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Software engineer and AI founder Vincent Van Code (@vincent_vancode) is arguing that institutional barriers to holding and using XRP have largely shifted from “market structure” to “plumbing,” claiming Ripple has spent 2025–2026 assembling an institutional stack for custody, treasury, and prime brokerage that makes large-scale participation operationally viable. In a post on X on Wednesday, the engineer framed self-custody as a non-starter for traditional allocators managing retirement pools, pensions, and bank balance sheets. Ripple Assembles The XRP ‘Wall Street Kit’ “Institutions juggling billions in 401(k)s, pensions, hedge funds, banks & governments? Self-custody was always insane—audit hell, compliance nightmares, risk officers saying ‘no way,’” he wrote. “That changed in 2025–2026. Ripple built the full-stack bridge: regulated, scalable, bank-trusted infrastructure so big money can finally hold & use XRP + RLUSD without the chaos.” Related Reading: Why XRP Is Gearing Up For A Massive Week Van Code’s core contention is that the crypto-native custody debate misses the institutional reality: risk committees, auditors, and compliance functions require regulated custody, reporting, and controls that can plug into existing workflows. He argues Ripple’s recent buildout amounts to a “Wall Street kit” that addresses those constraints end-to-end, spanning payments rails, corporate treasury tooling, prime brokerage services, and bank-grade custody. While the post is advocacy rather than a formal Ripple announcement, it reflects a view increasingly common among XRP supporters: that productized rails and regulated wrappers matter as much as market narratives when large allocators consider adding exposure or utility. Van Code pointed to Ripple Payments as the transaction layer, describing it as “ISO 20022-compliant, real-time cross-border rails on XRPL—already moving billions for global banks.” He then tied institutional adoption to what he portrayed as adjacent infrastructure designed to make XRP and Ripple’s RLUSD workable inside corporate and financial-institution operations. Related Reading: XRP Is At An Unique Moment In History: Developer Calls End Of Suppression Among the pieces he highlighted was GTreasury, which Ripple acquired for $1 billion, characterizing it as an enterprise treasury management platform enabling corporations to manage “fiat + digital liquidity in real-time.” He also cited Ripple Prime, described as being “powered by Hidden Road acquisition for $1.25B”, as a prime brokerage stack offering “clearing, financing & OTC trading—including XRP & RLUSD—with seamless XRPL settlement for faster, cheaper post-trade ops.” For custody, he argued Ripple has converged on a bank-facing offering through a series of deals and integrations. “Ripple Custody (bolstered by Palisade acquisition + prior Standard Custody/Metaco) → Bank-grade, regulated storage with MPC security, multi-chain support & zero-trust architecture,” he wrote, adding that it is “auditable, insured, scalable for billions.” Van Code also claimed “RLUSD reserves [are] custodied by BNY Mellon for ultimate trust.” The post’s conclusion was blunt about expected impact. “Bottom line: Excuses erased. Compliance baked in. Custody risk? Solved,” Van Code wrote. “Institutions aren’t just watching—they’re quietly stacking & building on XRPL. 2026 is the year XRP shifts from ‘spec play’ to core financial infrastructure. Billions incoming.” If that thesis holds, the next signal for markets will not be rhetoric but observable integration: whether these components translate into sustained institutional flows, deeper liquidity venues, and production use of XRP and RLUSD, ultimately showing up in price discovery. At press time, XRP traded at $2.15. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

As the cryptocurrency market enters the new year, optimism around XRP is growing, particularly following Standard Chartered’s positive outlook for the altcoin. As NewsBTC reported two weeks ago, the bank projects a significant surge for the token, forecasting a potential new all-time high of $8. Recently, market analyst Sam Daodu has identified four key catalysts that could drive XRP toward this major milestone, potentially in the first quarter of the year. What Could Drive Prices Higher? The first catalyst stems from the imminent passage of the CLARITY Act, the crypto market structure bill expected to be marked up on January 15. Daodu asserted that the clarity provided by this new bill could significantly enhance institutional participation in the XRP market.  In addition, Ripple, the firm behind the altcoin, recently received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to launch Ripple National Trust Bank, which will be a federally supervised trust institution.  Related Reading: New Hope For Crypto: Senators Introduce Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act Moreover, seven spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are now trading in the US, boasting a combined assets under management (AUM) exceeding $2 billion and locking up 777 million XRP tokens.  Another significant factor in XRP’s potential rise is the growth of the RLUSD stablecoin, which has achieved a market capitalization of $1.33 billion and ranks third among US-regulated stablecoins poised for compliance under the GENIUS Act.  As banks begin deploying RLUSD across various payment corridors, activity on the XRP Ledger is expected to surge. Network fees paid in XRP create a direct link between the growth of stablecoins and a gradual reduction in XRP supply, turning utility into ongoing demand. Finally, the GENIUS Act, signed into law by President Trump in July 2025, established clear regulations for US stablecoins. This clarity extends to Europe, Asia, and emerging markets, allowing for smoother cross-border expansion.  Bullish XRP Scenario Analyzing these factors, Daodu suggests a “bull case” scenario in which XRP could reach between $8 and $10. This depends heavily on sustained institutional demand and consistent inflows into exchange-traded funds.  He noted in the report that if ETF inflows maintain the $300 to $500 million monthly rate observed in late 2025, it could lead to an additional 750 million to 1.25 billion XRP being locked by mid-year.  Related Reading: Coinbase Mulls Exiting Support For Crypto Market Structure Bill Ahead Of January 15 Deadline Under these conditions, Daodu concluded that XRP has the potential to not only surpass the $8 threshold but to extend its gains into the $10 range as supply constraints exert greater influence on pricing. At the time of writing, the fifth-largest cryptocurrency on the market was trading at $2.13, marking a 3.7% increase on Tuesday.  Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

Crypto pundit Bird has highlighted why this week could be a massive one for XRP. This comes as market investors keep an eye on key macro events such as the U.S. CPI and also the upcoming CLARITY Act markup.  Why This Is A Massive Week For XRP In an X post, Bird stated that this is a massive week as the Russell 2000 has rallied to new all-time highs (ATHs). He explained that every previous time that this has happened, XRP has gone on to record a major run. The analyst also alluded to macro data dropping this week, which could also impact the XRP price. Related Reading: Analyst Outlines The Bull Case For XRP And Why Price Will Hit All-Time High Soon Bird noted that the CPI and PPI inflation data, which drops this week, always injects volatility into the crypto market. The crypto pundit also stated that the long-awaited markup of the market structure bill (CLARITY Act) is scheduled for this Thursday. This is significant because the legislation could provide legal clarity for XRP and other crypto assets.  The pundit remarked that the charts and macro are aligning for XRP. He predicted that if these developments push the altcoin above $2.70, it could quickly rally to a new all-time high (ATH). Bird asserted that if this doesn’t happen, then the market is likely manipulated, as he believes that XRP and the broader crypto market should be recording significant gains right now.  It is worth noting that XRP rallied to as high as $2.3 at the start of the year but has since lost most of those gains, though the altcoin is still up over 10% year-to-date (YTD). XRP could be one of the crypto assets that benefits most from the passage of the CLARITY Act, as it would boost Ripple’s operations, which could in turn drive more adoption for XRP.  XRP Could Rally To $2.26 From Here Crypto analyst CasiTrades has predicted that XRP could rally to $2.26 from its current level. In an X post, she stated that she expects the altcoin to reach this level to complete a subwave 2 and that the next wave up is critical. The analyst warned that if the price action stays corrective, then there could be a sharp rejection that sends the altcoin into a subwave 3 down. XRP could break the .5 support in the process and target the $1.65 macro support.  However, if XRP’s bounce has the strength to break above $2.41 and flip it into support, this could invalidate the scenario down to $1.65. CasiTrades remarked that this is the key decision in the market, even as market participants keep an eye on the macro fundamentals.  Related Reading: Analyst Breaks Down Why Investors will Make More Money With XRP Than Bitcoin At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $2.06, down in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com

An XRP Ledger ecosystem developer behind the meme coin DROP is drawing attention after predicting a sharp shift in XRP’s relative value versus bitcoin this year, framing it as the start of a new “price discovery” phase for the token. Bird, who posts under @Bird_XRPL, wrote on X yesterday that “5,000 XRP will be worth 1 Bitcoin in 2026,” then clarified his math with a specific price path in mind. “I said I think 5,000 XRP will be worth 1 Bitcoin,” he added. “For example 5,000 * $27 (XRP) = $135K (BTC).” While the post reads like a headline-grabbing forecast, the structure of Bird’s claim is a ratio trade: XRP outperforming BTC enough that 5,000 XRP could purchase one bitcoin. By anchoring the example to $27 XRP and a $135,000 BTC, Bird effectively argued that the market’s next leg higher could involve a meaningful repricing of XRP’s utility narrative rather than a simple beta move to bitcoin. Related Reading: Get Ready For An XRP Price Explosion Once This Happens; Analyst XRP Entering ‘Price Discovery’ Phase The call arrived alongside a series of posts linking XRP’s setup to broader risk-asset conditions and upcoming US macro catalysts. Bird argued that “above $2.70 $XRP opens the path to all time highs and beyond,” presenting that level as a technical inflection point. “Take a breath. Stay present. Remember this moment,” he wrote. “This is the end of a 7–8 year suppression and the beginning of true price discovery.” Bird’s longer thesis, posted on Jan. 11, focused less on short-term trading and more on a personal allocation framework that treats XRP as a long-duration hold. “XRP should be considered as part of your life saving plans,” he wrote, contrasting bank deposit yields with inflation drag. Related Reading: Ripple Builds ‘Next Amazon’ With XRP At The Center, Says Crypto CEO “Most people keep their money in banks earning around 4–6% a year and feel comfortable doing so, but they rarely factor in inflation. Over time, the buying power of the US dollar and the British pound for example has fallen so much, meaning your money often grows on paper while quietly losing value in the real world.” He then positioned XRP as an alternative store of value tied to expanding usage rather than fiat purchasing power. “That’s where XRP comes in. XRP has spent years suppressed by legal uncertainty, yet during that time the technology continued to mature. Now we have clarity, and we can clearly see what’s being built,” Bird wrote, pointing to “cross border payments, institutional adoption, stablecoins like RLUSD, and real world assets being tokenised on chain.” Bird framed the trade-off as custody and counterparty risk versus upside participation. “That’s why I personally treat XRP as a long term savings vehicle rather than a short term trade,” he wrote. “You can self custody it, store it on a cold wallet, and remove reliance on banks altogether.” Bird also tied the timing of his forecast to what he described as a convergence of market structure and policy headlines. “It’s a massive week for XRP,” he wrote, citing CPI and PPI as volatility events and highlighting that the US market structure bill is scheduled to drop on Thursday. “The charts are aligning. The macro is aligned. If this pushes in our favour and we clear $2.70+, an all time high can come very fast for XRP people!” At press time, XRP traded at $2.06. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

XRP has reached a technically decisive level, and the next wave of price action is expected to clarify whether the market is setting up for recovery or preparing for another structural breakdown. Recent movement confirms that a key support has done its job, but the upside path comes with strict conditions that will determine whether this bounce is sustainable or merely a pause before deeper downside. XRP Bounce Is Real, But It’s Still A Test Move Yesterday, renowned crypto analyst CasiTrades took to X, pointing out that XRP’s weekend decline stopped exactly at the macro 0.5 retracement near $2.03, a level that now acts as confirmed structural support. The reaction to this zone was immediate, validating it as active demand rather than coincidental price alignment. Momentum indicators also printed bullish divergence at this low, reinforcing the view that downside pressure is weakening in the short term. Related Reading: This Ethereum Triangle Breakout Puts Price Above $24,000, Here’s The Path From a wave-structure standpoint, CasiTrades interprets this move as the early stage of a subwave 2 bounce. The chart attached suggests the price could rotate higher toward the $2.24–$2.26 range, an area defined by overlapping Fibonacci retracements and prior resistance. Reaching this zone would complete the expected corrective move, but CasiTrades emphasizes that such a rally still falls within a broader pullback rather than confirming bullish continuation. This distinction is critical as corrective rallies often appear constructive before failing. If XRP’s advance remains overlapping and lacks impulsive strength, it would support the case for a rejection at resistance and continuation of the broader corrective cycle. The Catch That Decides The Bigger Picture The key level that changes everything, according to CasiTrades, is $2.41. A decisive break above this level, followed by a successful retest as support, would invalidate the downside scenario entirely. Such a move would signal that the bounce is no longer corrective and that XRP is transitioning into a stronger impulsive phase. Related Reading: Wall Street Analyst Is Still Bullish On Bitcoin, Predicts Price Recovery However, failure at $2.41, including a potential double-top, would still align with a wave-2 corrective structure. In that case, XRP would likely roll into a subwave 3 decline. While smaller subwaves may not unfold perfectly, CasiTrades stresses that the larger-degree target remains unchanged, with macro support near $1.65 as the dominant downside objective. Risk management remains central to this setup. CasiTrades identifies $2.03 as the invalidation point for the bounce thesis, making it the logical level for protective stops. As long as this support holds, the market is in observation mode. Ultimately, the next XRP wave points toward where price is headed next, but only if traders respect the condition attached. As CasiTrades frames it, the internal structure of the move will reveal whether this is a temporary reset or the start of something materially stronger. Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

XRP is trading at around $2.06 on January 13, 2026, leaving its price action a full step below the zone that capped its last rally that ended with a high of $3.65 in July 2025.  However, predictions that point to XRP reclaiming that peak and then pushing into new highs above $3.8, have been on the front page of bank research notes and trader-led chart projections. Notably, various technical analyses have suggested that XRP is programmed to return back into the upper-$3s and into new price territories this year. Standard Chartered’s XRP Target Clears $3.8 XRP’s all-time high price now looks out of reach, especially considering the cryptocurrency is now struggling to leave $2 behind. At the time of writing, XRP has dropped by about 44% from its July 2025 peak of $3.65, but institutional buys from Spot XRP ETFs are still giving glimmers of hope. Related Reading: XRP Back At The Edge: Will Breaking $2 Barrier Rewrite Its History? One of the most recently notable institutional-style projections from XRP comes from Standard Chartered’s digital assets research, which lays out a multi-year path that sees XRP breaking well above the $3.8 threshold.  According to analysts at the bank, XRP is slated to reach as high as $8 by the end of 2026, a level that comfortably eclipses the previous peak and implies roughly 300% upside from current levels if certain conditions hold.  Interestingly, this outlook came from Geoffrey Kendrick, Standard Chartered’s Global Head of Digital Assets Research. The prediction was made based on an outlook of continued institutional adoption and strong inflows into XRP-based spot ETFs. Technical Outlooks As Ripple Heads Into A Consequential 2026 Recent technical commentary from multiple analysts has converged on a bullish bias for XRP. For instance, XRP analyst EGRAG CRYPTO pointed out a developing breakout retest structure on the monthly candlestick timeframe. According to the analyst, historical probabilities favor upside as long as XRP holds above the $1.60 to $1.40 range on higher timeframes, with long-term channel projections placing the XRP price as high as $22. For a shorter-term perspective, Crypto Feras described XRP’s recent break above $2 as a bullish reversal signal. His analysis points to $2.67 and $3.01 as the next resistance levels, areas that could open the path toward a full retest of the prior peak near $3.8 if cleared. Adding to this, ChartNerd noted that XRP’s long-term upside fractal structure is still valid despite the recent XRP price correction.  Related Reading: Analyst Updates XRP Price Prediction: Why $16 Is Still On The Table These price projections are being viewed more favorably against the backdrop of Ripple’s momentum heading into the year. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse recently pointed to strong progress in 2025 with examples of major acquisitions of Ripple Prime and GTreasury and a growing global licensing footprint.  Now that Ripple is positioning itself for what its leadership has described as a consequential 2026, the combination of technical outlooks and company fundamentals has strengthened the narrative that XRP could be approaching a move to new all-time highs. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

XRP may be setting up for a final, cleaner long entry if the broader market delivers one more volatility-driven pullback, according to CryptoinsightUK’s Will Taylor, who says his preferred “risk to reward” zone sits materially below current support. The thesis hinges on whether Bitcoin prints a double-bottom-style retest and drags major alts into deeper liquidity pockets before the next leg higher. In his Jan. 10 newsletter, Taylor framed early 2026 as a market caught between two plausible paths: a familiar pullback-and-recover structure that has defined prior Bitcoin dips, or a continuation higher that leaves would-be buyers watching price run away. “The question mark for me is whether we do get a wick below this ascending trend line into that double bottom area and then push higher,” he wrote, adding that the setup is crowded. “On the other side of this, it does make you think that everyone is probably looking at the same structure and waiting for something like this to play out.” Taylor said he had closed short-term trades during the week, not as a shift in his higher-timeframe view, but as a response to what he described as low-timeframe conditions and event risk. “Today we get the ruling on tariffs in the US. Is that going to provide some volatility?” he asked, pointing to a cluster of geopolitical headlines as potential catalysts that could either produce the pullback he’s watching for—or “deceive people… who are waiting for a pullback, and instead continue higher from here and leave those orders behind.” Related Reading: Spot XRP ETFs Hit Record Trading Volume In Past Week — Details Taylor’s shorter-term trade framework leans heavily on liquidity positioning, using Ethereum as a key tell for what Bitcoin might do next. He argued ETH “kind of favours the double bottom scenario” because “the amount of liquidity that has built up for ETH down to about $2,600” is heavier below than above on the hourly chart, an imbalance he views as a magnet if the market attempts to rally without first clearing that downside interest. One Last Buying Opportunity For XRP? That same logic carries into his XRP plan. Taylor said XRP has already “swept the highs of the range first,” forcing a decision point between holding a nearer support band—his “first blue box”—or fading into a deeper demand zone. “Now the discussion becomes whether we move into the first blue box as a weaker area of support and hold there… or whether we come back down into the deeper support zone around $1.90 to $1.82 and hold there,” he wrote. “That deeper area is my preferred risk to reward zone for placing long positions, and that is where I will be looking to get back into an XRP long and add to my position if we see that move specifically.” He added that the daily RSI on XRP was “close to crossing bearish,” presenting a technical backdrop that, in his view, supports the case for one more washout before trend continuation while stressing it does not alter his higher-timeframe bullish thesis. Related Reading: Ripple Builds ‘Next Amazon’ With XRP At The Center, Says Crypto CEO Taylor then pivoted to a more stimulative medium-term narrative, citing talk of “putting 200 billion into additional mortgage backed security purchases to cut mortgage rates,” along with suggestions of potential stimulus checks and the inflation sensitivity of oil prices. “Because of all of this, I think we’re going to see an epic rally. I don’t think people are really expecting the size or the scale of the move that could come,” Taylor wrote. “I believe we’re in the final shakeout period before the market really starts to march higher.” He said he remained “around 95% exposed to the market through spot positions,” framing the decision to close short-term trades as “a capital protection mechanism.” His minimum XRP price target is $3.40 and extends to $4.40 based on liquidity in the medium term. Long-term, he says that the argument for the $8-$12 range is still valid, as reported last week. Separate commentary in the newsletter from analyst @thecryptomann1 highlighted what “confirmation” would look like on Bitcoin: a reclaim of roughly $105,000, a push through, and a successful retest. He cited “a huge amount of volume around this region” and alignment with bull market support bands, arguing that regaining them would shift the read from “relief rally” to something more durable. He also pointed to USDT dominance sitting on a multi-year trend line but showing weakness, including being “trapped below the 20 EMA” with RSI “below 50” and rolling over conditions that, if they resolve lower, could align with a risk-on breakout in majors. At press time, XRP traded at $2.05. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

XRP is attempting to stabilize above the $2 level after enduring several days of sustained selling pressure, as the broader market searches for direction. While price action has cooled from recent highs, the latest data suggests that activity around XRP remains balanced rather than distressed. According to metrics shared by Arab Chain via CryptoQuant, trading behavior shows no signs of panic or speculative excess despite the recent pullback. Related Reading: CVDD Model Signals Bitcoin Is Not Yet Deeply Undervalued: Drawdown Lags Historical Cycles Data sourced from Binance indicates that XRP’s 30-day Z-Score for trading volume is currently around 0.44. This reading places current volume slightly above its 30-day average, but still well within a historically normal range. Importantly, Z-Score values above +2 are typically associated with aggressive inflows and speculative surges, while deeply negative readings tend to signal market apathy or liquidity drying up. XRP’s current position in the positive-neutral zone suggests neither scenario is playing out. This context matters. Rather than reflecting capitulation or renewed hype, the data points to a market that is digesting prior moves. As XRP holds above $2, the absence of abnormal volume spikes implies that recent selling pressure may be easing, setting the stage for consolidation or a more deliberate next move once conviction returns. XRP Volume Z-Score Signals Market Equilibrium The report explains that this behavior suggests XRP’s recent price action was not fueled by a speculative frenzy, but instead reflected relatively balanced trading between buyers and sellers. Despite XRP managing to hold above the $2 level, the absence of an elevated volume Z-Score indicates that the market is not experiencing excessive excitement. Rather, conditions point to a phase of consolidation or potential accumulation following the volatility seen in previous weeks. This type of Z-Score reading commonly appears during periods of anticipation, when participants wait for a clearer directional catalyst. In such environments, price can remain range-bound as liquidity stays stable and neither side gains decisive control. If XRP’s price begins to move higher while the Z-Score rises above the 1.5–2.0 range, it would suggest fresh capital entering the market and could mark the beginning of a stronger, momentum-driven advance. That combination would provide clearer confirmation of renewed demand. On the other hand, if trading volume contracts further and the Z-Score remains near zero or slips into negative territory, it would imply fading interest. Under those conditions, XRP could face renewed downside pressure or extend its sideways consolidation as liquidity thins. The current Z-Score does not deliver a clear buy or sell signal. Instead, the data highlights a stable market environment. Any meaningful move now requires volume confirmation to establish its robustness. Related Reading: Ethereum Long-Term Cost Basis Holds Firm: Structural Floor Forms Near $2.8K XRP Price Struggles to Reclaim Key Moving Averages XRP is currently trading near the $2.05 level after a prolonged period of selling pressure, as shown on the daily chart. The recent rebound from sub-$1.90 levels suggests that buyers are attempting to defend the psychological $2.00 zone, which has acted as an important pivot throughout this cycle. However, price action remains structurally weak, with XRP still trading below its major moving averages. The chart shows XRP firmly below the 200-day moving average (red line) near the $2.55–$2.60 area, a level that now represents a critical medium-term resistance. The 100-day and 50-day moving averages (green and blue lines) are also sloping downward, reinforcing the bearish trend that began after the failed breakout above $3.50 in late 2025. Each attempt to recover has been capped by these dynamic resistance levels, signaling persistent distribution rather than aggressive accumulation. Related Reading: Bearish Signal Emerges For Ethereum As US Spot Demand Fades From a market structure perspective, XRP continues to print lower highs and lower lows, despite the short-term bounce. Volume has remained relatively muted during the recent recovery, suggesting limited conviction behind the move. This supports the idea that the rebound is corrective rather than the start of a new impulsive trend. For bullish momentum to regain credibility, XRP must reclaim and hold above the $2.30–$2.40 region, followed by a break above the 200-day moving average. Until then, the prevailing structure favors consolidation or further downside risk. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com 

Analysts are calling for an XRP price explosion, as the cryptocurrency’s market structure and the reappearance of historically reliable technical patterns support this bullish outlook. Although XRP experienced a brief rebound at the beginning of 2026, its price has since given back some of those gains and is now trading slightly above $2.0. Nevertheless, analysts remain optimistic about XRP’s near-term growth and have identified a key setup that could trigger the anticipated surge.  XRP Price Prepares For Major Explosion Market expert CRYPTOWZRD has shared a fresh technical analysis of XRP, pointing to a familiar setup that previously led to an explosive price surge. He stated that XRP has spent more than a year trading sideways, forming a base that closely resembles an early pre-rally phase.  Related Reading: Wall Street Analyst Is Still Bullish On Bitcoin, Predicts Price Recovery This sideways behavior had preceded a sharp vertical breakout during the 2024 bull cycle. CRYPTOWZRD noted that the current market structure mirrors this setup, suggesting that history may repeat itself if conditions align. His chart supports this view by showing XRP locked in a broad horizontal range for an extended period.  In the past, XRP’s price repeatedly bounced between a clearly defined yellow support zone and red resistance bands, confirming range-bound behavior and accumulation. On the chart, the historical breakout is visible as a strong, impulsive upward move that followed XRP’s retest of support and the invalidation of the previous downtrend.  Following its initial price rally in July 2024, XRP entered a topping phase near the upper red resistance area. After failing to hold those highs, the cryptocurrency saw a sharp pullback described as a “quick dump,” which drove prices back toward a key support region in the next month. Interestingly, XRP began to trade within a descending channel after the pullback. Once the price broke the channel’s upper boundary, it triggered a powerful rally, propelling XRP from approximately $0.5 to over $2. A similar descending channel is now visible in XRP’s current market structure, reinforcing the analyst’s view that another parabolic move may be unfolding. In this setup, XRP has already broken above the upper boundary of the channel, and now its price is expected to push through the red resistance bands positioned between $3.4 and $3.7 Analyst Warns That XRP Must Clear $2.26 Or Risk Another Drop Speaking on current price action, crypto analyst ChartNerd warns that XRP could see another price correction if it fails to break and hold above the $2.26 support level. According to the expert, both the weekly 20 Exponential Moving Average (EMA) and the middle regression band of the Gaussian Channel are acting as resistance.  Related Reading: Here’s Why the Bitcoin Price Was Able To Break $94,000 The chart also shows these indicators converging at the $2.26 support level, strengthening the barrier XRP must overcome. A failure to break above this level could cause the price to retrace back toward multi-month support near $1.9, where a higher low could form if buyers step in.    Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

In a world where financial systems are becoming fragile, XRP stands out as the intersection of a financial infrastructure designed for instant global value transfer, speed, reliability, and global accessibility. XRP’s ability to move value instantly across borders, with minimal cost and without reliance on fragile banking systems, positions it as both a long-term wealth tool and a potential life-saving instrument. XRP should be considered as part of life-saving plans. An analyst known as Bird on X has pointed out that most people keep their money in the bank, earning around 4-6% a year, and feel comfortable with it, but they rarely factor in the impact of inflation. Over time, the purchasing power of currencies like the US dollar and the British pound has been quietly eroded to the point where your money can grow on paper while losing value in the real world. XRP’s Role In The Next Phase Of Global Payments Although savings accounts are safe, many people are actually standing still or falling massively behind without even realizing it, which is why XRP comes in as a long-term life-saving strategy. XRP has spent years held back by legal uncertainty, and during that time, the technology continued to mature. Currently, there’s clarity, and what was being built has become visible. Related Reading: XRP Ledger May Get A Tokenized Gold Upgrade, Web3 Founder Reveals Real-world usage is arriving in cross-border payments, institutions are engaging, stablecoins like RLUSD are being introduced, and real-world assets are being tokenized on the chain. As the utility is increasing, capital is flowing into the ecosystem. More usage creates more demand, and sustained demand is what drives long-term value growth. According to Bird, XRP is to be trusted more than fiat, which is why it is a long-term savings vehicle rather than a short-term trade.  XRP can be reserved for self-custody, stored on a cold wallet, removing reliance on banks altogether. Instead of earning a few percentages while fighting inflation, you’re holding a digital asset positioned at the centre of growing global financial infrastructure, which is more likely to increase in value over time. In comparison, it is unclear whether inflation will ever pause to make cash worth more. The analyst views this scenario as a long-term wealth investment and believes that XRP will become one of the most utilised digital assets in the world. Thus, building a savings position now could prove to be one of the smartest financial decisions someone could make over the long run. A Bridge Between Old Money And New Rails ChartNerd noted that Ripple is not built to be a traditional crypto company that aims to destroy the old money. Instead, Ripple acts as the bridge between the old and new financial worlds, and this will be a more successful long-term strategy.  Related Reading: XRP Whale Deposits To Binance Ease: Data Points To Lower Distribution Risk A sustainable financial change will emerge gradually, not through a knee-jerk move or total disruption in just one cycle. XRP is clearly the long-game asset, while 2025 was the most productive year for Ripple, nothing is priced in yet. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

The XRP Ledger (XRPL) has just experienced one of its biggest crashes this year, as on-chain data shows that activity on the Ripple blockchain has dropped by 99%. While this might look like a major red flag, the decline has yet to significantly impact the XRP price, suggesting that the situation may not be as alarming as it seems. Overview Of Ripple’s XRP Ledger 99% Crash Over the weekend, XRP Ledger transaction activity dropped sharply, falling by approximately 99% within 48 hours. On closer inspection, the decline appears primarily due to timing rather than any major technical issue in the ledger. Usually, cryptocurrency transaction volumes decline over weekends. This is because many institutional traders and market makers reduce their trading or stop entirely on weekends, leading to thinner liquidity and lower payment volumes on the ledger.  Related Reading: Ripple’s 100,000 Transactions: Why XRP Investors Are Returning Notably, on-chain data from XRPScans revealed that XRPL’s payment volume between accounts declined from over 1.09 billion on Thursday, January 8, to 166.99 million on Saturday. This represents a massive drop in network usage, showing just how much activity can decrease over a weekend. Payment volume is also yet to recover, falling further to around 137.40 million as of January 11.  In addition to volume decline, the number of transactions executed on the XRP Ledger during that time frame also reduced. XRPScans showed that transactions fell from over 2 million on Thursday to 1.8 million on Saturday. This decline in both volume and transfers shows that even small reductions in participation by large accounts or institutional users can significantly affect network metrics.  It’s worth noting that the XRP price is still trading above $2 and remains somewhat unaffected by the recent decline in network activity. Although CoinMarketCap data shows its value dropped by more than 4% over the past week, there’s no clear evidence linking this to the recent 99% decline in the ledger.  Interestingly, just days before the crash, the XRP Ledger recorded a major increase in whale transactions, each valued at $100,000 or more. This suggests that, despite temporary network fluctuations, the XRP network continues to experience substantial activity and engagement from major holders.   XRPL Developer Shares New Update For Ledger Vet, an XRPL dUNL validator and developer, has shared a new update on the XRP Ledger, revealing that a large batch of fixes and amendments is now nearing its activation timer. This marks a critical step for the blockchain network, promising to enhance functionality and security for developers and users.  Related Reading: XRP Retrace Is Only Temporary, What Happens Once the Uptrend Resumes Vet has stated that the upcoming changes cover several important features, including TokenEscrow, AMMClawback, Multi-Purpose Tokens (MPT), and Price Oracle. He emphasized that the XRP development team remains committed to maintaining the ledger at its highest performance. He added that the team is also working diligently to ensure all features operate smoothly, independent of XRP’s current market price. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com

The launch of the spot XRP ETFs (exchange-traded funds) in the United States was one of the rare success stories of 2025’s final quarter. The crypto-linked products have helped ensure significant capital influx into the altcoin in recent months. While the XRP ETFs recorded their first negative outflow day in the past week, the exchange-traded funds also reached a new record in terms of the total value traded in a single week. This milestone reflects the growing maturity of the XRP ETF market in the US. XRP Funds Post $219M Trading Volume In Past Week According to the latest market data, the spot XRP ETFs posted their highest weekly trading volume since debut at $219 million. This figure is almost double the value traded in the XRP ETF market in the previous week ($117.4 million). Related Reading: Analyst Outlines The Bull Case For XRP And Why Price Will Hit All-Time High Soon Meanwhile, this new record merely surpasses the previous record of $213.9 million reached in the third week of December 2025. This feat signals the rising investor demand for the XRP exchange-traded funds despite the waning interest in the broader crypto ETF market. As mentioned earlier, the US-based XRP ETFs registered their first negative performance in the past week, with a net outflow of $40.8 million on Wednesday, January 7. However, this single-day performance didn’t stop the exchange-traded products from ending the week in the green. Data from SoSoValue reveals that the XRP ETF market saw an additional $38.07 million in value for the week ending January 9. However, a look at the chart shows that the capital inflow for the crypto-linked products is steadily declining. As of this writing, the spot XRP ETFs have accumulated $1.47 billion in total net assets since launching in mid-November 2025. Canary Capital’s XRPC tops the list with $375.1 million in net assets under management (AUM), followed by Bitwise’s XRP fund at $300.3 million, and Franklin Templeton’s XRPZ at $279.6 million. XRP ETFs Shine While Crypto ETF Market Flounders While the XRP ETFs seem to be enduring the market storm, the more-established Bitcoin and Ether ETFs have seen better days. According to recent market data, the crypto funds saw a combined withdrawal of $749.6 million during their first full trading week of the year. Most notably, the spot Bitcoin ETFs saw their largest single-day net outflows of $486.1 million on Wednesday, January 7. The BTC exchange-traded funds closed the week with a net outflow of over $681 million. Meanwhile, the Ethereum ETF market, which started on a positive note with inflows of $168.1 million on January 5 and $114.7 million on January 6, eventually ended the week with net withdrawals of $68.6 million. Related Reading: Bitcoin Tests $90,000 Support As Netflows Turn Positive — Details Featured image from iStock,chart from TradingView

XRP kicked off January with a massive break above $2 and a rally towards $2.4. However, since then, the cryptocurrency has struggled to keep up bullish momentum.  Now, attention has turned to a familiar and stubborn technical level, one that has shaped XRP’s history as resistance and support over many years. In a recent post on X, crypto analyst Steph highlighted this level and its significance as a vantage point that correlates with the cryptocurrency’s latest price outlook. Related Reading: Crypto Market Watches As Clarity Act Enters Senate Debate Next Week: US Senator A Resistance Zone Etched In History Technical analysis of XRP’s price action on the 12-month candlestick timeframe focuses on a price region that has haunted the cryptocurrency since 2017. According to crypto analyst Steph, every major cycle rally has stalled around $2, and this makes it a defining long-term resistance area for the cryptocurrency.  This pattern is meaningful and not at a random price target. When price consolidates beneath a barrier for years, the pressure that builds can cause a powerful upside move once the barrier finally gives way. According to Steph, a clean, consecutive close above $2 on a yearly timeframe would mean that long-term supply has been exhausted and could open the door to a much larger repricing for XRP.  This perspective aligns with recent chart behavior. XRP climbed above $2.40 very briefly in early January, but it could not sustain the breakout, retreating toward the mid-$2 area after sellers re-entered the market. Current price readings show the cryptocurrency trading around the high $2 region at $2.09. XRP 12-Month Price Chart. Source: @Steph_iscrypto On X What A Breakout Could Mean For The Next Chapter The challenge for XRP is not whether it can trade above $2, because it already has. The token spent much of the first half of 2025 above this level, and this eventually carried the price to an all-time high at $3.65.  The issue is that XRP has consistently gravitated back toward the $2 zone over time, turning it into a recurring pivot base for support and resistance. This behavior has caused several breakout attempts to appear as little more than long upper wicks on the 12-month candlestick timeframe, followed by mean reversion. What matters now is not a brief push through the level, but whether XRP can break above $2 and hold it with a meaningful close on higher timeframes. A sustained close  above $2 would mean that supply at this level is finally being absorbed. That outcome would be an important milestone in XRP’s long-term structure. However, before that can happen, XRP’s price action still needs to establish strength on mid-timeframes. The important thing will be whether $2 can change from resistance to support in the weeks and months ahead.  Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Next Peak Might Ignite ADA’s Rally, Says Cardano Creator If it breaks above $2 convincingly, then it can create another base at a higher price level. In Steph’s projection, such a structural change could open XRP for an extended move, with upside targets stretching as high as $30. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

XRP is now back to trading just above the $2 level after an early January rally briefly carried its price action into the $2.40 range. The pullback has so far been controlled, with price holding above former resistance that has now turned into short-term support. A technical analysis shared on X by crypto analyst Bird proposed that conditions are now right for a familiar macro setup that has preceded XRP’s largest historical rallies. The focus of this outlook is on XRP’s reaction with the US dollar index and what its next move could mean for the cryptocurrency. Related Reading: Crypto Market Watches As Clarity Act Enters Senate Debate Next Week: US Senator How DXY Weakness Has Always Unlocked XRP Rallies Bird’s analysis is based on the US Dollar Index, or DXY, and its inverse relationship with XRP during important phases. The chart accompanying his post pointed to three previous periods, around 2017, 2021, and 2024, where sustained weakness in the dollar coincided with aggressive upside moves in XRP.  In each of those cycles, red candles on the DXY chart led to a loss of dollar strength, while XRP responded with strong upward expansion shortly after. This recurring pattern means that XRP’s largest moves tend to follow macro shifts, not just even events related to XRP. When dollar dominance fades, capital always rotates into crypto assets, and XRP has been one of the primary beneficiaries of that transition. Interestingly, the current setup shows that DXY has returned to a similar structural zone seen before past rollovers. As shown in the chart below, the DXY is now trending downwards. US Dollar Index, XRPUSD. Source: @Bird_XRPL On X  XRP To New All-Time Highs? The first highlighted phase captures the late-2017 to early-2018 cycle, when a weakening dollar backdrop lined up with XRP’s rally run into the cycle peak in the mid-$3 range. A similar relationship appeared around the 2020-2021 window, where dollar softness was followed by XRP surging to $1.90 at its cycle top. The latest was in H1 2025, which culminated in XRP reaching its current all-time high of $3.65 in July. The important context is why the current moment is a decision point. At the time of writing, the DXY is sitting around 99, and from here it can either turn lower and start printing red candles again or catch a bid and print green. If DXY starts printing red candles again and rolls over, the pattern Bird is pointing to suggests the macro backdrop becomes supportive for another strong XRP leg higher, which is why a new all-time high above $3.65 could come into view within the next few months.  Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Next Peak Might Ignite ADA’s Rally, Says Cardano Creator If DXY prints green and strengthens, that would be the opposite signal: it can tighten liquidity conditions and keep XRP’s price action capped in consolidation around $2 before any breakout attempt. Either way, the dollar’s next move will signal what comes next. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Ripple’s 2025 acquisition spree is starting to look, in the eyes of Digital Ascension Group CEO Jake Claver, less like opportunistic dealmaking and more like an attempt to build the “Amazon of financial infrastructure,” a vertically integrated stack where XRP and Ripple’s stablecoin RLUSD sit at the settlement layer. In a video, Claver said Ripple spent roughly $2.45 billion on acquisitions in the last seven months of 2025, arguing the purchases form “pillars for a master plan” that mirrors how Amazon built dominance by owning infrastructure rather than just selling products. Why Ripple Could Be The ‘Next Amazon’ The core analogy was explicit. “Amazon’s success came from building infrastructure, not just from self products,” Claver said. “You got AWS. It became the most profitable piece of their business. That was infrastructure. They own all of the warehouses and logistics and the cloud and the marketplace.” Related Reading: How XRP Ledger Becomes The Leading Blockchain In 2026: Fintech CEO His contention is that infrastructure plays create structural advantages: lower marginal costs, faster iteration, and higher switching costs once institutions integrate. “This vertical integration is rare in financial services,” he said, arguing that most firms “specialize in one layer or partner for the rest,” which introduces friction, delays, and blame-shifting when systems fail. He also claimed the endgame resembles “winner take all dynamics,” where “network effects make the large networks exponentially more valuable than small ones” and “switching becomes cost prohibitive” once workflows are embedded. To explain the Amazon comparison, Claver mapped Ripple’s 2025 deals to what he sees as the minimum viable infrastructure bundle for an institutional “platform.” “You need custody and clearing for assets. You need treasury management for corporate operations. You need payment rails that work globally 24/7, 365,” he said. “You need a stable coin infrastructure for efficient settlements. And you need settlement assets to be able to move between all of those.” He argued Ripple has assembled those layers through a mix of older buys and 2025 mega-deals, culminating in what he called an end-to-end institutional product branded “Ripple 1.” The most prominent 2025 move, Claver said, was the $1.25 billion purchase of Hidden Road in April, now rebranded “Ripple Prime.” His framing: prime brokerage is the institutional “plumbing” that makes large-scale trading and settlement possible. “Prime brokers provide the behind-the-scenes services that make institutional trading possible,” he said. “They handle clearing. They make sure trade actually settles between counterparties. They provide custody and hold assets securely.” He added that Hidden Road served “over 300 institutional clients” and cleared “more than $3 trillion” in 2024, and claimed the business has grown “3x” since the acquisition announcement. Related Reading: XRP Retrace Is Only Temporary, What Happens Once the Uptrend Resumes He also pointed to an integration hook meant to create internal demand for Ripple’s stablecoin: “Hidden Road will use RLUSD as collateral across prime brokerage products. And this creates organic demand for Ripple stablecoin with institutional adoption.” The second pillar, he said, was Rail, acquired for about $200 million in August 2025, described as a stablecoin payments platform that operates 24/7 and reduces the need for enterprises to hold crypto directly. He claimed Rail was forecast to process “over 10%” of a $36 billion global B2B stablecoin payments market in 2025. Third came GTreasury, acquired for $1 billion after being announced in October 2025 and closing in December, which Claver described as treasury software used by large corporations and processing $12.5 trillion in annual payment volume. The strategic value, he argued, is distribution: access to CFOs and treasurers via trusted software already embedded in corporate finance workflows. The fourth, Palisade, announced in November 2025 with undisclosed terms, was framed as the “hot wallet” layer: operational wallet-as-a-service infrastructure for high-velocity transaction use cases, complementing deeper custody solutions. At press time, XRP traded at $2.10. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

A crypto market participant has outlined a numerical comparison showing how the same investment amount could generate significantly different returns depending on whether it is placed into Bitcoin or XRP.  The projection, which was shared on X and focuses on price levels and capital growth, shows how XRP has a better upside on a percentage basis compared to Bitcoin at its current valuations. How The Numbers Favor XRP Over Bitcoin The comparison starts with a $5,000 investment. At current prices, Bitcoin would need to rise to around $180,000 for that initial $5,000 investment to double to $10,000. Interestingly, multiple bullish predictions put Bitcoin reaching a price target of at least $180,000 in the next few months, so this is most likely a guarantee. However, Bitcoin’s position as the largest cryptocurrency works as both an advantage and a constraint. Related Reading: XRP Retrace Is Only Temporary, What Happens Once the Uptrend Resumes At the time of writing, Bitcoin has a large market cap of $1.8 trillion. Given Bitcoin’s already large market cap, any move of notable magnitude requires huge capital inflows over an extended period of time. Its recent adoption among institutional traders and role as the largest cryptocurrency provide stability, but its size limits how quickly it can multiply in value. Each incremental gain requires increasingly larger amounts of new capital entering the market. On the other hand, XRP has a much smaller market cap of $128 billion. Using the same $5,000 investment in XRP produces a much different outcome under the analyst’s assumptions. If XRP reaches a $10 price level, the value of that position would rise to $25,000.  Therefore, this means that, as it stands, XRP has a much better profit potential than Bitcoin. The argument presented is not that Bitcoin lacks upside, but that the capital efficiency of XRP is higher if both assets move to commonly cited bullish targets. Risk Profiles And Return Expectations The difference in projection also shows different risk tolerances of both cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin is more appealing to investors who prioritize long-term exposure and relative stability. Predictions for Bitcoin range from $150,000 all the way to above $1 million. Related Reading: XRP Price Mirrors 2017 Sideways Accumulation Trend – Here’s What Happened Last Time XRP, on the other hand, will attract traders who are willing to accept higher volatility in exchange for the possibility of larger returns. The cryptocurrency has been the subject of numerous bullish projections from analysts due to the growing optimism around its role in financial institutions and the recent exposure through Spot XRP ETFs. The bullish sentiment is so strong that a few analysts are already projecting how XRP has the potential to trade at $100 in the next few years. One analyst, for example, noted that XRP has the potential to reach $100 before Bitcoin reaches $1 million and that it can even hit $1,000 before Bitcoin hits $19 million. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com

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

A longtime XRP Ledger builder says XRPL has a narrow shot in 2026 to jump into the top tier of chains on liquidity and activity, but only if Ripple and the XRPL Foundation stop “playing it safe” and prioritize frictionless consumer onboarding, real-world payment rails, and a faster, more aggressive funding engine. Why 2026 Needs To Be The Year For XRP Panos Mekras, founder of Anodos Finance, wrote on X that the network’s current metrics are a warning sign: “only a few thousand active users,” daily DEX volume “frequently under $10m,” and AMM TVL “struggling below $50m” roughly two years after launch. The target, he argued, should be explicit: “move into the top 3 networks when it comes to volume, liquidity and overall activity.” Mekras said the liquidity gap is ultimately an infrastructure and distribution problem. XRPL remains “an isolated island,” he wrote, with limited bridges to other chains and “fragmented, high-fee gateways” instead of seamless on/offramps. His prescription is direct integration of mainstream rails: “native support for major rails like VISA and Mastercard directly within XRPL-based applications” so users can issue cards and spend XRPL assets in real time. Related Reading: Same XRP Setup That Led To Over 1,000% Increase In 2017 Is Playing Out Again He also framed stablecoin alignment as a competitive constraint: RLUSD reaching a $1 billion market cap in its first year is “positive,” he said, but “$1B is not good enough” against incumbents with $5 billion to $180 billion in circulation that have already become default onramps. He also argued XRPL lost its consumer narrative after Ripple’s 2014 pivot toward payments and B2B. That shift, in his telling, trained the market to associate XRP primarily with Ripple partnerships rather than the ledger itself, leaving many holders unaware of XRPL’s native DEX and token features. He pointed to a 2023 reply from Ripple CTO David “JoelKatz” Schwartz, who said the DEX ecosystem was strong at the time of the pivot, citing “over $8 million per day in swaps and payments” that Ripple “could 100% confirm” as real activity. For 2026, Mekras wants XRPL positioned less as “payments” and more as a protocol-layer finance stack where core features are built-in rather than stitched together through smart contracts, with “aggregated liquidity” and “one DEX to rule them all.” A key pillar is “XRPFi,” which he described as an effort to turn “the $100B+ of dormant XRP into productive, yield-generating capital” by pushing XRP liquidity into programmable environments. He cited Flare’s FXRP via FAssets as a route into smart contracts without “central custodians,” and highlighted Axelar & Midas’ mXRP as an “institutional-grade liquid staking token” he said could enable “5–10% APY,” creating liquid XRP variants that can be used as collateral and AMM liquidity. Related Reading: XRP Rally Reopens The $8–$12 Zone Debate, Says Will Taylor The consumer strategy, he argued, should be “invisible infrastructure”: utility apps where users never see crypto mechanics. “If a user is ever prompted to ‘Add a Trust Line’ or ‘Have enough XRP for the reserves’ we have already failed,” he wrote. “The interface must be indistinguishable from the modern mobile apps people already trust.” To enable that, he called Sponsored Fees and Reserves (XLS-68) the top technical priority so developers can sponsor account reserves and fees, paired with Batch Transactions to compress multi-step actions into “one single, atomic signature.” Mekras’ sharpest criticism was aimed at grants. He called Ripple’s 2022 commitment of 1 billion XRP to fund XRPL development a “Ghost Fund,” estimating less than $50 million, under 5% has reached active builders in four years. “A grant program that takes 3 months to approve $50,000 and can take another 3 months to receive the money is not a growth engine, it is a bureaucracy,” he wrote, arguing XRPL needs million-dollar checks for proven teams, direct liquidity incentives, and a unified developer experience. His conclusion was a call for a “war chest mentality” in 2026: fund distribution and liquidity, fix onboarding friction, and build consumer products where XRPL is simply the backend. Without that, he warned, the ecosystem risks remaining a technically capable network that still cannot attract sustained users, builders, or capital at scale. At press time, XRP traded at $2.10. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

XRP’s price action has transitioned into a falling phase after a multi-day rally at the start of the year, but technical analysis implies this may be part of a bullish structure.  After climbing from below $2 on January 1 to $2.41 on January 6, the market has begun digesting those gains. Now, the outlook is whether short-term Fib price levels can hold as momentum resets, with the next directional move expected to define XRP’s near-term trajectory. XRP’s Rally Sets Context For Current Pullback XRP’s current price action in the past 24 hours is tracing out a downward retracement. Notably, this retracement follows a strong upward move that began at the start of the week. To put this in context, XRP opened in January 2026 at around $1.85, but shot up to as high as $2 on January 6, equating to a 30% increase within that timeframe. Related Reading: Strategist Reveals What Will Drive XRP Price To $100 Per Coin On January 4, XRP was trading roughly between $2.01 and $2.12 before demand accelerated. By January 5, intraday price action expanded into the $2.09 to $2.36 range, reflecting a clear pickup in momentum. The rally extended into January 6 and 7, when XRP briefly pushed above $2.41 before sellers began to step in. According to technical analysis shared on X by TARA, the pullback pushed the XRP price to the 0.236 Fibonacci retracement, which comes in around $2.27. This level has quickly turned into an important area of interest, as it represents the first meaningful support following the recent impulse higher. The chart accompanying the analysis shows price reacting cleanly around this zone, with XRP falling in one quick sweep on the 4-hour candlestick timeframe. What To Expect Next For XRP Momentum indicators on the chart suggest that the correction is still unfolding, but not in a way that signals structural weakness. The 14-SMA is rising toward price and might act as dynamic support, which often helps limit downside during healthy retracements.  Related Reading: Here’s How Much The XRP Price Will Be If It Overtakes Ethereum In Market Cap According to the analyst, XRP needs to revisit the $2.30 to $2.33 area during this corrective wave. That region previously acted as resistance and may now determine whether the pullback remains shallow or extends further. If XRP fails to reclaim that zone, the analysis points to a deeper but still technical retrace toward the 0.382 Fibonacci level around $2.18. Even in that scenario, the move would remain consistent with a strong trend cooling off, rather than a breakdown of bullish structure. Despite the ongoing correction, the broader outlook outlined in the analysis is optimistic. XRP is likely to return to its previous highs once the retrace finds a confirmed low. Based on the current structure, upside targets are projected in the $2.49 to $2.66 range, but adjustments are expected depending on where the correction ultimately bottoms. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com

XRP Ledger whale activity spiked sharply at the start of the week, with on-chain data provider Santiment flagging a surge in large-value transfers that pushed the network to its highest $100,000+ transaction count in roughly three months, a setup the firm says typically coincides with elevated volatility. XRP Whales Are Waking Up Again “XRP Ledger has seen a major increase in whale transactions (moved valued at $100K or more on the network),” Santiment wrote in a post on Wednesday via X alongside a Sanbase chart. “Monday saw 2,170 of them, and yesterday shot all the way up to 2,802 (a 3-month high). Volatility should be higher than usual.” The chart, labeled “XRP $1M+ & $100K+ Whale Transactions Per Day,” highlights two specific data points for the $100K+ threshold: 2,170 transactions on Jan. 5, 2026 and 2,802 transactions on Jan. 6, 2026. The Jan. 6 print is marked as the local peak and, per Santiment’s commentary, the strongest reading in approximately three months, the highest shown since the infamous October 10 liquidation event. Related Reading: XRP Rally Reopens The $8–$12 Zone Debate, Says Will Taylor While Santiment’s post spotlights $100K+ transfers, the chart also tracks $1 million-plus whale transactions. That series suggests large-holder activity picked up across multiple size bands into the early-January move, with $1 million transactions pushing to a one-month high, the strongest reading since early December. The jump stands out because $1 million-plus activity appears to have been comparatively muted through most of December, especially when set against the mid-October to November stretch, when the chart shows more frequent days with higher counts. Related Reading: XRP Sees Back-to-Back Liquidation Waves: Binance Absorbs Majority Of Liquidations In practical market terms, traders tend to watch bursts in large on-chain transfers for what they might represent rather than treating the raw counts as a directional signal. Spikes can reflect accumulation or distribution, internal treasury movements by large entities, exchange-related transfers, or positioning around liquidity events. What they often share is mechanical impact: when large holders move size, the probability of sharper intraday swings tends to increase, particularly if that activity persists over multiple sessions. XRP Also Re-Enters The Social ‘Trending’ Set The whale-transaction alert landed alongside a separate Santiment update that placed XRP among the assets seeing the biggest jumps in discussion across social channels. In that post, Santiment grouped XRP with Solana, Ethereum, Bitcoin, MicroStrategy, and Litecoin as the day’s top “trending” tickers by changes in conversation volume for Wednesday. For XRP specifically, Santiment said the discussion mix leaned heavily institutional in tone: ETF flows, “record-breaking net assets,” and the idea of XRP as a high-beta trade into 2025–2026 narratives while also referencing perceived regulatory clarity after the SEC case resolution and use cases such as bridge activity for stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets. Those claims were presented as themes circulating in social chatter rather than as independently verified developments in the post itself. At press time, XRP traded at $2.127. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

Following a remarkable performance in the first trading days of the year, CNBC anchors have named XRP the breakout trade of 2026, arguing that it has been the silent outperformer during the recent crypto market volatility. Related Reading: Bitcoin At A Crossroads: $93,500 Reclaim Holds The Key For Next Move XRP Becomes The Hottest Trade Of The Year CNBC’s Brian Sullivan highlighted XRP’s strong start to the year, calling the cryptocurrency the “new cryptocurrency darling” of 2026 and placing it ahead of the market’s leading assets. During the Power Lunch segment, the network’s anchor affirmed that “the hottest crypto trade of the year is not Bitcoin, it is not Ether, it is XRP,” arguing that there’s “big money behind this trade.” In his initial remarks, he pointed out the altcoin’s remarkable seven-day rally toward the recent highs. XRP has seen a notable performance since the start of the year, climbing over 30% from its yearly opening to its two-month high of $2.41 on Tuesday morning. Amid this recent performance, the altcoin recently flipped BNB again to become the third-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, a place it had lost during the December market volatility. Moreover, it has outperformed most of the largest cryptocurrencies in the weekly timeframe, including BTC’s and ETH’s 4.3% and 6.2% respective rallies. CNBC’s MacKenzie Sigalos weighed in on XRP’s performance on various segments, affirming that “XRP has been the quiet outperformer for months now.” She addressed whether XRP is taking its place as “the next cool thing to know about” or whether it has a different and more relevant use case that sets it apart from the leading cryptocurrencies, emphasizing its role in cross-border payments as one of its key appeals. What’s Driving The Rally? Sigalos cited three main reasons for the strong star-of-the-year performance. First, she stated that “the regulatory overhang has finally cleared as Ripple has fully wrapped up its SEC fight as of August 2nd.” Second, she asserted that people consider the cryptocurrency “a less crowded trade than Bitcoin or Ether,” which “proved out to be true” just in the first trading days of January. For the third reason, she pointed out that “the flows have held up even during the Q4 dip,” arguing that investors continued to add to XRP-based funds, while the largest crypto ETFs’ flows fell with the price. Well, it’s actually been interesting is that during the doldrums of Q4, you actually saw a lot of people piling into those XRP ETFs, which is the exact opposite of what happens with the spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs, where people really move in tandem with the price of the coin. But it was the fact that it is a way to have a higher percentage jump. Related Reading: Ethereum’s Q1 Outlook: Analyst Shares Historical Setup As Price Nears Key Resistance Notably, XRP funds had a remarkable performance since their launch in Q4 2025. The investment products, which first debuted in November, have recorded cumulative net inflows of $1.25 billion, according to data from SoSoValue. The ETF category has not recorded a single day of negative net flows in nearly two months, with consistent inflows since going live. During the first three trading days of the year, XRP funds have seen a total inflow of $78.81 million. As of this writing, XRP is trading at $2.19, a 20% increase in the weekly timeframe. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

XRP is trading above the $2.20 level after several days of relief-driven price action, offering bulls a temporary pause following months of sustained selling pressure. The rebound has eased short-term stress, but conviction remains fragile. Analysts are increasingly divided on what comes next. Some warn that the broader market structure still points toward a prolonged bearish phase, while others argue that XRP may be in the early stages of a recovery if key levels continue to hold. Related Reading: XRP Shows “Coiled Spring” Setup As Network Liquidity Hits Record Levels As the market waits for clearer direction, new derivatives data adds another layer to the outlook. A recent CryptoQuant analysis highlights intense turbulence in XRP’s futures market, where leverage positioning was aggressively reset in a short period of time. The data shows a rare sequence in which short positions were flushed out first, followed shortly after by liquidations on the long side. This type of two-sided liquidation event typically signals heightened uncertainty, with traders on both ends misaligned with short-term price movements. Rather than confirming a clean trend, the liquidation pattern suggests that XRP is transitioning into a more balanced but volatile phase. Excess leverage has been cleared, which can reduce immediate downside risk, but it also reflects hesitation among participants to commit strongly in either direction. Binance Futures Data Explains XRP’s Choppy Price Action XRP’s recent price behavior becomes clearer when viewed through the lens of Binance Futures activity. According to a CryptoQuant analysis, the market experienced a rapid sequence of liquidation events that reshaped short-term dynamics and explained why momentum faded after the initial rally. On January 5, XRP saw a sharp short squeeze, with total short liquidations exceeding $4.4 million. Binance accounted for the vast majority of that figure, confirming that short positioning was heavily concentrated on its derivatives platform. This forced buying helped propel the price higher and fueled the move toward the $2.40 area. However, the rally proved unstable. By January 6, price action reversed modestly, and the market began targeting the opposite side of the book. A wave of long liquidations followed, totaling roughly $4 million, including about $1 million on Binance. Shortly after, an additional liquidation spike of around $1.5 million hit long positions, signaling that late buyers who chased the breakout were being flushed out. Liquidation heatmaps on lower timeframes reinforce this sequence. Price action first cleared short-side liquidity before rotating lower to pressure newly opened long positions. With the short squeeze largely exhausted, XRP now appears to be testing long holder conviction. Binance continues to dominate XRP derivatives activity, and these two-sided liquidation events often precede sharp reversals. In the near term, price is likely to remain volatile as the market recalibrates positioning. Related Reading: Bitcoin Enters Accumulation Regime: Market Supported By Seller Exhaustion, Not Buying Surge XRP Price Faces Key Resistance After Relief Bounce XRP’s 3-day chart shows a market attempting to stabilize after a prolonged corrective phase, but still facing clear structural resistance. Price has rebounded sharply from the late-2025 lows near the $1.80–$1.90 region, a level that acted as a demand zone aligned with the long-term red moving average. This bounce suggests downside momentum has weakened, at least temporarily, as sellers struggled to push price below that support. However, the recovery is running into friction around the $2.25–$2.30 area. This zone coincides with the declining blue and green moving averages, which previously acted as dynamic support during the uptrend and are now functioning as resistance. The rejection near these levels highlights that XRP remains in a broader corrective structure rather than a confirmed trend reversal. Related Reading: Venezuela, Geopolitical Risk, And Bitcoin: What On-Chain Data Really Shows While the rebound was impulsive, volume has not expanded meaningfully compared to earlier distribution phases. Short covering and liquidation flows drive the move more than strong spot accumulation. Structurally, the sequence of lower highs from the mid-2025 peak remains intact. XRP must hold above $2.20 and reclaim the $2.40–$2.60 region to shift momentum decisively. Failure to do so increases the risk of another consolidation or a retest of lower support. In short, XRP is showing relief strength, but confirmation is still missing. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com 

XRP has opened the year on a firm footing, reversing the bearish momentum that carried it through the closing weeks of last year. Interestingly, one strategist is already pushing the conversation far beyond near-term targets.  In a recent post on the social media platform X, BarriC outlined a psychological roadmap that explains how XRP could eventually trade at $100 per coin. This roadmap is built around how investor attitudes start to change as XRP reaches different price levels, which will gradually turn disbelief into C and urgency. Complacency At $2 To Quiet Regret Above $10 BarriC’s model starts with what he described as a dangerous sense of comfort at the lower end of XRP’s price range. Around $2 per XRP, most people assume they will always have access to cheap tokens, which removes any urgency to act. This attitude is evident in XRP’s current price action, with the cryptocurrency trading around $2.25 and slowly grinding higher. Related Reading: Here’s What Ripple Haters Get Wrong And Why XRP Is Set To Explode BarriC projected that even as the XRP price moves back toward $3, a successful reclaim of that level will still fail to generate excitement, because XRP is still seen as ordinary and easy to obtain.  That same mindset, according to the strategist, will carry through to $5, where skepticism will start to take over. At that stage, critics begin questioning why XRP is only at $5 if it is truly expected to play a meaningful role in the future of global finance. However, BarriC believes the psychology will start to change once XRP pushes into double-digit territory, although not yet fully. Even if XRP is trading in the $10 to $20 range, most investors will not suddenly rush in but are still more likely to feel a subtle sense of regret mixed with resignation.  This is where many convince themselves that XRP has likely reached its peak and that they have already missed the opportunity. BarriC describes this phase as one where people comfort themselves with the idea that at least it wasn’t a move to $100. Why $100 Becomes The Emotional Breaking Point According to BarriC, the fear of missing out is what will ultimately push the price of XRP into triple-digit territory. In his view, once XRP reaches $100, the disbelief will collapse and will be replaced by frustration and urgency, especially among investors who had long accepted the idea that such prices were impossible.  Related Reading: XRP Price At $100 Is A liquidity Event Number, What This Means However, that will force latecomers to chase XRP at prices up to fifty times higher than its current price of $2. He extended this logic further by explaining that above $100, buying pressure would no longer be based on excitement alone. At $1,000 per XRP, the motivation will turn into desperation.  His most extreme projection is a $10,000 XRP. This is a point of resignation, where investors fully grasp how severely they underestimated XRP’s long-term importance and the scale of the opportunity they once dismissed. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com

After enduring weeks of capitulation, sustained price declines, and overall market weakness last year, XRP is showing signs of a recovery. The cryptocurrency has rebounded above the $2.2 level after beginning the new year at a low of above $1.90. According to a crypto expert, XRP’s long-term outlook remains significantly bullish. He compares XRP’s projected trajectory to gold’s price movement, predicting a similar historic all-time high rally. XRP Tracks Gold’s Historic Run Market analyst ‘Steph is Crypto’ has stated that XRP is showing a rare chart setup that closely mirrors gold’s macro move between 2023 and 2025. In his analysis shared on X, the crypto expert explained that after a prolonged corrective phase, XRP has completed a clean Wave 4 structure, formed a Falling Wedge, and is now breaking out in a way that reflects early trend expansion behavior.  Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Parabola: What’s Different Between The Last Bull Cycle And This One? The analyst shared a parallel chart that illustrated gold’s price action over the years on one side and XRP’s movement and future trajectory on the other. Over the two-day timeframe, XRP has completed an impulsive Wave 1-3, followed by a downward-sloping corrective channel that slopes into Wave 4, ending with a compression typical of a Falling Wedge. Steph is Crypto directly compares this formation and price movement to gold, which went through an almost identical structure earlier between 2022 and 2023. Following this corrective pattern, gold broke out decisively, entering a strong expansion phase that carried the price to new ATHs over the past months. The breakout also led to a sustained rally with minimal pullbacks and consolidation for almost two years.  Based on gold’s explosive historic performance, Steph is Crypto has projected that XRP could replicate a similar trajectory in 2026. The XRP chart shows price stabilizing above the Falling Wedge breakout area near the mid-$2 range. From there, the projected path suggests a rapid expansion phase that mirrors gold’s post-breakout trajectory.  If XRP replicates this historic run, it implies a new all-time high cycle, with the price potentially skyrocketing toward $37 before the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027. The visual projection line on the chart shows that XRP could also experience a similar steady price expansion phase with minimal pullbacks along the way.  Analyst Says XRP Could Outperform Bitcoin Soon Crypto analyst Matt Hughes has shared a new analysis of the XRP/BTC chart, pointing to a potential shift in long-term price performance. He believes that XRP is gearing up to outperform Bitcoin this year, based on a rate technical signal that just emerged on the trading pair’s chart.  Related Reading: Popular Crypto Founder Dumps Millions In Ethereum, Here’s What He’s Buying According to Hughes, an incredibly bullish setup that has not appeared in years is developing on the XRP/BTC chart. He stated that price is about to break above the monthly Ichimoku Cloud for the first time since 2018, when XRP exploded to its current ATH of $3.84. Notably, a successful move above this cloud would signal a deep structural change in the cryptocurrency’s trend, potentially leading to significant relative gains this year.    Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

The XRP price exploded from $0.5 in 2024 to over $3 in 2025. In the span of a few months, the cryptocurrency, which had been suppressed, made history and was only a few percentage points away from revisiting its all-time high. According to a crypto analyst, XRP may soon replicate its legendary 2017 rally, potentially reaching a new all-time high in the next three months.  XRP To See Parabolic Rally In Three Months Market expert @Cryptobilbuwoo0 has shared a bullish outlook on XRP, pointing to a familiar price structure that closely mirrors the 2017 market cycle. According to the analyst, XRP began its powerful breakout near $3.60 in 2017, then skyrocketed to its ATH around $3.84 in 2018. Related Reading: Standard Chartered Analysts Predict 330% XRP Price Surge After This Happens He pointed out that in 2017, once the price broke above the dotted support line, which represented a long rising diagonal trend on the chart, XRP reached its $3.6 target within a week. Notably, this move delivered gains of approximately 1,184.86%. Based on the rally’s speed and intensity, the analyst suggests that XRP could be poised for another sharp surge, claiming that investors’ lives could change dramatically over the next 2 to 3 months. Notably, @Cryptobilbuwoo0’s chart analysis shows that XRP is already breaking out from a clearly defined base, having held above the same rising diagonal support line from 2017. At the same time, the breakout occurs as price reclaims the 52-week Exponential Moving Average (EMA), a level that previously marked the beginning of strong upside expansion for XRP.  Fibonacci Extensions on the chart further highlight the 1.618 level as a key upside target, in line with the 2017 cycle peak structure. The chart also marks TP1 and TP2 zones, where the price paused briefly in 2017 before continuing higher. These shallow pullbacks were quickly bought, signaling strong trend control in the previous cycle.  Current projections suggest a strong and sustained upward momentum following XRP’s breakout above the dotted support line. For its first target, price is expected to rally toward TP1 at $23.2, representing a massive 1,183.38% increase. Beyond this level, XRP is projected to continue its rally toward TP2 around $136.3, signaling a potentially historic upside. Remarkably, @Cryptobilbuwoo0’s chart suggests that all of these parabolic moves could unfold before the end of 2026. Momentum Indicators Support Bullish XRP Forecast XRP is currently trading above $2.2, up more than 21% in the past week. Given the cryptocurrency’s historically slow price movements, @Cryptobilbuwoo0’s forecast of a rise to $23.2 and then $136.3 has been met with skepticism within the crypto community.  Related Reading: XRP Sees 80% Spike In Major Metric, Why This Matters For Price Appreciation However, the analyst points to momentum indicators at the bottom of the price chart that support his bullish outlook. He showed that in 2017, XRP’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) hit oversold levels just before the price surged dramatically. A similar pattern is appearing in the current market, reinforcing his belief that the next 2 to 3 months could be parabolic. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com

XRP has jumped roughly 25% off its recent lows (at one point), and Cryptoinsightuk co-founder Will Taylor says the move has reopened the debate over whether XRP is starting a larger impulse that could ultimately point toward the $8–$12 zone or whether it’s a short-term squeeze that needs to cool first. Taylor said he’s “up in the air” on the immediate next step, even as he remains long. His hesitation is rooted in a simple conflict: the lower timeframes look stretched, but XRP has a track record of accelerating after momentum spikes rather than immediately mean-reverting. What The XRP Charts Tell Us On the hourly, Taylor noted XRP’s RSI has repeatedly hit overbought territory and “we’ve crossed bearish on the hour,” a short-term warning that often precedes pullbacks or sideways digestion. On the four-hour, he described RSI as “about as high as I’ve pretty much ever seen it,” and tried to contextualize what happened the last few times XRP got similarly overheated. In one prior episode, he said XRP pulled back briefly, then continued higher by “a further like 36%.” In another, he described a rally sequence where price consolidated and then ran again, adding “another 129%” into the next leg. Related Reading: Same XRP Setup That Led To Over 1,000% Increase In 2017 Is Playing Out Again That’s the core of his dilemma: overbought conditions can be a sell signal in many markets, but Taylor argues XRP’s strongest phases often begin with RSI entering overbought, not ending there. “When XRP’s daily RSI gets overbought, XRP rips in price a lot of the time,” he said, pushing back on the reflex to fade strength. On the daily chart, he highlighted what he sees as a constructive technical shift. XRP has closed above a short-term range that previously capped price for multiple days, and printed its “highest daily close in XRP since the 13th of November.” Taylor emphasized how quickly XRP cleared that ceiling this time: after multiple failed attempts in the prior weeks, “we break straight through.” XRP Price Targets From there, Taylor laid out the upside logic using historical RSI analogs. He said three previous daily overbought signals during the current cycle coincided with major extensions, citing moves of roughly 414% in one instance and 36% and 49% in others. He framed this as pattern recognition rather than prediction: “this is complete fact,” he said, referring to the historical relationship between daily RSI overbought and subsequent upside but he still translated those rough percentages into possible zones. A smaller continuation on the order of ~39% would, in his words, take XRP to around $3.13. A larger extension could revisit all-time highs near $3.66. The most aggressive interpretation, aligned with his broader wave thesis, would move XRP “up towards our goals of like $8 to $12 for this wave.” Related Reading: Only 1 Week Left As XRP RSI Breakout Sets Up $10 Path, Analyst Predicts Structurally, Taylor said the market is at a point where multiple Elliott Wave counts can be argued. He sketched competing interpretations: XRP may be working through an ABC-type move off the lows, may be approaching a fifth wave higher, or could still be in an extended third wave within a larger five-wave advance. “My honest answer is right now I don’t know,” he said. Even without committing to a wave count, Taylor said the “impulsive” character of the rally stands out. He pointed to “the length of these candles supported by volume” across exchanges, arguing the move looks different from earlier, more corrective price action. For him, the practical test is near-term continuation: he wants to see “some more really aggressive candles” over the next day or two to support the idea that XRP is leading a broader leg rather than squeezing and stalling. Liquidity is the other piece he’s watching. Taylor said XRP has “on the hourly taken most of our upside liquidity,” while flagging downside liquidity zones around $1.70 down to $1.66. He said in established trends he would “expect a continuation to the upside,” but those downside pools, combined with stretched RSI and nearby resistance on XRP’s relative pairs, keep him from treating the current level as a clean new entry. Taylor said these mixed signals are why he has considered reducing leverage on his XRP long, noting he is “90% spot.” His bottom line was simple: XRP has delivered “a fantastic aggressive move,” but the next few sessions matter. 29 minutes of $XRP TA. pic.twitter.com/aJ4yiC7Sdr — Cryptoinsightuk (@Cryptoinsightuk) January 6, 2026 If XRP keeps printing strong daily candles and the relative pairs start closing above resistance, his $8–$12 zone framing remains a live bull-case roadmap. If not, the same overbought signals and nearby liquidity pockets increase the odds that XRP first resets through consolidation or a retracement before any larger leg can develop. At press time, XRP traded at $2.25. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

XRP has regained momentum after reclaiming the $2.20 level and extending its move toward the $2.41 mark, marking one of its strongest advances in recent months. The recovery comes after a prolonged period of selling pressure and uncertainty, and it has reignited bullish expectations among a segment of investors who now believe XRP could challenge or even surpass its all-time high later this year. While skepticism remains across the broader market, price action suggests that XRP is no longer purely defensive. Related Reading: Venezuela, Geopolitical Risk, And Bitcoin: What On-Chain Data Really Shows According to a recent CryptoQuant report, early January brought visible improvement across the crypto sector, with Bitcoin pushing toward $93,000 and XRP moving decisively above $2.30. That synchronized strength helped shift sentiment, as XRP broke out of its prior consolidation range and began showing signs of renewed trend formation. Significantly, the move has not been driven by price alone. On-chain data points to a deeper structural change within the XRP ecosystem. Activity on the XRP Ledger has accelerated sharply, with network growth reaching levels not seen during the previous consolidation phase. This expansion suggests that rising prices are being supported by genuine usage and participation rather than short-term speculation. XRPL Liquidity Surge Signals Structural Shift Behind Breakout The CryptoQuant report indicates a decisive change in XRP’s market structure, driven not only by price appreciation but also by deep shifts in liquidity and participation. One of the most striking developments is the explosion in liquidity on the XRPL decentralized exchange, which has climbed to roughly $173 billion. Rather than thinning out during periods of weakness, liquidity has expanded sharply, suggesting that large players are actively positioning rather than exiting. This behavior is typically associated with preparation for heightened volatility or a more durable trend change. The timing of this expansion is also important. Since mid-December, liquidity spikes have become both more frequent and larger in size, a pattern that aligns with the entry of more sophisticated market makers. This effectively transforms the trading environment, making it easier for whales and institutional participants to deploy size without causing disruptive price swings. In practical terms, XRP is becoming a more efficient market for large-scale capital. Crucially, this liquidity is not idle. Transaction activity on the XRPL DEX has surged, indicating that deeper order books are supporting real usage rather than passive positioning. At the same time, market behavior has shifted toward buyer dominance. Aggressive buying has taken control, while bearish pressure has faded, allowing the price to break out of its prior compression. Forced short covering further reinforced that move and helped propel XRP through key resistance near $2.30. Together, these dynamics suggest that structural improvements, not just speculative momentum, underpin XRP’s recent strength. Related Reading: Memecoin Strength Returns After Historic Market Decline: A Setup For A Comeback? XRP Faces Heavy Overhead Resistance XRP’s daily chart shows a notable shift in short-term momentum after a prolonged period of downside pressure. Price has surged from the December lows near the $1.85–$1.90 zone and is now trading around $2.35, marking a sharp recovery that has caught sellers off guard. Following months of lower highs and lower lows, analysts view this rebound as an early trend reversal attempt instead of a confirmed bullish continuation The breakout above the short-term moving average (blue line) is a constructive development. This level had previously acted as dynamic resistance throughout November and December, consistently rejecting upside attempts. Reclaiming it signals improving momentum and a potential shift in market structure. However, XRP is now approaching a dense resistance cluster between $2.45 and $2.65, where both the 100-day and 200-day moving averages converge. Historically, this zone has attracted strong selling pressure. Related Reading: Bitcoin Data Shows Aggressive Sellers In Control As BTC Consolidates Below $90K While the recent rally shows increased participation compared to late December, it remains well below the levels seen during prior impulsive advances. This suggests that although buyers are regaining control, conviction is still developing. A period of consolidation above $2.20 would help solidify this move. If XRP can hold above the $2.30–$2.35 area, the probability of a broader recovery toward $2.70 increases. Failure to do so would likely result in a pullback, keeping XRP range-bound and vulnerable to renewed selling pressure. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com 

XRP has surged past recent resistance with impressive momentum, signaling strength in the current rally. However, the real challenge now lies at the $2.41 cost-basis zone, a key area where a significant amount of XRP was previously accumulated. How price reacts here will likely dictate whether bulls can maintain control and push toward higher targets, or if selling pressure creates a temporary pause or pullback. XRP Approaches A Critical Cost-Basis Resistance At $2.41 According to a recent update from Steph Is Crypto, XRP is now at a pivotal crossroads, with price action increasingly centered around the $2.41 level. This zone stands out as a major cost-basis wall where several technical and on-chain signals align, making it a decisive area in determining whether the current rally can extend or begin to stall. Related Reading: XRP Enters A Make-or-Break Zone As This Long-Term Support Cracks The cost-basis distribution heatmap highlights the $2.41 region as a dense supply cluster. Cost basis represents the price levels at which tokens were previously acquired. When the price returns to these areas, they often attract heightened trading activity.  On-chain data shows that between $2.39 and $2.41, roughly 1.56 billion XRP were accumulated. Many holders who bought in this range may look to exit positions to break even as the price revisits the zone, introducing selling pressure and reinforcing the area as resistance. This dynamic is also reflected in the XRP price chart, which shows repeated hesitation and multiple rejections around the same level. The alignment between on-chain supply data and technical price action suggests that $2.41 is an important level that XRP must overcome decisively to unlock the next leg higher. Wave 3 Breaks Out Above The 2.618 Extension With Strong Momentum Tara revealed that XRP’s Wave 3 has delivered a powerful breakout, pushing beyond the 2.618 Fibonacci extension and clearing the macro resistance at $2.30. This move was accompanied by a strong RSI reading, signaling strength behind the advance. Related Reading: XRP Price May Be Bearish Below $2, But On-Chain Data Tells A Different Story With Wave 3 extending higher, Tara identified $2.49 as the next key upside target, which aligns with the 0.618 Fibonacci extension of the fifth wave. Despite the strength of the move, Tara advised preparing for a short-term pullback. A brief retracement could allow the RSI to cool off, creating healthier conditions for the next leg higher and potentially setting up a clearer divergence on a renewed push. As long as XRP remains above the macro 0.236 Fibonacci level, the broader bullish structure stays intact. Tara is closely monitoring lower-timeframe support zones, marked in green, while continuing to track the move as a developing Wave 1/3 impulse. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

XRP has shown a notable uptick in price action in the past 48 hours as XRP’s price pushed higher from below $2 at the beginning of the year, but it now finds itself trading near the $2.40 region.  Interestingly, this recent push is more than just a bounce, especially as a longer-term chart structure shows comparisons with XRP’s behavior ahead of its 2017 breakout. How The 2017 Structure Unfolded Before The Surge Technical analysis of XRP’s current price action on the weekly candlestick timeframe chart shows that the cryptocurrency is currently tracing out a similar price action to what it went through back in 2017 on the 3-day chart.  In that earlier period, price action unfolded through a well-defined five-wave sequence, characterized by alternating phases of decline and recovery. Waves one, three, and five each pushed the price lower with corrective pressure, while waves two and four produced temporary rebounds that relieved selling pressure but failed to establish a lasting trend reversal. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Parabola: What’s Different Between The Last Bull Cycle And This One? The final stage of that sequence was particularly important. During the fifth wave, XRP’s decline slowed and compressed into a falling wedge formation. XRP’s price slipped below the $0.005 level and eventually stabilized around $0.00485, where downside follow-through became increasingly limited.  From here, the downside pressure gradually weakened, volatility contracted, and selling momentum faded. When XRP finally broke out of that compression, it quickly reclaimed the $0.008 zone and broke through $0.02, resulting in the start of a rally that ultimately delivered gains well in excess of 1,000%. XRP Price Chart. Source: @Steph_iscrypto According to Steph’s analysis, XRP’s recent price action is following a remarkably similar rhythm. After topping out around $3.40 in mid-2025, the cryptocurrency entered a corrective phase that pushed the price steadily lower to create a falling wedge structure.  That decline found support at $1.74, where selling pressure slowed and price action stopped making aggressive new lows. Now, it seems XRP is breaking out of the falling wedge and back to solidifying its price action above $2. XRP Price Action In Focus Now that XRP is back to trading above $2 and above the falling wedge, the next course of action is to look at how the price behaves from here. Of course, the most bullish course of action is for XRP to repeat a 1,000% rally, which would place it at a price target around $22.  Related Reading: Popular Crypto Founder Dumps Millions In Ethereum, Here’s What He’s Buying In terms of how this plays out, there are resistance levels to watch out for. The $2.30 area is an early test, followed by $2.50 and $2.80, which are prior consolidation levels where XRP slowed down during its push to all-time highs in 2025.  After that, the $3.10 price level and the previous 2018 high at $3.40 are the major resistances that would need to be reclaimed. On the downside, sustained weakness below $1.90, and especially a move back toward $1.74, would challenge the idea that the corrective phase has fully played out. Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

XRP surged 12% to reach $2.42 on January 6, marking its highest price since mid-November 2025, before hovering around the current $2.35 mark. Related Reading: Here’s Why The Shiba Inu Price Jumped Over 13% The jump coincided with a strong influx of capital into XRP-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs), technical breakout patterns, and a sharp reduction in short positions. These aspects combined to drive one of the most notable rallies in the crypto market’s early 2026 recovery phase. XRP's price trends to the upside on the daily chart. Source: XRPUSD on Tradingview XRP ETF Inflows and Institutional Interest Fuel Gains Spot XRP ETFs recorded $48 million in net inflows on January 5 and 6, marking the largest daily inflows since their launch in November 2024. Over the past eight weeks, these ETFs have experienced a consistent inflow of approximately $1.23 billion, reflecting a growing institutional appetite for XRP exposure. The increased buying pressure from these funds is helping absorb selling pressure and reduce the available supply on exchanges. Vincent Liu, Chief Investment Officer at Kronos Research, noted that ETF inflows combined with XRP breaking key resistance levels on strong volume have heightened traders’ risk appetite. This institutional interest is supported by regulatory clarity following 2025’s Ripple’s settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which removed a major obstacle to adoption. Technical Breakout and Short Squeeze Accelerate Price Movement Technical analysts point to a breakout from a falling wedge pattern, with XRP maintaining levels above its 50-day moving average, a positive indicator for momentum traders. During the price surge, over $250 million in short positions were liquidated within a single hour, adding fuel to the rally by forcing short sellers to cover their bets. Renowned trader John Bollinger, inventor of the Bollinger Bands, commented that XRP is following a similar bullish pattern to Bitcoin and Ethereum but with slightly weaker momentum. Nonetheless, he suggested that XRP’s price could track Bitcoin’s upward trend, with analysts projecting a potential target near $3.50 if current support levels hold. Broader Market Context and Future Outlook XRP’s rally comes amid a broader crypto market recovery, with Bitcoin and Ethereum rising 7.4% and 9.3% respectively over the past week. On-chain data indicate a decline in XRP balances on centralized exchanges, suggesting reduced selling pressure. Institutional backing continues to grow, with PwC recently endorsing Ripple as a core player in blockchain-based financial services. Major banks such as Standard Chartered have projected XRP prices as high as $8 by the end of 2026, based on Ripple’s increasing integration in cross-border payments and settlement solutions. Related Reading: John Bollinger: Bitcoin BB Squeeze Breakout Targets $107,000 As market sentiment improves and regulatory uncertainties ease, XRP appears positioned to benefit from both technical momentum and growing institutional demand. Traders will be watching closely to see if XRP can sustain gains above key resistance zones around $2.30 and potentially push toward higher price targets. Cover image from ChatGPT, XRPUSD chart on Tradingview