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In a new report, market expert Sam Daodu laid out three tentative scenarios for where XRP could be heading in 2027. His projections are built around several moving parts: the CLARITY Act, the XRP Ledger (XRPL), and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).  Conservative XRP Outlook Under Daodu’s most conservative outlook, XRP could trade between $3 and $5 by 2027. This range assumes that the CLARITY Act moves forward and that demand for XRP through ETFs grows at a steady pace rather than in dramatic bursts.  Daodu argues that this “unflashy” kind of progress would be enough to pull XRP back toward its earlier peak levels in under two years, without requiring a major, sudden breakout.  Related Reading: Dogecoin (DOGE) At $0.086–Two Scenarios Ahead, Including A New 32% Crash In this scenario, Standard Chartered’s $7 XRP target for 2027 sits near the optimistic end, but the $3 to $5 outcome is presented as the best fit for current conditions if nothing destabilizes the market. A more bullish case pushes XRP higher, with a forecast range of $7 to $10. For XRP to reach that upper band, the demand question would need to turn decisively in XRP’s favor.  From Infrastructure To Demand Daodu’s report points to a key catalyst: banks may need to start holding and settling in XRP itself, not just relying on stablecoins that use the XRPL network. He also notes that ETF inflows would likely have to accelerate beyond early expectations and reaching a level of “several billion dollars.”  If both usage and buying pressure strengthen at the same time, Daodu suggests that XRP would have the combination of utility and market demand required to clear its prior highs and sustain the momentum afterward. That bullish pathway is also where Bitwise’s more optimistic prediction comes into view. Bitwise’s outlook places XRP in the $9 to $10 area, aligning closely with the idea that 2027 could be the year the altcoin finally catches up to the value implied by its infrastructure.  In Daodu’s framing, this would be the version of events where adoption and capital inflows reinforce each other—turning what is currently more infrastructure-led into a fuller demand-driven cycle. A Real Chance Of Breaking Below $1 Daodu also outlines a downside scenario, where XRP trades below $1.50 by 2027. In his analysis, the negative path depends less on technology and more on whether sentiment stays weak for longer than the market can easily absorb.  A key risk factor is the possibility that the CLARITY Act stalls past August’s recess. At the same time, broader market conditions could keep pressure on risk assets. Finally, Ripple’s monthly supply pattern is described as steady, meaning it may not provide fresh demand catalysts on its own if buyers remain cautious. Related Reading: What’s Going Wrong With XRP? Expert Points To 2 Major Bearish Flips In These Key Metrics In that bearish scenario, Daodu expects XRP to spend most of 2027 somewhere between $1 and $1.50. He also notes that there is a realistic chance XRP could lose the $1 level if selling intensity continues rather than fading.  However, the market may not have to wait until 2027 to see sub-$1 levels for the altcoin, as it is currently trading at around $1.12. This is a recovery from the drop to $1.05 over the weekend, but there are still concerns that this key support level could be broken in the near term.  Featured image created with OpenArt; chart from TradingView.com 

XRP and much of the broader crypto market managed a short-lived bounce on Monday after last week’s sharp drop to around $1.04. The recovery, however, comes with fresh cautions hanging over the token.  Alex Carchidi, expert from The Motley Fool, argues that two important XRP-related metrics have turned notably bearish over the last 30 days. If the situation does not improve soon, he warns, it could undermine the argument that XRP is the “go-to” way to gain exposure to institutional activity in the tokenization market. Two Bearish Signals Emerge  Carchidi points first to the XRP Ledger’s (XRPL) role in tokenized assets. He notes that the chain is holding about $384.5 million in tokenized assets, which is down 11% over the 30 days ending on June 5.  Just as importantly, Carchidi says this breaks a prior stretch in which the value of tokenized assets on the network had been rising more steadily. The decline is not happening in isolation either.  Alongside the drop in tokenized asset value, XRPL’s share of the overall tokenized-asset market has slipped to just over 1%, while tokenization activity on other chains appears to be picking up pace. Related Reading: XRP To $1 Or A Violent Reversal? Analyst Says Liquidity Setup Is Flashing The second metric Carchidi highlights is even more concerning. According to his report, the XRPL’s 30-day tokenized asset transfer volume has fallen 59% to roughly $54.1 million.  In his view, this is the kind of slowdown that matters because inactive or stagnant tokenized assets don’t generate the economic “motion” that a blockchain ecosystem depends on.  Carchidi argues that when tokenized assets stop moving, it suggests asset managers may be holding positions rather than deploying capital to generate yield.  Conditional Warning For XRP Carchidi frames the issue in practical terms. If tokenized assets are not being transferred, he says the network’s economy is not demonstrating its value, which can weaken the bullish case for XRP in the tokenization narrative.  In other words, the problem isn’t simply that tokenized assets are lower in value—it’s that the activity associated with those assets appears to be fading. Still, Carchidi also acknowledges that the picture is not uniformly bleak. He points to growth in other parts of the XRPL ecosystem during the same 30-day window.  Specifically, real-world asset (RWA) holders on the XRPL rose 275%, bringing the total to 105 holders. At the same time, stablecoin transfer volume increased by 118%, reaching $4.5 billion.  That contrast, Carchidi suggests, indicates that capital is still flowing through the network, just not as much through the tokenized asset pipeline that investors watch most closely. Because of that, he does not present the decline in tokenized asset transfer volume as an immediate “fire alarm.”  Related Reading: Ripple Partner Bank of America Unveils Global Payments Expansion Strategy His warning is conditional: if tokenized asset metrics continue to shrink over the next quarter or so—especially if outflows accelerate or volume falls even faster—then the bullish thesis for XRP tied to tokenization institutional positioning could face a serious credibility problem. For now, the recovery after $1.04 to current trading levels around $1.18 may be a step up for sentiment, but the broader tokenization indicators remain the key question for what happens next. Featured image created with OpenArt; chart from TradingView.com 

Friday’s selloff pushed XRP deeper into the red, completing a 22% retrace over the past 30 days and sending the token below $1.10 for the first time since November 2024.  For many, this move immediately raises the most important question in the current climate: could the altcoin reach the $1 mark again soon, or is a fall below this level now on the cards? Could XRP Drop 40% Toward $0.70? In a new report, market expert Sam Daodu flags that the broader technical picture is now fully bearish across multiple timeframes. He notes that XRP is trading below its 20, 50, 100, and 200-day moving averages (MAs), a configuration that typically signals sellers remain in control no matter what chart window investors look at. The expert said there is not much support once XRP trades at $1.09. Around $1.05, buyers have tended to show interest, and then $1 is the next major psychological floor where demand often appears simply because it is a round number.  Related Reading: Hyperliquid Strategies Stays Profitable: Strategy And Bitmine Record Losses Above $10 Billion Even more concerning, some chart analysts he references in the report believe the cryptocurrency could drop as much as another 40% from current levels if the risk-off trend continues, which would place the token around $0.70. Yet on-chain data tells a different story. Monthly RSI Hits Rare Oversold Reset The number of XRP wallets holding at least 10,000 tokens hit a record 332,230 in May, and that group has continued to grow through each drawdown of 2026. Meanwhile, wallets holding 1 million or more XRP added a net 42 new addresses since January—its first increase in millionaire wallets since September 2025.  Whale behavior also appears to be tightening around supply. Whales holding 10 million or more XRP control 45.83 billion tokens, representing 68.5% of the circulating supply, the highest concentration since May 2018.  In addition, whale outflow dominance on Binance recently reached 91.4%, the highest reading since 2024. Daodu notes that when Binance outflow dominance last hit similar levels—October 2024—XRP later rallied from about $0.50 to above $3 in the months that followed.  There is also a longer-cycle technical signal that Daodu says does not show up often. XRP’s monthly Relative Strength Index (RSI) has fallen into the oversold reset zone for only the fourth time in 13 years.  Each of the earlier RSI resets eventually preceded a major reversal in XRP’s direction, and Daodu says the fourth occurrence is now forming with XRP sitting around $1.09. Two Hope Beacons In The Downtrend While whales and long-cycle chart signals may support the idea of a future rebound, the near-term catalyst for many is policy. Daodu points to the CLARITY Act floor vote as a potential turning point for XRP’s outlook for the rest of the year.  The bill cleared the Senate Banking Committee on May 14 and was placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar on June 1. That puts it at the fifth stage out of nine needed before it can become law, with the full Senate floor vote identified as the next major step. If the CLARITY Act clears and the macro environment stabilizes, Standard Chartered forecasts XRP could reach $2.80, with a bullish range stretching as high as $8.  But if the bill stalls before recess and slips into a later timeline, such as 2030 or beyond, the bank’s outlook suggests prices could retreat toward $0.53.  Related Reading: Bitcoin Crashes Near $60,000: $62B In Treasuries Erased, Analyst Sees Potential Bottom Ahead On whether the altcoin will drop below $1, Daodu’s view is more conditional than definitive. He suggests the altcoin could likely test $1 before this leg of the sell-off ends, and whether the level breaks depends on two key factors.  The first is whether Bitcoin (BTC) can reclaim and consolidate above $60,000. Daodu says if BTC slides into the $55,000 zone, XRP would likely follow regardless of its own fundamentals.  The second factor is whether the CLARITY Act receives a Senate floor vote before the August recess. If that vote happens and the bill clears, the upside could become attractive enough for institutional money to re-engage—potentially prompting a rally from whatever low XRP marks during the downturn. Featured image created with OpenArt; chart from TradingView.com 

Ripple’s possible approval to hold a Federal Reserve (Fed) master account could be the spark that pushes XRP into another major phase of upside momentum. Fed Settlement Access In his latest report, market analyst Sam Daodu said AI models broadly agree that XRP may rise if Ripple gains access to Fed settlement infrastructure.  A major reason behind the optimism is that Fed access would allow Ripple to settle directly through those rails, rather than routing transactions through banks that currently act as middlemen.  Related Reading: Ethereum (ETH) Drops Below $2,000—Why Standard Chartered Still Expects $40,000 By 2030 Daodu suggested the process may already be moving toward reality. In March 2026, Kraken became the first crypto firm to receive a master account through the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, which he cited as evidence that the approval pathway is no longer purely theoretical. Building on this development, Daodu shared model-driven forecasts for XRP, drawing comparisons between various AI systems and their respective approaches to weighing catalysts and risks.  XRP Forecasts Watch According to Daodu, ChatGPT points to a measured recovery under base conditions. The model places XRP in a $2.50 to $3.00 range by August 2026, while also flagging $1.50 as a key level XRP needs to hold for the prediction to remain on track.  Currently, the altcoin is trading well below that level, having retraced to $1.32 per token. Still, Daodu said that the rationale centres on exchange-traded fund (ETF) inflows and growth in Ripple’s payment corridor.  In a more bullish scenario—assuming ETF inflows and corridor growth accelerate meaningfully through the second half of the year—ChatGPT sees upside to $5.  Grok’s projections are more aggressive at the top end, according to Daodu. Grok’s base forecast lands between $2.50 and $2.80, but it lifts the upper target to $10 under the right conditions. Daodu reported that Grok links the $10 level to a scenario in which Bitcoin clears $100,000.  Why $80 Could Happen By 2032? Claude’s outlook is described as more cautious, though it still leaves room for gains. The model’s base projection, Daodu said, calls for XRP to remain in the $1.35 to $1.65 range for the rest of 2026, with a 50% probability assigned to that outcome.  Claude’s reasoning points to a familiar pattern: momentum can spark short-term rallies, but those moves may fade quickly if there is no fresh catalyst to extend the trend. At the same time, Claude’s longer-term view is more constructive than the base case.  Related Reading: Treasury Secretary Urges CLARITY Act Passage, Saying The US Should Be Home For Crypto It leaves room for XRP to reach between $8 and $14 if ETF inflows exceed $10 billion and banking adoption accelerates. Still, Claude stresses that price alone cannot carry XRP to those levels; the market would need sustained demand drivers to support the move. Among the models Daodu reviewed, Vincent Van Code’s AI forecast is presented as the boldest. Rather than focusing on a single near-term target, Vincent Van Code maps a year-by-year trajectory that reaches $80 by 2032.  The foundation for that call is Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse’s projection that 30% of Ripple Treasury’s $13 trillion annual payment flow could move on-chain within five years. For 2026 specifically, the AI model targets price targets ranging from $6 to $10.

The idea of XRP reaching $200 may sound bold, but for many analysts it’s also tied to one uncomfortable reality: the token would need more than a strong chart—it would require the market to expand to a level crypto has never reached. Market expert Sam Daodu argued in his latest report that the gap between where XRP trades today and the $200 milestone is larger than most people think, and that all major conditions in his framework must arrive together, not in stages. Why XRP Needs A Bigger Crypto Market XRP is currently about 63% below its all-time high of $3.65 reached last year, while trading at $1.34 at the time of writing, yet the debate around $200 remains unresolved.  Daodu points to the supply side as the first hurdle. XRP has over 61.8 billion tokens in circulation, and to take a $200 target seriously, that supply has to be multiplied out. At $200 per token, the total value of XRP would be roughly $12.4 trillion. That figure is about five times the total value of the crypto market as it stands today. Related Reading: XRP, ETH, SOL, LINK Look Cheap—The Catalysts That Could Drive The Next Leg Up That comparison is at the center of Daodu’s argument. He believes a $12.4 trillion market cap for XRP cannot exist inside a $2.6 trillion crypto market, which makes his first condition essentially unavoidable: a market-wide expansion would have to happen, one that exceeds anything the industry has produced before.  And even once the broader market grows, Daodu says Bitcoin (BTC) can’t just participate—it has to lead. He notes that every major XRP rally in history followed BTC rather than coming ahead of it, meaning capital would likely need to rotate into XRP only after Bitcoin has already demonstrated sustained strength. Daodu also argues that institutional involvement is a crucial part of the scale implied by $200. For XRP to attract inflows large enough to support that kind of valuation, Bitcoin would need to be in a durable breakout, with institutions already allocated. But even if Bitcoin leads and the broader market expands, XRP still has its own milestones to clear before $200 becomes a realistic conversation.  More Than A Price Target XRP’s past helps explain why the path isn’t likely to be quick. The token spent about 18 months consolidating between 2015 and 2017 before it moved into its first major cycle. Later, after years of grinding under the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lawsuit, the altcoin rallied from $0.50 to its July 2025 peak.  Across those eras, Daodu emphasizes that big XRP moves were supported by a long base, a favorable regulatory environment, and a Bitcoin-led market running in the same direction. In his assessment, those ingredients have historically been difficult to line up quickly. Related Reading: Ethereum Price Roadmap For The Rest Of 2026: Bull, Base, And Bear Scenarios Unpacked The current cycle, he says, follows the same logic. XRP is down 63% from the current price peak and remains trapped in the $1.30 to $1.50 range for much of 2026.  It is still waiting on the regulatory catalyst of the CLARITY Act, and Daodu suggests it is still more dependent on retail than on institutional flows from exchange-traded fund (ETF) activity. Because of this, he puts the earliest window for all of these factors to align around 2030. Even with all of those constraints, Daodu doesn’t call $200 impossible. Instead, he argues the market is building something that extends beyond price, including payment rails, institutional partnerships, and a regulatory framework.  Featured image created with OpenArt; chart from TradingView.com

XRP ended April with momentum, posting gains of roughly 9.4% over the month. Still, the bigger question for traders is whether the next leg can come faster—and push the altcoin beyond the narrow consolidation zone that has defined much of its recent trading.  According to market expert Sam Daodu, May has unusually strong timing and catalysts stacked together that could lift XRP to price levels not seen since the start of the year, especially if a key piece of US crypto legislation progresses as expected. May Catalyst Watch Daodu points to a current consolidation range for XRP between $1.30 and $1.45, describing it as a ceiling-and-floor setup that has kept the asset trapped while the market waits for clearer catalysts.  One of the earliest catalysts landed on May 1, when Coinbase began Trading At Settlement (TAS) for XRP futures. The activation is intended to support both nano XRP and full-sized XRP futures contracts on Coinbase Derivatives.  While TAS alone may not move XRP in a dramatic way, Daodu suggests the change could matter indirectly by making it simpler for larger US funds to build meaningful XRP positions through regulated venues.  Related Reading: Hyperliquid Jumps Into The Betting Boom With New ‘Outcome Tokens’ For Real-World Events Exchange-traded fund (ETF) momentum then comes into view on May 7, when GraniteShares is scheduled to launch its 3x leveraged XRP ETFs. Leverage products can amplify both upside and downside once traders decide a direction.  In addition, May 15 is also on the calendar: that’s when Jerome Powell exits as Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair. Daodu’s view is that rate-cut expectations—which have seemed delayed all year—could finally pick up if the Fed tone changes. The legislative driver is the centerpiece of the May narrative. Daodu highlights that the delayed CLARITY Act faces a hard deadline before the Senate’s Memorial Day recess on May 21.  In his framework, a break above $1.50 depends on whether the bill clears the Senate Banking Committee. Daodu notes that if Chair Tim Scott schedules the markup during the week of May 11 and Republicans keep the committee votes together, the biggest blocker holding XRP back all year could be removed. XRP Price Scenarios For This Month  The upside scenario, in Daodu’s logic, is closely tied to institutional behavior around regulatory clarity. If the CLARITY Act is signed into law, he expects “billions” in fresh ETF inflows, based on the idea that regulatory uncertainty has kept some institutions on the sidelines.  Daodu believes that a potential supply squeeze could help the altcoin break through the $1.45–$1.50 resistance zone and rise to around $1.80. This could result in a 30% rally from current trading prices of $1.39 — a level the token has not reached since January. Related Reading: US Rep. Calls Bitcoin A ‘Geopolitical Weapon Used By Multiple Adversaries’ But Daodu also outlines what happens if the process misses the May 21 deadline. Without CLARITY in the near term, the token could remain stuck following broader market signals more closely—trading less on its own news and more on the direction Bitcoin (BTC) sets. For levels, Daodu starts with the downside line at $1.30, a support area that has held since February. He suggests that a daily close below $1.30 would invalidate the token’s cup-and-handle setup. From there, XRP could slide toward $1.28.  If $1.28 fails, Daodu points to $1.20 as the next major support, describing it as a psychological level that XRP has only reached during broader market sell-offs. Further weakness would put $1.17 in play, and below that, he says $1.00 could become the next major reference point.  Featured image created with OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

Crypto prices have been under pressure recently, and XRP has been hit particularly hard. On Tuesday, the token slid below the key $1.4 level, adding to the broader cautious mood across the market.  Even so, some analysts are pointing to a very different kind of narrative—one grounded in on-chain liquidity data and scenario modeling rather than short-term price forecasts. What The $18,000 XRP Scenario Depends On A researcher highlighted by crypto analyst Bull Winkle has been working with a live valuation tool that pulls real-time metrics directly from the XRP Ledger (XRPL).  The idea behind the tool is straightforward: it collects liquidity-related data on-chain, then runs that information through a set of scenario-based price calculations. Instead of presenting one expected outcome, the model lays out multiple paths, each tied to a specific use case and a defined peak transaction size.  According to Winkle’s post, the tool produces five separate scenarios, each with different assumptions about how XRP could be used and at what scale. Related Reading: Bitmine’s Ethereum Holdings Reach Record 5 Million Tokens–CEO’s Bullish Outlook One of the most eye-catching scenarios places XRP as the dominant global bridge asset. In that case, the model links the valuation to a “peak ticket” of $50 billion. Importantly, this level is not framed as a prediction of what will happen; it is described as a condition that would need to be met.  The model’s central claim is that if XRP reaches the required volume threshold associated with that bridge-asset role, then a price around $18,000 becomes mathematically justified.  Put another way, the scenario isn’t sold as a timeline estimate—it’s presented as a logical outcome that could follow only if that specific scale of usage occurs. Institutional Adoption Is The Key The tool also includes a near-term scenario that, Winkle says, is the most relevant for current conditions. This case centers on small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and remittance corridors, with a peak ticket of $100 million.  For that scenario, the model calculates a required XRP price of $16. Winkle’s interpretation is that this part of the model is already being “validated” by current price reality—meaning the market dynamics implied by the scenario are not purely hypothetical.  As a result, the near-term row stands out not because it guarantees a particular number, but because it appears to align more closely with what is already happening on the ground. Related Reading: Solana Prepares For The Quantum Era: Foundation Details Step-By-Step Transition Beyond the near-term outlook, the model also includes a mid-scenario focused on corporate treasury and regional bank flows. Here, the tool suggests that the required XRP price could land anywhere between $138 and $690, depending on how the underlying assumptions about institutional-style usage play out.  In Winkle’s framing, this is where institutional adoption starts to carry real price implications. The range is wide, but the direction of the thesis is clear: as liquidity and usage scale up through larger financial channels, the XRP valuation outcomes become dramatically higher. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

In the race to determine whether XRP can mount a real rally toward the $10 level next year, one market expert, Sam Daodu, argues that the answer depends less on hype and more on whether two major forces finally line up.  Daodu says nearly every serious XRP price forecast for 2027 relies on the same prerequisites: US regulation has to be clarified, and institutional capital has to begin flowing in at a meaningful scale. Without both, the upside case becomes harder to justify, even if parts of the story are already moving in the right direction. Mixed Progress For XRP Price  Daodu’s latest report stresses that, at the moment, neither prerequisite is fully in place. He points to continuing regulatory uncertainty as the key blocker for institutions.  In his view, the currently stalled CLARITY Act is the legislation that could change the price dynamics by permanently establishing XRP’s position as a digital commodity—an outcome that, if it materializes, would likely remove a major share of the risk institutions are still pricing in. Related Reading: Bitcoin Is Headed For $40,000: Analyst Reveals The Best Time To Buy BTC That said, the report frames the situation as a “mixed progress” scenario rather than a clear-cut bull market versus bear market. On the positive side, several catalysts connected to a potential rally are already showing up.  Exchange-traded fund (ETF) inflows, for instance, have reportedly remained positive without a single outflow day since April 9. Daodu treats that steady demand as an important signal that market participation is still present. Beyond ETF flow data, Daodu highlights on-chain activity as another supportive element. According to the report, whales have been withdrawing roughly 7 billion XRP from exchanges since February, and large holders appear to be driving a significant portion of those movements.  Even with these bullish indicators, Daodu argues they aren’t arriving with the speed or scale that the $5–$10 outlook depends on. He emphasizes that institutional money—described as essential to those higher targets—still hasn’t shown up at the level required to match an “instant” re-rating of XRP.  Why The Next 60 Days Are Key To reach above $10, the report argues XRP would need a rare alignment of several events. Daodu says the CLARITY Act would have to pass, ETF inflows would need to scale toward the $4–$8 billion range, and Bitcoin (BTC) would have to lead a wider rally that accelerates demand across the altcoin complex.  In short, pushing XRP toward $10 is not framed as the most likely path; it’s presented as a scenario that requires multiple catalysts to land correctly at the right time. Related Reading: Dogecoin Trap Shows A Major Crash, But How Low Will The Price Go? Daodu concludes with what he believes XRP holders should monitor over the next 60 days: the Senate Banking Committee markup before May 21. In his view, this is a key near-term checkpoint. If the markup clears, the bull case remains intact, and $7 becomes a more realistic anchor price for the market’s expectations.  If, however, the process stalls in May, the report suggests the outcome could be pushed out and possibly delayed until 2027. In that event, regulatory delay could cap XRP’s price at around $3 for much of that year—unless Bitcoin triggers another explosive run.  Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com

XRP is trading near the top of its month-long consolidation band, with the price stuck between roughly $1.35 and $1.45. With April nearing its end—just six days left until the month closes—will the XRP price break upward before the deadline, or will it slip lower and trigger a faster downside move? Monthly Breakout Or Breakdown? In a fresh technical update shared on social media, analyst Bull Winkle says the next major confirmation for the XRP price will come from how it behaves on the monthly time frame. According to Winkle, bulls need a monthly close above $1.90.  He frames that level as more than just a random resistance area, describing it as a demand-zone “hold” signal and also a reclaim of the 2021 resistance level, now acting as support.  Related Reading: XRP ETFs Post Longest Back-To-Back Gains Of 2026—Key Numbers Inside If the XRP price can clear $1.90 on a monthly close, Winkle argues it would set the stage for retests higher up the chart—specifically opening the door to $2.90 revisits. That bullish scenario includes a significant recovery math. If the XRP price climbs toward $1.90 ahead of April’s close from current trading levels of $1.43, it would represent about a 32% recovery. Additionally, a potential rally of 102% up to the $2.90 area. On the other side, Winkle lays out what would count as a clear breakdown for bears. He says the most decisive bearish signal would be a monthly close below $1.27.  In his view, that would open the path for a faster move toward $1, with the potential for an Elliott Wave C-style correction that could land the XRP price in the broader $0.60 to $0.75 range. That bearish estimate would be severe: it could equate to around a 58% decline from the current trading zone. What The XRP Price Needs Next While those price levels are the headline, Winkle also emphasized momentum context using the relative strength index (RSI) indicator.  He notes that at 47, the monthly RSI is not showing divergence in either direction yet. For him, that means the market has not reached a point where the next move is fully “high conviction” on the monthly setup.  Instead, the RSI needs to do something more decisive—either bouncing strongly above 55 to confirm a bullish phase, or pressing below 40 with a trajectory toward the 30 area, which he describes as a capitulation-type bottom. That brings the focus to the immediate battleground. Winkle’s summary of where the XRP price stands is straightforward: the $1.27 to $1.43 range is where the outcome is likely being decided. Related Reading: Bitcoin Nears $80,000: Two Scenarios That May Decide Q2—Bulls Or Bears? Beyond the chart levels and RSI, Winkle pointed to a separate signal he believes is already strengthening the case for a potential upside leg—something supply-side, rather than purely technical.  In another post, he highlighted that “seven billion XRP just vanished from exchanges,” claiming this exchange outflow matters because when the altcoin sits on exchanges, it represents liquid, sell-side supply that can be sold at any moment.  Once that supply leaves—whether to cold wallets, institutional custody, or longer-term holding structures—he argues the immediate downward pressure for the XRP price can ease. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

XRP has been moving with the broader crypto market, pushing up to important support levels and climbing to the top of its recent consolidation range near $1.36.  That rebound has reignited bullish speculation around the altcoin, and now one analyst is laying out a much more ambitious scenario—one that, if it unfolds, could translate into a roughly 1,100% rally from current levels. New XRP Price Target At $16.39 In a report published by 24/7 Wall St., market analyst Javon Marks said he has a fresh chart-based target for XRP that sits just under $17. Marks is also the analyst credited with calling XRP’s move from $0.56 to $2.47 in January 2024, months before that rally actually happened.  The new thesis, according to the report, is built around a long-running technical structure: a pennant pattern that began forming in 2017 and later broke out in late 2024.  Related Reading: WLFI Crashes 13% To All-Time Lows Amid Growing Liquidation Fears For World Liberty Financial Marks’ framework starts with the earlier 2017 phase. The report notes that XRP rose from $0.006 to $3.31 in 2017 in one of the largest rallies in its history. After that burst, the token fell sharply and then spent about seven years consolidating inside the pennant structure described by the analyst.  The long wait appears to have ended during the post-election crypto rally: in late 2024, XRP broke out of the pennant, jumping from $0.49 to above $3.60 by mid-2025. From there, Marks says he uses a “measured move” method. This approach takes the size of the original rally that created the pennant setup and projects that distance forward from the later breakout point.  Under that method, the analysis points to $16.39—just under the nearly $17 level that Marks posted on April 8. The report also emphasizes that the measured move is not expected to be a straight line, as pullbacks are part of the pattern. What Would It Take For The Altcoin To Rally 1,000%? XRP, the report says, already moved about 647% from the breakout before retracing back toward the area where it currently trades, around $1.36. Marks argues that this pullback looks more like the “normal” behavior of the pattern rather than evidence that the breakout failed.  The report draws a comparison to what happened in 2017: the altcoin pulled back sharply after the early move, yet still went on to complete the full measured move. If history rhymes again, Marks suggests XRP could complete another leg that delivers roughly 1,100% upside from current pricing. Related Reading: Expert Forecasts Bitcoin Surge To $80,000 Amid US-Iran Ceasefire And Oil Price Drop However, the report makes clear that reaching that kind of price would require major real-world changes, not just chart follow-through. It says that for XRP to reach such a valuation, several things would need to fall into place.  Banks on Ripple’s network would need to start settling using XRP instead of the company’s RLUSD stablecoin and fiat. That shift is described as depending on the long-awaited CLARITY Act passing to provide legal cover for the transition.  On top of that, XRP ETF inflows would need to grow substantially; the report notes that XRP has already attracted about $1.2 billion so far, but reaching $17 would likely require sustained inflows in the “tens of billions” over multiple years, alongside institutional adoption at a scale not yet seen. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

XRP began April sitting above the key support level at about $1.30, yet the token remains well below where it opened the year. Historically, however, April has been one of altcoin’s strongest months, and a mix of on-chain data and a potentially decisive legislative event this month could result in a new turnaround.  What Past Aprils Say About This Year’s Odds Market analyst Sam Daodu laid out the historical performance in a new report, noting that since 2014 April has produced an average return of 24.8% for XRP. On that metric, a rally of similar size from the current level near $1.34 would lift the price back above $1.60.  But Daodu cautioned that the headline average masks a different reality: the median April return is only 2%. That gap shows that most Aprils see modest movement while a few outsized rallies push the average much higher.  Related Reading: Expert Finds Prime Bitcoin Buy Zone Below $60,000, Supported By This Vital Indicator Notable “big-April years” include the 2021 post‑Halving surge — when XRP jumped from roughly $0.30 to $1.96 — and the 2017–2018 altcoin runs when April gains topped 50% in some cycles. Remove those extreme years, and April’s typical gain falls to single digits. Daodu singled out April 2025 as the most analogous comparison for 2026. In that month, XRP was already sliding when an announcement of sweeping tariffs pushed prices lower on April 2; XRP fell from about $2.00 to $1.60, and the month closed in the red, derailing the historical pattern.  Yet that $1.60 low proved critical — it became the exact pivot for an 82% surge that carried XRP to $3.65 by mid‑July. Daodu points out that even when April fails to produce immediate gains, it can still be the turning point for the rest of the year. Potential Catalysts And Risks For XRP  This April also presents a new potential catalyst not seen in prior years. The Senate returns from its Easter recess on April 13, and the Senate Banking Committee has indicated a window in the latter half of the month for markup on the CLARITY Act.  If the bill advances through committee, it would formally classify XRP as a digital commodity under federal law — a change that, according to the analyst, could remove a major obstacle to institutional capital entering the market.  On-chain data shows a marked increase in Binance outflows since late February, which could further support a new recovery. Daily withdrawals have repeatedly exceeded 4,000 XRP, with some sessions approaching 6,000 — a behaviour that is often seen as a sign of accumulation.  Related Reading: TAO Rockets 70% — Here’s What Fueled Bittensor Move And The Near‑Term Outlook Still, on‑chain strength and a favorable legislative calendar may be insufficient to overcome macroeconomic and geopolitical pressures.  Oil prices have risen above $100 a barrel, the Federal Reserve has held rates steady, and Bitcoin (BTC) is trading around $66,000 — factors that have tended to suppress risk appetite across crypto markets.  Daodu notes that crypto-specific positives this year have repeatedly been overshadowed by broader geopolitical headwinds and inflation data, and warns that an escalation in the Middle East could erase any April gains.  Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

After failing to push past the critical short‑term resistance at $1.60 last week, XRP has slid about 8%, settling back into the $1.35–$1.40 trading range. Market analyst Sam Daodu says three connected problems explain why recent rallies have fizzled and what must change for a sustainable recovery. XRP Faces Resistance Until Bitcoin Clears $75,000 First, Bitcoin (BTC) dominance remains high. Daodu notes Bitcoin’s share of the crypto market has hovered around 58.6% for much of 2026 and stayed above 58% most of the time. Historically, broad altcoin rallies tend to begin when Bitcoin dominance falls below 50% and capital rotates from BTC into smaller tokens.  That rotation has not occurred: institutions are not reallocating to altcoins but either leaving crypto or keeping funds in Bitcoin as a perceived safe haven. Daodu argues that unless Bitcoin decisively breaks and holds above $75,000, even XRP’s strong fundamentals are unlikely to move its price materially. Related Reading: MARA Holdings’ Bitcoin Sell-Off: 15,000 BTC Liquidated As Prices Crash Below $69,000 Second, large holders have been steadily taking profits since XRP hit $3.65 in July 2025. Daodu estimates roughly $6 billion in XRP has been sold by whales since that peak, and substantial volumes continue to flow onto exchanges. The expert identified that many of these whales originally bought below $0.65, so they are willing to sell into rallies to lock in gains, asserting that selling pressure keeps rallies short‑ lived. Third, a large portion of holders sits underwater, which creates persistent resistance near the current price. Glassnode data cited by Daodu shows 60% of circulating XRP is held at a cost basis above today’s levels; the average cost basis across holders is approximately $1.44.  Because that average is nearly the center of XRP’s recent trading band, holders who have been losing money sell when price approaches breakeven, using $1.45 as a take‑profit level.  ETFs Fail To Absorb Supply Daodu adds that even if XRP clears $1.45, further layers of selling are likely: positions across the $1.40–$3.65 range contain clusters of holders looking to return to breakeven or better, meaning upward moves tend to meet fresh supply. Exchange‑traded funds (ETFs) focused on XRP add another structural constraint. Total assets under management (AuM) fell from ITS January peak of $1.65 billion to about $1 billion as the token’s price declined.  At the current inflow pace—roughly $1.9 million per week—ETFs would only add about $100 million by year‑end, a level Daodu argues is insufficient to meaningfully soak up supply.  Is Regulatory Clarity The Key?  Looking ahead, Daodu points to one potential catalyst that could change the dynamics: the long-awaited US crypto market structure bill, the CLARITY Act, which has faced significant opposition in recent months due to key provisions that have prevented its passage.  If the bill becomes law and formally cements XRP’s status as a commodity, Daodu argues, it would reduce regulatory uncertainty and could unlock broader institutional adoption.  That in turn might encourage banks to settle in XRP rather than relying on alternatives such as Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, creating the kind of demand pressure that could finally push the price out of its current range. Related Reading: NVIDIA Faces Class Action After Court OKs $1 Billion Crypto-Mining Revenue Claims – Stock Dips 7% In short, Daodu’s view is that XRP needs multiple things to shift at once: a change in capital flows away from Bitcoin, less selling from large holders, and materially larger ETF inflows—or a regulatory development that brings institutions on board.  Until several of those factors move together, the analyst says, XRP rallies are likely to remain short‑lived and the token stuck near its recent trading band. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

The XRP price slid 5% on Wednesday as a wider market pullback dragged most major tokens lower, knocking the altcoin back to roughly $1.43. Experts point to the same recurring forces behind the swing: persistent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and a shortage of fresh, bullish catalysts.  Despite the near-term weakness, market observers remain upbeat about XRP’s longer-term prospects, centering their optimism on an anticipated policy development in Washington.  Potential Surge In Adoption And ETF Inflows Industry analysts widely believe that passage of the CLARITY Act — the proposed crypto market-structure bill in the US Congress — would materially improve XRP’s institutional outlook by formally classifying the token as a digital commodity.  That legal status would place XRP on a regulatory footing similar to Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) and, according to proponents, remove a major barrier to large-scale adoption by banks, asset managers, and payment providers. Related Reading: Citigroup Lowers 12-Month Bitcoin Price Forecast To $112,000, ETH To $3,175—Here’s The Reason In a new analysis, Sam Daodu of 24/7 Wall St. argued that the CLARITY Act is the single most important catalyst that could propel the XRP price past key resistance levels.  He noted that commodity designation would allow US banks to use XRP for cross-border settlement via Ripple’s payment rails without the looming uncertainty that a regulatory reclassification might later introduce.  That legal clarity, Daodu said, would unlock institutional confidence and encourage sizeable inflows into XRP investment products such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs). XRP Price Targets Lifted  Daodu also cited forecasts from Standard Chartered’s Geoffrey Kendrick, who previously set an $8 target for XRP in 2026, premised on the passage of the CLARITY Act. Kendrick’s model anticipates $4 billion to $8 billion in cumulative ETF inflows by year-end if the bill passes. Consensus among many analysts places the XRP price between $5 and $10 should the legislation clear Congress, with an $8 price implying a market capitalization near $490 billion — a level Daodu argues is plausible if banks adopt XRP for actual payment use rather than the token remaining a retail trading vehicle.  Daodu went further in outlining further upside scenarios: if the CLARITY Act were approved and Ripple’s application for a master account at the Federal Reserve were also successful by late 2026, some models project XRP could trade in a $15–$30 range under full bank adoption. Related Reading: This Week Could Be The Most Volatile For Bitcoin In 2026, Top Expert Warns The CLARITY Act passed the House in July 2025 by a 294–134 vote and moved through the Senate Agriculture Committee on January 29. However, the Senate Banking Committee has yet to schedule a new markup since January, and negotiators have not published a reconciled draft that satisfies both crypto and banking stakeholders.  However, on Wednesday, pro-crypto Senator Cynthia Lummis indicated renewed momentum when she said that the Banking Committee plans to mark up the bill in April, following the Easter recess. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

The XRP price has experienced a modest 5% recovery in the last 24 hours, managing to reclaim the crucial support level at $1.40. However, it remains substantially below its all-time highs reached in 2025.  Despite this, technical analyst Egrag Crypto believes that this year could see the XRP price soaring to a price point as high as $42, meaning a potential gain of up to 2,900% from its current levels. XRP Price Cycles Egrag delineates his forecast by identifying four macro formations on the cryptocurrency’s monthly chart, each of which follows a similar cyclical pattern over the past decade.  These cycles demonstrate that the XRP price tends to undergo a period of compression into a tight range before breaking out and embarking on a significant rally, ultimately resetting before the next structure emerges. Related Reading: What’s Fueling Hyperliquid’s Surge? HYPE Outperforms Top 100 Cryptos In Latest Rally The first formation occurred in October 2014, when XRP rose from $0.0046 to $0.028 by December. Following this initial surge, the price consolidated within the range of $0.006 to $0.009 for nearly three years until early 2017.  The second formation initiated in March 2017, leading to a breakout that pushed the XRP price from under $0.01 to $0.40 by May of the same year, resulting in over 4,000% gains.  After another consolidation period through November 2017, XRP reached a peak of $3.31 in January 2018 before experiencing a prolonged decline that ultimately brought it down to around $0.17 by June 2020. The fourth formation began from the $0.17 low in June 2020, where XRP rallied to $1.96 by April 2021. After another extended period of consolidation around the $0.50 mark, XRP broke through a significant descending trendline in November 2024, which had been constraining its price since 2018.  This breakout propelled the XRP price to $3.65 by July 2025. The current price pullback to the $1.30–$1.40 range is effectively retesting that breakout level. If XRP continues along the same proportional trajectory as previous cycles, Egrag’s target of $42 could be within reach. Two Scenarios To Keep An Eye On It’s important to note that Egrag does not position $42 as the immediate target. Instead, he has laid out intermediate goals that are much lower—such as $4.50 if a breakout occurs, and potentially $10–$13 if the rally expands further.  But when averaging across all four macro scenarios, Egrag estimates that an XRP price around $11 would be plausible, suggesting a market cap of about $670 billion for the altcoin.  Related Reading: BitMine Acquires 60,000 ETH; Chair Discusses Outlook For Ethereum And Crypto Prices Lastly, Egrag presents a cautious perspective regarding the $42 target, outlining two potential scenarios moving forward. One possibility is that the bullish structure may fail, leading the XRP price into a deeper bear market.  Alternatively, Egrag leans toward the thought that the current drawdown is merely a retest within a new growth cycle. He emphasizes that this structural framework must remain intact for his projections to hold. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com

XRP has climbed back above the $1.40 mark this week, a level that previously acted as resistance, but analysts warn that the rally does not eliminate the risk of a deeper pullback.  The cryptocurrency’s most critical support zone at $1.30 remains under pressure, and broader market forces—particularly Bitcoin’s (BTC) price action—could determine what happens next. XRP Locked Between $1.30 Support And $1.50 Resistance In a recent report, analyst Sam Daodu described $1.30 as the most heavily tested support level for XRP so far in 2026. Since February, the token has repeatedly slipped into the low $1.30 range, only to find buyers stepping in before a decisive breakdown could occur.  Related Reading: Bitcoin Tops $73,000, Expert Explains Why The Rally Isn’t Over Yet According to Daodu, a key reason XRP has continued to defend this area is that it is slightly lower, around $1.27. On-chain cost basis data indicates that roughly 443 million XRP were accumulated at that price level.  As the market approaches this entry point, many of these holders have added to their positions, creating buying pressure that has consistently pushed the price back above $1.30.  For now, Daodu sees XRP trading within a clearly defined range, with $1.30 acting as the floor and $1.50 serving as resistance. The analyst said a meaningful shift in trend would require a breakout beyond one of those levels, and the direction of that move will likely depend on external catalysts. Bitcoin And Middle East Tensions As Key Threats Bitcoin stands out as the most significant variable. XRP and BTC are currently moving in close alignment, with a reported correlation of 0.84. Historically, XRP has tended to magnify Bitcoin’s price swings by roughly 1.8 times.  In practical terms, that means a 10% decline in Bitcoin could translate into an 18% drop for XRP. Daodu cautions that if Bitcoin were to fall below $60,000 again, XRP would likely follow, regardless of the token’s individual fundamentals or technical structure. Geopolitical factors are also contributing to market fragility. Rising tensions in the Middle East have already sparked risk-off sentiment across the crypto market in early March.  Should the situation worsen, Daodu said investors could reduce exposure to more speculative assets first, placing additional pressure on altcoins such as XRP. BTC As The Key To Break $1.50? On the upside, a sustained breakout above $1.50 would likely require more than just stability in Bitcoin. Historically, altcoins gain momentum when Bitcoin advances decisively, drawing fresh capital into the broader market.  Daodu posits that XRP is no exception; a strong upward move in BTC could provide the tailwind needed for the altcoin to attempt surpass higher resistance levels. Related Reading: Crypto Treasury Inflows Slide To October 2024 Levels—What Happened? Between $1.58 and $1.60 lies a substantial supply zone. Approximately 2 billion XRP were purchased at those levels, leaving many holders underwater for months.  As the price approaches that range, investors seeking to exit at breakeven could generate heavy selling pressure, the analyst reported. Clearing $1.50 would signal renewed strength, but absorbing supply closer to $1.60 may prove to be the more difficult challenge. At the time of writing, XRP was trading at $1.41, marking a 3% loss over the previous 24 hours.  Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

The XRP price returned to a technical level that, historically, has defined some of its most explosive rallies. After enduring a sharp 62% correction that culminated in a drop toward $1.10 on February 6, the token is once again testing its long-term ascending support trendline. Amid this, the broader crypto market has shown signs of recovery this week, offering some relief. On Wednesday, the XRP price rebounded roughly 6%, while Bitcoin (BTC) climbed back above the critical $70,000 level, restoring a measure of optimism across risk assets despite ongoing global tensions. Historic XRP Price Support  In a Wednesday report, market analyst Sam Daodu pointed out that the XRP price is sitting on the same rising trendline that has historically preceded dramatic upside moves — including a 630% rally in 2024 and an extraordinary surge of more than 60,000% in 2017.  Related Reading: CFTC Chair Says Crypto Perps Approval Is Close — Why This Is Huge For Hyperliquid? What makes this retest different, Daodu noted, is that it is happening for the first time with a fully established spot XRP Exchange-traded fund (ETF) infrastructure behind it. Since their launch in November 2025, US spot XRP exchange-traded funds have attracted $1.24 billion in cumulative inflows over four consecutive positive months. Approximately 797 million XRP are now held in ETF custody.  At the same time, institutional wallets accumulated an additional 170 million XRP during the most recent price dip. Ripple also re-locked 700 million XRP into escrow on March 1, maintaining its standard release cycle and limiting new supply from entering the market. March seasonality adds another layer to the setup. Over the past 12 years, XRP has delivered an average return of 18% in March, making it statistically the strongest month of the first quarter.  $4 Target Emerges From a technical standpoint, the $1.27 level represents the first area of support to monitor. It aligns with the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement level and has served as a bear market floor throughout the correction.  Below that, the $1.10–$1.11 zone marks the precise location of the long-term ascending trendline that held in February. A decisive break beneath $1.10 would represent the first failure of this channel since 2015 and could expose the XRP price to a deeper pullback toward $0.85–$1.00. Related Reading: MARA Revises Bitcoin Treasury Strategy, Opens Door To Selling $3.5 Billion In BTC On the upside, $1.47 stands as the nearest Fibonacci resistance, followed closely by the $1.50 neckline of the double bottom. A sustained close above $1.50 would confirm the pattern and project a move toward $1.68–$1.70. Beyond that range, on-chain data shows roughly 1.85 billion XRP accumulated between $1.76 and $1.80, a zone where holders may look to exit at breakeven, potentially creating substantial resistance.  The most significant supply cluster lies between $2.40 and $2.60; a weekly close above that band would invalidate the broader descending structure and signal a more decisive trend reversal. Combining historical March strength, capitulation signals, and structural supply constraints, Daodu suggests the XRP price could potentially reach a range between $2.50 and $4.00 by late 2026. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com

XRP is on track to close its fifth consecutive month in negative territory, a rare stretch of sustained losses that has not been seen since late 2016. Despite holding at around $1.30, the token has declined nearly 30% in February alone, according to CoinGecko data, extending a broader five-month decline of roughly 50%. XRP Flashes Pre-Bull Run Pattern The last time XRP recorded five straight red monthly candles was between October 2016 and February 2017. During that period, the price slipped from $0.00885 to $0.00557, a decline of 37%, before finding a bottom near $0.0055 in March 2017. By May 2017, XRP had surged to $0.3988 — a gain of 7,000% in just two months.  After consolidating through the summer, the token climbed again, eventually reaching $3.31 in January 2018. From its March 2017 low, that marked a 60,000% increase. Related Reading: Ready For A 443% Dogecoin Move? The Meme Coin Just Touched A Historically Explosive Level With XRP now following a similar path, market analyst Sam Daodu examined the comparison in a new report released on Monday. Daodu noted that the current setup “rhymes” with the 2016–2017 structure: five consecutive months of declines, tightening price action, and signs that selling pressure may be exhausting itself. However, he cautioned that the market environment has changed dramatically since XRP was “a micro‑cap token. In 2017, XRP’s total market value was less than $300 million. Daodu pointed out that at that level, even a few hundred million dollars in new capital might raise the price by thousands of percentage points.  Today, XRP has a market capitalization of about $88 billion. According to the analyst, this scale makes a 60,000% surge virtually impossible under any realistic market conditions. 250% Rally Still In Play A comparable rally would imply a move to roughly $852 per token. With approximately 58 billion XRP in circulation, that would translate to a market capitalization exceeding $49 trillion — more than the combined value of all stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange.  Still, Daodu argues that while a repeat of the 2017 explosion is off the table, a meaningful recovery remains within reach if the bottoming pattern holds.  A return to XRP’s July 2025 high of $3.65 would represent a gain of about 157% from current levels. A move toward $5 — near the upper range of analyst forecasts for 2026 — would amount to a 252% increase. Related Reading: Bitcoin Buying Spree Nears Century Mark, Saylor Hints Even more conservative projections suggest room for upside. Standard Chartered recently reduced its XRP target by 65%, citing near‑term headwinds, but its revised forecast of $2.80 would still imply a roughly 97% rise from current trading prices. The key difference in this cycle, according to Daodu, lies in the source of demand. The explosive rally of 2017 was largely driven by retail speculation.  In contrast, any substantial gains this time would likely depend on institutional flows, including potential exchange‑traded fund (ETF) inflows, broader institutional adoption, and a recovery across the wider crypto market. While another 60,000% run is unrealistic, Daodu believes a 150% to 250% advance is achievable if momentum shifts and capital returns to the sector. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

The British financial giant Standard Chartered sharply reduced its price outlook for XRP, the fourth-largest cryptocurrency. The company trimmed its end-of-2026 target by 65% following the severe downturn in the broader crypto market in the past month. The revision comes even as the altcoin posted a modest 2% rebound over the past week, trading around $1.47 per token at the time of writing. Despite that short-term recovery, the bank’s digital assets team now believes the token is unlikely to reach a new all-time high this year. New XRP Price Prediction The updated forecast was first reported on Monday by DL News, with Geoffrey Kendrick, Standard Chartered’s global head of digital assets research, outlining the changes in a note to investors.  Related Reading: Can XRP Hold Above $1? Token Tumbles 11% as Breakdown Fuels Crash Concerns Kendrick, who leads the bank’s crypto research efforts, acknowledged that recent market conditions have forced a broad reassessment of price expectations across the sector. “Recent price action for digital assets has been challenging, to say the least,” Kendrick wrote. “We expect further declines near-term, and we lower our forecasts across the asset class.” Under the revised outlook, Standard Chartered now expects XRP to reach $2.80 by the end of 2026, a substantial cut from its previous $8 projection. The earlier target had been issued in December, when the bank took a far more optimistic stance.  At that time, Kendrick pointed to increasing regulatory clarity surrounding XRP’s status as a financial asset, along with progress toward exchange-traded fund (ETF) products, as key catalysts that could drive significant price appreciation. Broad Forecast Cuts Across Major Tokens The $8 forecast was made roughly two and a half months after the sharp market crash on October 10, when sentiment had begun to stabilize.  However, as February draws to a close, the broader crypto market has yet to mount a sustained recovery. That prolonged weakness has prompted Standard Chartered to reassess not only XRP but the wider digital asset landscape. Related Reading: Bitcoin Should Be Flying—Instead, Quantum Risk Keeps It Grounded: Analyst Bitcoin’s (BTC) expected price has been reduced from $150,000 to $100,000. Ethereum’s (ETH) forecast has been revised down from $7,000 to $4,000, while Solana’s (SOL) target has been cut from $250 to $135. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

A new artificial intelligence (AI)–driven outlook for XRP is drawing attention after market analyst Sam Daodu shared projections generated by Claude AI, outlining how the cryptocurrency could perform through the rest of 2026.  The forecast presents three distinct price paths for XRP, each shaped by how key factors such as exchange-traded fund (ETF) demand, regulatory clarity, and network activity evolve. Together, the scenarios provide a broad yet structured view of where the fifth-largest cryptocurrency could be headed. Potential 215% Rally Ahead For XRP According to Daodu, Claude AI uses a baseline XRP price of roughly $2.15 and builds its projections around whether market catalysts strengthen or weaken. The model suggests that ETF inflows, exchange balance trends, and growth on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) will be the primary signals determining whether XRP breaks higher, trades sideways, or slips lower by the end of 2026. Related Reading: Global Liquidity Says Bitcoin Is Extremely Undervalued – Here’s The ‘Real’ Figure In the most optimistic scenario, Claude AI predicts XRP would rise to between $4 and $6, representing a potential 215% increase from its current trading price of $1.90. This bullish outcome depends on ETF inflows accelerating beyond $5 billion while exchange balances continue to decline, indicating reduced sell-side pressure.  Under this scenario, institutional accumulation would increase spot market demand, while clearer regulatory conditions would help improve overall market sentiment.  Claude’s model suggests that once XRP decisively moves above the $3.20 resistance level, tightening liquidity across major trading platforms could magnify even modest buying activity.  By late 2026, long-term holders limiting supply could further thin market depth, allowing prices to rise more quickly. However, this outcome would require unexpected positive catalysts and currently sits above what most AI models are forecasting. Base Case Prediction The base case presents a more measured outlook, with XRP trading between $2.00 and $3.00. In this scenario, ETF inflows remain steady but unspectacular, while adoption grows gradually rather than explosively.  The model suggests XRP would likely maintain support above $2.00, helped by manageable escrow token releases and incremental improvements to the XRPL that support ongoing transaction growth.  Price swings would likely remain contained, with accumulation happening quietly instead of through sharp rallies. By the end of 2026, XRP could settle near the midpoint of this range, reflecting balanced participation from both retail traders and institutional investors.  Bearish Outlook Envisions $1.50 – $1.80 On the downside, Claude AI outlines a bearish scenario in which XRP drifts toward the $1.50 to $1.80 range. This outcome would likely unfold if ETF demand weakens and broader macroeconomic pressures intensify.  A sustained drop below the $2.00 level could then lead to extended consolidation around the $1.60 support zone. While network activity on the XRPL might continue, momentum in price action would fade as market participants wait for clearer catalysts.  Related Reading: Gold Hits Record $5K While Bitcoin Struggles To Keep Pace Ultimately, Claude AI’s forecast points to relative stability around $2.15 in the near term for the cryptocurrency, at least through January, with larger price movements dependent on ETF market inflows exceeding the $5 billion mark.  Daodu further pointed out that Claude’s outlook sits between ChatGPT’s more cautious stance and Grok’s comparatively optimistic projections, offering what he describes as a realistic middle ground rather than an extreme outcome. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

A significant short squeeze may be on the horizon for XRP investors, potentially serving as the main catalyst for a rally that could push prices beyond the all-time high of $3.90.  Market analyst Bird made these predictions in a recent post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), highlighting key observations from his analysis. Key Liquidity Zones For XRP Bird shared a chart that illustrates where leveraged positions—both long and short—are concentrated in the market. He explained that the colored bands on the chart indicate levels of liquidity, where the potential for forced buying or selling could occur due to stop-loss orders and liquidations.  Related Reading: Why The Dogecoin Price Could Outperform Bitcoin Again The analysis of the altcoin’s daily chart heatmap categorizes liquidity into two distinct zones: red, signifying deep liquidity, and lighter colors indicating less liquidity. From his observations, Bird noted that price movements away from low liquidity areas tend to occur rapidly. He explained this process: when prices approach zones with significant stop-loss clusters, they often trigger large sell-offs, wiping out long positions.  Price Targets $4.20 Following these movements, the price typically rotates back toward shorts, leading to additional liquidation events. Bird pointed out that on Sunday, a number of long XRP positions were liquidated.  Related Reading: 4 In 5 Hacked Crypto Projects Don’t Bounce Back, Expert Says Now, he sees a dense liquidity pocket forming around the $4.20 mark, primarily from short XRP positions. This situation incentivizes market makers to drive prices toward this liquidity to close out those trades, rather than moving away from it.  As a result, Bird expressed confidence that the current XRP price rally is far from over. He believes that a new all-time high is imminent, as the potential for a substantial short squeeze looms.  At the time of writing, the fifth-largest cryptocurrency on the market was trading at $2, having briefly dropped to $1.84 earlier on Monday.  Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

Market expert Bird has recently issued a bold forecast for XRP, the fifth-largest cryptocurrency, suggesting that it could experience a major upside of 800% within this year. If this prediction holds true, XRP could reach a new all-time high of $18.40 per coin. Forecast Indicates XRP Might Rival Ethereum Bird’s forecast hinges on the XRP/BTC ratio, which he predicts will reach 1:5,000 by the end of 2026. This means that 5,000 XRP would be equivalent to 1 Bitcoin (BTC). Currently, the XRP/BTC ratio trades at approximately 0.00002235.  Related Reading: Crypto Market Bill Draft Criticized For Allowing Continued Developer Prosecution For Bird’s envisioned target to materialize, the ratio must increase to 0.0002 BTC per token, representing a substantial gain of around 794% from current levels. With a total supply of 100 billion coins, this price projection implies an overall valuation of approximately $1.84 trillion for XRP. Such a figure would place the cryptocurrency in close competition with Ethereum—and striking distance of Bitcoin’s market cap. Additional Price Scenarios For The Altcoin Market expert Sam Daodu also outlined alternative scenarios for XRP’s future performance. In a base case, where the altcoin garners continued institutional support but doesn’t close the gap with Bitcoin’s market capitalization, the price could range between $3 and $4.  This outcome would depend on exchange traded funds (ETFs) attracting a “few billion in assets” while Bitcoin’s dominance falls to the 40–50% range during a broader altcoin rotation. Related Reading: Zcash Foundation Investigation Closed: SEC Decision Sparks 12% Jump In ZEC Price Conversely, there exists a bear case where macroeconomic challenges or obstacles within the crypto ecosystem could hinder XRP’s price growth. Factors such as geopolitical instability could redirect capital back to Bitcoin and gold, while banks might opt for private ledgers and established stablecoins instead of adopting XRP.  Monthly escrow releases from Ripple of 1 billion coins, accompanied by a potential diminishing exchange-traded fund demand, might cap any potential upside action for the cryptocurrency, leaving it to trade around its current trading prices of $2. Featured image from 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 

In 2025, XRP emerged as the best-performing token among the top ten largest cryptocurrencies, outpacing gains from Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). As the first week of 2026 unfolds, XRP has continued this upward trend, recording a 17% surge over the past week that has propelled its price back above the key $2.20 threshold. Strong ETF Demand Pushes XRP Forward One of the prominent factors contributing to this surge is the strong performance of XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which became a standout in the market by attracting $483 million over the past weeks. In contrast, Bitcoin ETFs experienced a significant outflow of $1.09 billion, while Ethereum products faced a loss of $564 million.  XRP funds not only achieved $483 million in inflows during December but also maintained a steady influx for 30 consecutive trading days. This streak finally ended on December 26 with the first day of zero inflows.  Overall, since their launch in November, total inflows into XRP exchange-traded funds have amassed to $1.3 billion, marking the fastest adoption rate for any altcoin ETF to date. Related Reading: Bitcoin Reaches $93,000 Amid Renewed Optimism: What To Keep An Eye On This Week Looking ahead, reports suggest that the ETF landscape could be pivotal in shaping bullish scenarios for XRP. A potential filing by BlackRock for an XRP ETF could serve as a significant credibility boost, attracting conservative institutional investors to the space.  BlackRock’s own $40 billion Bitcoin ETF exemplifies the capacity to mobilize capital effectively through its Aladdin platform connections. Additionally, the scaling of Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin into banking and remittance services could generate ongoing demand for XRP as a critical bridge asset. There are also signs that the Federal Reserve could implement several rate cuts in 2026, which would lower the opportunity cost of investing in risk assets.  Under such conditions, it is alleged that the XRP price might break through its all-time high of $3.84, potentially escalating toward the $4.00 to $5.00 range by year-end. On The Cusp Of Major Gains? When it comes to price action, market analyst Dark Defender, active on the social media platform X (previously Twitter), recently highlighted XRP’s price action by providing a three-month time frame update.  The analyst noted that a newly initiated green candle in January exhibits a bullish Relative Strength Index (RSI). According to Dark Defender, surpassing the $2.22 level is crucial for XRP. Related Reading: Dogecoin Price On The Brink Of A 9,000% Rally To $10? What Historical Performance Shows He further suggested that XRP could be on the brink of a significant surge, similar to silver, and pointed to ambitious targets such as $6 and even as high as $20 in the future.  Achieving $6 would represent a notable 171% increase from current trading prices, while reaching the $20 mark would indicate a staggering 800% rise. While trading at $2.21 at the time of writing, the token is still facing $2.22 as the next major short-term resistance level, and is also trading at 40% below its all-time high. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

As 2026 begins, XRP is starting the year on a bearish note, with investor sentiment plummeting to levels of extreme fear. Despite these challenging conditions, analysts are suggesting that this negativity may set the stage for a significant bullish reversal, drawing parallels to historical trends. Institutional Buyers Remain Active Reports indicate that periods of extreme sentiment have often preceded XRP rallies with impressive gains, at times exceeding 1,000%. Data from Santiment indicates that bearish mentions of XRP are now running 20-30% higher than the subdued averages seen in November.  This deepening negativity, coupled with XRP stabilizing between $1.8 and $1.9 mark, highlights “a classic market divergence”: sentiment continues to worsen while prices consolidate, suggesting that emotional capitulation is occurring faster than any fundamental deterioration. Related Reading: Is The Dogecoin Bottom In? 3 Analysts Break Down the Charts Beneath this wave of retail fear, however, institutional behavior paints a more positive picture. Spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded inflows of approximately $424 million in December alone, making them the best-performing crypto ETF product.  This contrast between extreme retail sentiment—currently at an extreme fear level of 24—and substantial institutional accumulation, which stands at around $1.3 billion over the past 50 days, often precedes market reversals more reliably than sentiment readings alone indicate. 70-75% Chance Of Bullish Reversal For XRP, the current setup combines extreme fear readings with a social sentiment significantly above baseline levels, alongside price consolidation, creating a historical pattern that has led to substantial rallies multiple times since 2020.  For instance, back in the 2020-2021 cycle, XRP dropped to $0.17 amid the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lawsuit, followed by a 1,053% increase to $1.96 over just four months.  Today’s scenario mirrors this past occurrence. With institutional accumulation diverging sharply from retail capitulation, historical data suggests that this combination yields a 70-75% chance of a bullish reversal within the next two to eight weeks. Current trading conditions for XRP sit at approximately $1.90, with the Fear & Greed Index at 24. This setup creates three potential scenarios. Three Potential Price Scenarios For XRP In the most favorable bullish scenario, the Trump administration could announce clear pro-crypto regulatory policies in the first quarter of the year, BlackRock might file an XRP ETF application, or the adoption of Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin could rapidly scale above $2-3 billion.  Historically, when the Fear & Greed Index climbs from 24 into neutral territory (between 50 and 60), XRP often rallies between 30-50%, setting targets between $2.44 and $2.82. If bullish momentum continues into mild greed (70+), XRP could reach the $3.00-$3.20 range. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s $150K Target Looks Unlikely As Polymarket Odds Sink To 23% In a more neutral scenario, sentiment may gradually normalize without dramatic catalysts, with ETF inflows continuing to average between $200-300 million monthly. As RLUSD organically grows through existing partnerships, fears could naturally subside over a span of six to eight weeks.  As the Fear & Greed Index rises from 24 to the 45-55 range, XRP has typically appreciated between 15-25%, targeting between $2.16 and $2.35. If the support at $1.85 holds through January, and trading volume expands above $1.98, the price could extend toward $2.40-$2.50. In a bearish outcome, sentiment could linger in extreme fear (below 30) for over eight weeks without relief. A decisive break below $1.85 on substantial volume would see XRP testing support levels around $1.65-$1.70.  The altcoin has surged by over 6% in the past 24 hours towards $1.98 amid a broader recovery in the crypto market. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

Despite a mixed performance throughout 2025, XRP has emerged as one of the standout performers in the cryptocurrency market. Currently trading slightly below $1.90, the fifth-largest cryptocurrency has retraced nearly 50% from its all-time highs achieved in July.  Nevertheless, Standard Chartered is optimistic about XRP’s future, forecasting a significant upward trend driven by anticipated inflows into spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and increased regulatory clarity. Spot XRP ETFs Could Drive $4-$8 Billion In Inflows  The bank predicts that the launch of spot XRP ETFs could bring in between $4 billion and $8 billion into XRP throughout 2026. Should these inflows materialize, the resulting demand—coupled with XRP’s relatively limited supply—could catalyze a sharp increase in the coin’s price.  Related Reading: US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve: Key Catalyst For Potential Surge Toward $150,000 Next Year Analyst Geoffrey Kendrick has laid out an ambitious roadmap for XRP’s future, anticipating prices of $8.00 in 2026, and potentially reaching $12.50 by 2028. To put this into perspective, XRP’s current circulating supply is approximately 57 billion coins. Even modest inflows of a few billion dollars could create a meaningful supply shock in the market.  So far, XRP ETFs have gathered around $1.25 billion. To reach the $8 target, it would require annual flows to hit the range of $5 billion to $10 billion, similar to the initial enthusiasm surrounding Bitcoin ETFs. Regulatory Resolution As Key Catalyst  A parallel factor influencing XRP’s potential rise is the resolution of regulatory uncertainty surrounding the cryptocurrency. The US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) long-standing lawsuit against Ripple Labs has significantly impacted XRP’s narrative.  Yet, in August 2025, the SEC withdrew its appeal, resulting in Ripple agreeing to a $125 million settlement and affirming that XRP sales on secondary markets are not classified as securities transactions.  Related Reading: Bitcoin And Ethereum Influx: Strategy Grabs 1,200 BTC, Bitmine Immersion Ups ETH by 44,000 This resolution eliminates a substantial legal burden and is seen by Standard Chartered as a catalyst for increased adoption. With legal uncertainties removed, capital that had been sidelined could finally enter the market. However, for XRP to achieve a price of $8 by 2026, favorable economic conditions, including low interest rates and a risk-on attitude among investors, would be critical. Should macroeconomic challenges escalate, investors may shy away from altcoins. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

As the year draws to a close, XRP investors are increasingly adopting a bearish outlook, anticipating that the altcoin will remain below the critical $2 threshold.  XRP Forecasts Dipped A recent poll conducted by cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, running from December 12 to 23, reveals that 73% of investors predict XRP will finish the year between $1.50 and $2.00, suggesting a muted conclusion for the altcoin’s performance in 2025. Just weeks prior, market sentiment was more optimistic, with around 38% of traders expecting XRP to rally to a range of $2.00 to $2.50 by December 31. However, that figure has since dropped to 28%, reflecting a significant decline in confidence.  Related Reading: Bitcoin Correction Timeline: Analyst Predicts Potential Bottom In October 2026 The possibility of the cryptocurrency exceeding $2.50 appears almost non-existent, as only about 4% of respondents foresee it reaching the $2.50 to $3.00 range, and a similar 4% predict it could surpass $3.00.  The consensus of 73% predicting an XRP finish between $1.50 and $2.00 marks an increase from the 63% recorded earlier in the poll. This growing alignment among poll participants indicates that they are consolidating around this range as the most likely scenario. Furthermore, the sentiment towards higher price levels has significantly shifted. The percentage of voters anticipating a rally into the mid-$2 range has dwindled to a mere 4%, reflecting dwindling confidence after several failed attempts to break through resistance levels.  Even the outlook for the altcoin’s price to drop below $1.50 has risen slightly to 7%, up from 6%, although most believe a sharp sell-off is unlikely. Rising Supply From Early Investors This prevailing sentiment aligns with Futures data indicating a prevalence of aggressive sell orders, while the slow accumulation of XRP in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) at a pace of $30 to $50 million daily cannot keep up with profit-taking and risk reduction activities in the market.  On-chain data reveals that significant realized gains have been secured as XRP approached its recent highs. For instance, a long-term holder who initially acquired the altcoin around $0.40 sold over 350 million tokens at approximately $2.00, reaping an estimated profit of $721 million. Related Reading: Ethereum Fails To Surpass $3,000: Predictions For The Final Days Of The Year With many early investors reportedly cashing out at the $2 level, there has been minimal support for dip-buying to bolster the price, keeping it in the current range between $1.7 and $1.8 recorded in the week.  Experts suggest that when the supply increases from long-term holders, whose initial investments were made at $0.40 to $0.60, it creates a resistance ceiling that is challenging to break without substantial new demand entering the market. At the time of writing, XRP was trading at $1.830. The altcoin has recorded major losses in all time frames, with a year-to-date decline of 15%, in line with the broader market’s performance.  Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

XRP, currently the fifth largest cryptocurrency by market cap, has recently fallen below the crucial $2 mark amid a broader market correction that has dampened investor sentiment since October. However, market analyst Sam Daodu has identified five critical catalysts that could drive the altcoin to new all-time highs of $5 by 2026. Potential Bullish Catalysts For XRP In a detailed report, Daodu emphasized that for XRP to reach $5, multiple specific factors need to work in unison. Each of these catalysts aims to address various barriers that have kept XRP’s price stagnant. At the forefront of Daodu’s analysis is the potential for a BlackRock-backed XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF). Since mid-November 2025, spot XRP ETFs have attracted over $1 billion in cumulative inflows. Should BlackRock move forward with its ETF, estimates suggest that inflows could exceed $2 billion.  Related Reading: XRP Price Forecasts For 2026 Unveiled By AI Simulation: Should Investors Remain Bullish? Daodu’s analysis points that such capital influx would not only reshape market demand but would also solidify XRP’s position as the sole cryptocurrency tied to a fully regulated token in the United States, significantly enhancing its case for reaching $5. Next on the list is the evolving significance of Japan within the XRP narrative. Ripple, in collaboration with SBI Holdings, is set to launch RLUSD—Ripple’s USD-backed stablecoin—in Japan by the first quarter of 2026, pending regulatory approval.  The use of RLUSD on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) can create substantial demand for XRP as a bridge currency, supporting the case for it to reach $5, even if this impact unfolds gradually over time. From Tokenization To ETFs The third catalyst that Daodu identified is the tokenization of assets. Ripple’s expanded partnership with Archax aims to bring in “hundreds of millions of dollars” in tokenized equity, debt, and funds onto the XRP Ledger by mid-2026.  Should the XRP Ledger capture even a modest 5-10% of the tokenized asset settlement market, the demand for XRP would increase significantly, further supporting its goal of reaching $5. In fourth place, macroeconomic policy plays a crucial role in shaping XRP’s upside potential. Anticipated rate cuts by the Federal Reserve (Fed) would likely decrease returns on cash and short-term bonds, traditionally driving capital toward riskier assets that offer growth and liquidity.  Related Reading: New Crypto Tax Proposal: Bipartisan House Duo Pushes For Stablecoin Safe Harbor Lastly, recent on-chain data points to a noteworthy change in supply dynamics. Exchange-held XRP has decreased, with 1.35 billion XRP removed from exchanges in less than two months.  Balances plummeted from approximately 3.95 billion tokens to about 2.6 billion, with more than a billion leaving in just a short span of three weeks. Such withdrawals are indicative of a behavioral shift among holders, as many are opting to move XRP into long-term storage solutions. Daodu posits that reaching the $5 mark will not stem from a singular headline or moment of exuberance. It will necessitate a convergence of multiple factors, including strong ETF inflows, institutional adoption, and favorable macroeconomic conditions. As of this writing, the altcoin was trading at $1.88, dropping by almost 50% from all-time high levels reached back in July of this year.  Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

XRP, currently the fifth-largest cryptocurrency in the market, has mirrored the overall performance of digital assets over the past months, experiencing a significant retracement of nearly 50% from its all-time high of $3.65 earlier this year.  Amid this volatility, a new artificial intelligence (AI) simulation model has produced price forecasts for the altcoin, offering investors a more detailed outlook for the coming year. XRP Price Predictions Market analyst Sam Daodu recently shared insights from a Monte Carlo simulation that explored XRP’s price trajectory in which 10,000 paths were generated to capture a comprehensive range of potential outcomes.  The results offer statistical data such as mean, median, and percentiles, illustrating a probability distribution rather than relying on a single forecast. Daodu reported that the simulation results reveal a spectrum of outcomes for XRP. The mean price across all 10,000 paths stands at approximately $2.78, indicating that, on average, the price is higher than its current levels.  Related Reading: Dogecoin Weekly Fractal Hints At A Bigger Move Brewing In contrast, the median price is $1.88, suggesting that half of the estimated outcomes fall below the $2 mark. This disparity between the mean and median highlights the skew in the distribution, where a few high projections inflate the average, while the median reflects where most scenarios likely land. To identify a more probable pricing range, Daodu considered the 25th and 75th percentiles, which represent the central 50% of outcomes. According to the simulation, 25% of scenarios estimate XRP’s price below $1.04, while 75% indicate a price below $3.40.  Notably, about 60% of scenarios position XRP’s price between $1.04 and $3.40 by the end of 2026, with an expected median hovering around $1.88. 10% Chance Of Dropping Below $0.59  The analysis also highlights the upper tail of the distribution, where the best-case outcomes sit. The 90th percentile indicates a price of about $5.90, meaning that roughly 10% of scenarios project end-of-year prices above this threshold.  The expert asserts that achieving new all-time highs near $6 would require several positive developments, including sustained institutional inflows through exchange-traded funds (ETFs) of over $50 million daily throughout 2026, increased actual usage of XRP for cross-border payments by banks, and persistent regulatory clarity without major setbacks.  Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Remains Stuck Inside This Range, But A Breakout Could Follow On the other hand, the simulation doesn’t shy away from discussing downside risks. The lower 10% of outcomes reveal a potential drop below $0.59, suggesting a worrying 10% probability that XRP could lose more than 70% of its current value by 2026.  Factors contributing to this bearish outlook could include regulatory setbacks, such as tougher restrictions on cryptocurrency custody or complications arising from recent settlements with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  Additionally, Daodu believes that decreased investor confidence in the altcoin resulting from unmet expectations related to XRP’s utility adoption could further depress prices.  According to CoinGecko data, XRP is trading within the range expected to last till next year at $1.90, with a 2% drop in the 24-hour period. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

One of the cleaner tells in crypto is when the old supply decides it’s time. Not “made a quick 20% and clipped it” time — years old. That’s basically what Glassnode researcher CryptoVizArt flagged after an XRP wallet aged roughly 5–7 years (with a cost basis around $0.40) realized more than $721.5 million in profit on Dec. 11. A single wallet doesn’t “break” a market on its own. But the timing is the point: this wasn’t profit-taking into a rip. It landed while XRP was showing weakness right at the $2.0 key level. Related Reading: XRP Dominates Institutional Inflows, But Why Is Price Still Low? CryptoVizArt wrote via X: “On December 11th, a 5-7 year old XRP wallet address (with a cost basis of $0.4) realized over $721.5M in profit! A rare sizable profit-taking while the price shows weakness right at the $2.0 key level.” What This Means For XRP Price That $2 handle matters for the usual reasons — round number, obvious chart magnet, psychological line in the sand — but also because the market’s been treating it like a live wire lately. Since early December last year, the support zone between $2 and $1.90 has been tested endless times. XRP bulls always managed to close above the zone on the weekly timeframe. So what does the $721M print mean? It’s a reminder that supply overhang isn’t theoretical. A 5–7 year wallet taking profits can be read as “de-risking,” sure. But in tape terms, it’s also distribution that the market has to absorb while price is already leaning. If bids are deep, it’s a shrug. If bids are thin, it turns $2 into a trapdoor. And right now, “thin” is kind of the vibe across crypto, not just XRP. Related Reading: Why XRP Isn’t Reacting to Major Institutional and Regional Developments CryptoVizArt’s broader framing from Dec. 13 is that the $80K–$90K Bitcoin consolidation is producing stress “comparable to late Jan 2022.” Via X, he wrote: “The current $80K–$90K consolidation range is generating a magnitude of stress comparable to late January 2022, with Relative Unrealized Loss approaching ~10% of market cap. This places the market in a regime where liquidity is constrained, and sensitivity to macro shocks is elevated, yet still below the levels typically associated with full bear-market capitulation.” That backdrop matters because alts don’t trade in a vacuum. When the whole complex is jumpy, big sell events at key levels have more punch. Not because every XRP holder suddenly panics, but because market-makers and discretionary traders tend to pull risk at the same time. Spreads widen, depth thins, and “one-off” flows start to move price more than they should. Still, it cuts both ways. A single, chunky realization can also be the market clearing a problem — old supply exiting, new demand stepping in, the kind of transfer that (eventually) makes a base sturdier. The trick is whether $2 holds while that handoff happens. At press time, XRP was trading at $1.89, which could make Sunday’s weekly close another extremely important event. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

As the week began, the XRP price experienced a 4% decline, bringing it nearly 50% below its all-time highs. However, analysts forecast significant gains for one of the market’s leading altcoins in January 2026, citing three major catalysts that could reshape its market outlook. A Major Step Towards Broader Access In a recent analysis, Sam Daodu, a market expert from 24/7 Wall St., emphasized the importance of Vanguard’s decision to approve trading of XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Daodu emphasized that the real significance lies in the facilitation of distribution; with Vanguard’s advisors able to allocate XRP exposure through regulated ETFs without additional cumbersome processes. He indicated that three interrelated factors are now at play: the influx of institutional capital through ETF investments, a reduction in supply, and the influence of Vanguard in altering the approach towards the asset. Related Reading: Bitcoin Pulls Back Under $89K, Michael Saylor Smells Opportunity Notably, the results of the token’s exchange-traded fund launch have already been notable, with XRP inflows hitting $1 billion within the first four weeks of trading, making it one of the fastest-growing crypto ETF launches to date.  Additionally, XRP’s market supply has contracted significantly, dropping by 45% from approximately 3.9 billion tokens at the beginning of 2025 to about 1.6 billion by December.  This contraction can be attributed to large holders refraining from distributing their tokens, leading to an accumulation in whale wallets and the removal of tokens from liquid markets due to ETF custody. This decreased supply implies that smaller inflows now carry greater influence. With only 1.6 billion tokens available on exchanges, investments of $20-30 million in daily ETF purchases can have a substantive impact on market supply.  A Key Driver For Price Appreciation  The Vanguard XRP ETF launch is particularly significant in this context, as it locks tokens into regulated custody vehicles that are less likely to be sold frequently.  Unlike tokens held on exchanges that can be quickly moved in and out, ETF custody tends to encourage a buy-and-hold strategy, fostering conditions for gradual price appreciation fueled by sustained institutional demand amid a diminishing available supply. Given that the decision to provide ETF access came late in the year, year-end trading typically focuses on maintaining existing allocations rather than creating new positions.  While the ETF adds credibility to XRP without causing immediate price pressure, its journey to a $3 valuation by January will depend on how swiftly advisory capital mobilizes, the durability of supply compression, and the overall stability of the markets. XRP Price Path To $3 Three potential scenarios present themselves for XRP’s future. The most optimistic scenario sees advisory capital moving quicker than typical, perhaps allowing advisors to integrate small XRP allocations during January’s rebalancing.  In this case, XRP ETF inflows could remain robust, ranging from $40-60 million daily, while the locked-up supply on exchanges supports a price increase that could see the XRP price surpass $2.25, aim for $2.60, and potentially test $3 by the end of January. Related Reading: Ethereum Price Compression Deepens as Analysts Debate if the Next Move Is a Rally or Breakdown The middle-ground perspective suggests a more conventional institutional timing. In this scenario, while the XRP ETF access will gain attention in December, actual allocations might ramp up gradually, leading to a daily influx of about $20-30 million instead of the earlier expected pace.  Here, the XRP price could establish higher lows and breach the $2.25 mark, facing resistance between $2.40 and $2.80. Price fluctuations would focus more on future adoption rather than immediate implications. According to Daodu’s conclusions, and given these circumstances, the XRP price reaching $3 could take until the first or second quarter of 2026 rather than being an immediate milestone.  Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com