lock in losses before year-end, funds are actively selling off unprofitable altcoin positions, crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and other high-risk assets. CyrilXBT noted that this pressure would likely dissipate as the calendar turns to the new year. Liquidity Lag And Exhausted Demand The expert further highlighted that liquidity tends to work on a lagging basis. Although the Federal Reserve (Fed) has started to inject liquidity back into the system, markets typically do not react immediately.  Historically, improvements in liquidity occur first, followed by Bitcoin stabilizing, with altcoins lagging behind. Currently, the market remains in the lag phase, not yet experiencing the anticipated breakout. With low volatility, stagnant Bitcoin prices, and declining altcoins, CyrilXBT asserts that it evokes memories of previous cycles, such as the early 2019 and early 2023 recoveries.  Related Reading: Ethereum Bearish Structure Meets Bullish Supply Signal – What Happens Next Overall, the drop in the altcoin market can be attributed to several interconnected factors: rising Bitcoin dominance, peak tax-loss selling, thin liquidity, exhausted demand, and the delayed effects of macro liquidity.  Instead of a capitulation scenario, the expert suggests that this moment appears to represent compression—a phase that frequently precedes significant recoveries. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

South Korean scientist YoungHoon Kim has sketched an extreme long-term view for XRP, saying the token could reach $1,000 within the next 10 years. Related Reading: JPMorgan Eyes Crypto Services As Institutional Demand Grows – A Boost For BTC Price? According to his posts on X, the forecast rests on a series of big macro shifts — a major flow of capital into crypto, a weaker US dollar, and prolonged high inflation. Kim added that this is not financial advice and framed the number as contingent on those assumptions. High Price Scenario And The Assumptions According to Kim, moving from around $1.87 today to $1,000 by 2035 requires more than sentiment. The math is stark. XRP’s circulating supply is about 60.57 billion tokens. At $1,000 a coin, that implies an overall market value near $60.57 trillion. Some critics pointed out that such a figure would place XRP above assets like gold in total market value. Update: In my view, #XRP could potentially approach $1,000 over the next 10 years. (NFA / DYOR) pic.twitter.com/fZaxmZaF1Q — YoungHoon Kim, IQ 276 (@yhbryankimiq) December 22, 2025 Others in the community pushed back, saying that headline targets miss other important measures such as adoption and liquidity. Support And Skepticism In The Community Some supporters are vocal. Matthew Brienen, COO of CryptoCharged, is among those who have suggested ranges from $100 to $1,000 over a decade are “highly possible,” saying he holds a large amount of XRP. Investor Armando Pantoja also told followers he is willing to wait up to 10 years for a very large payoff, arguing that regulatory strain from the SEC previously capped XRP’s price. On the other side, X users and creators like Utumax and YouTuber Zach Humphries asked for clearer methods behind the forecast, noting the implied $60 trillion valuation raises obvious questions. Short-Term Performance And Market Moves At the time these comments appeared, XRP traded near $1.84 and was down almost 30% over the previous three months. Market watchers say tokens can move quickly when sentiment flips. Coach JV, a finance coach and market analyst, said he expects “fast and aggressive” moves when bullish momentum returns, though he stopped short of offering price targets. That kind of volatility has been seen before in crypto markets, where large moves can come in either direction. XRP will move fast and aggressively when the time comes! pic.twitter.com/DHh4e1md7O — Coach, JV (@Coachjv_) December 22, 2025 How Realistic Is $1,000? Reaching $1,000 would mean XRP would capture value at a scale not supported by current on-chain use or settlement volume. Long-term value depends on real-world use, steady liquidity, and broad market acceptance. Regulatory clarity could help, but it alone would not automatically produce multitrillion-dollar market caps. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s $126K Sprint May Be Over — Fidelity Predicts 2026 Slide Some commentators dismiss round-number targets as attention-grabbing rather than rigorous forecasting. The conversation around Kim’s forecast highlights a split: a group ready to bet on huge upside, and many who want clearer proofs and step-by-step logic. Investors should weigh the big assumptions behind any sky-high target, and remember that bold forecasts depend on events well outside a single token’s current reach. Featured image from Yellow, chart from TradingView