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The debate over whether the XRP price could reach $10,000 has reignited in the crypto market. However, this time, one crypto analyst challenges the common argument that market capitalization could limit XRP’s growth. According to the analyst, this claim is flawed and does not take into context XRP’s liquidity and utility as a global settlement currency.  Why Market Cap Does Not Limit Price Surge To $10,000 Some critics argue that XRP would never hit $10,000 because doing so would make its market capitalization exceed the global money supply. Market analyst Crypto_Luke has addressed this misconception in a recent X post, emphasizing that market cap does not limit the XRP price in any way.  Related Reading: Expert Explains Why The Market Cap Theory Doesn’t Apply To XRP The analyst explained that market cap is simply the last traded price multiplied by a cryptocurrency’s circulating supply, which is a snapshot of overall trading activity and not a reflection of how much money is required to achieve a certain price. He noted that the common criticism that market capitalization represents the amount of money invested in an asset is inaccurate.  One reason Crypto_Luke believes the market cap argument is flawed is that it fails to account for how XRP operates. Unlike assets designed primarily for storing value, such as BTC, XRP is designed for rapid liquidity and settlement across global corridors. He stated that XRP can be used multiple times in a single day, facilitating transactions without requiring additional capital. As a result, he suggests that XRP’s price is determined by its “actively traded float,” rather than by the total supply that is idle.   In his analysis, Crypto_Luke emphasized that liquidity and price adjustments go hand-in-hand in XRP’s design. He explained that assets that move quickly through settlements allow the blockchain network to satisfy demand without requiring equivalent dollar-for-dollar backing. As XRP’s transaction volume increases, its price naturally adjusts to reflect the value of its utility rather than a fixed market cap.  The analyst noted that XRP’s supply was intentionally designed to be large, fixed, and non-reissuable. This structure supports a multi-trillion-dollar liquidity pool and enables the network to handle high-volume settlement throughput.  XRP Market Cap Crashes Nearly 10% More recently, XRP faces additional downward pressure, as CMC data shows that the cryptocurrency’s market capitalization has crashed by nearly 10%. As of writing, XRP’s market cap has fallen to approximately $79.25 billion following a massive decline in its price over the past 24 hours.  Related Reading: XRP Completes ‘Super Guppy Compression’ Against Bitcoin, Next Target Emerges The downturn aligns with the broader market sell-off across major cryptocurrencies, as sentiment has become increasingly bearish. XRP has been among the worst affected, with its price slipping toward $1.3, marking its lowest levels since 2024. The cryptocurrency shows no clear signs of a rebound despite a recent surge in daily trading volume, which has increased by more than 148%. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com

Heavy capital outflows and large-scale liquidations have pushed the crypto market firmly into the red, with XRP recording a 26.5% decline over the past week. As prices slide and panic-driven selling accelerates, analysts are shifting focus away from rebound timing toward where support is most likely to form. One prominent market analyst, Casi, has now identified XRP’s next key macro levels, outlining where the asset could either stabilize or face deeper downside pressure. Panic-Driven Market Breakdown Keeps XRP Under Pressure According to Casi’s market assessment, the ongoing selloff reflects broad panic conditions rather than controlled profit-taking. Bitcoin has already shed close to 10% in the current downswing, while XRP has recorded losses approaching 20%, underscoring the scale of liquidation moving through altcoin markets. Related Reading: This Analyst Called The Bitcoin Price Crash 4 Months Ago, But There’s More She emphasized that attempted bullish divergence signals are being consistently invalidated. In structural terms, this means momentum indicators are failing to confirm price strength, removing a key early signal that traders typically rely on to anticipate reversals. Instead of basing, price continues to expand lower, suggesting the market is still in active discovery mode for demand. This context reframes XRP’s decline. Rather than viewing the drop as an isolated retracement, Casi interprets it as part of a broader emotional unwind sweeping crypto. Fast downside expansions, thin bid support, and reactive positioning all point to forced selling rather than strategic rotation. Until volatility compresses and divergence structures hold, the probability of sustained recovery remains limited. Key Fibonacci Zones Define XRP’s Stabilization Path Within this high-pressure environment, the analyst mapped precise macro retracement zones where structural support could emerge. For XRP, the immediate focus sits near the $1.09 region, aligning with the macro 0.786 Fibonacci retracement. This level represents deep correction territory. Reinforcing this outlook, XRP has breached multiple interim supports while following a descending trend, signaling ongoing distribution. The projected drop into the 0.786 zone aligns with historical demand clusters, marking the next area where sellers may tire and buyers could re-enter. However, the analyst stopped short of calling a bottom. The current price behavior was described as fast and emotionally driven, conditions that often produce overshoots before equilibrium returns. In this framework, the $1.09 level is not a guaranteed floor but a structural checkpoint where stabilization can begin forming if sell pressure weakens. Related Reading: Why The Bitcoin Price Could Quickly Revisit $81,000 Again After The Crash Bitcoin’s positioning adds macro context to XRP’s outlook. The analyst is monitoring $64,500 on BTC, corresponding with its macro 0.5 Fibonacci retracement. Should Bitcoin secure support there, it could provide the cross-market stability required for XRP to defend its deeper retracement zone. Failure, however, would increase the probability of extended downside across altcoins. In sum, XRP’s trajectory is now tightly linked to panic dynamics and macro support validation. Until structural confirmation emerges, the market remains in support-seeking mode, with $1.09 standing as the next major level where price may attempt to regain footing. Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

The XRP price is facing renewed selling pressure, even as Ripple announces another step toward deeper institutional integration with the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. Related Reading: Bitcoin Crash To $72,000 Signals Major Reset: On-Chain Metrics Deteriorate The token is trading near $1.42, down more than 10% over the past 24 hours, as market participants focus less on corporate developments and more on weakening technical and on-chain signals. The divergence shows a familiar pattern in the markets, positive infrastructure news does not always translate into price support. The latest drop accelerated after XRP slipped below $1.60, a level that had previously served as short-term support. Once that floor gave way, automated selling and stop-loss orders appear to have intensified the move, pushing prices closer to levels not seen since the last broader market pullback. XRP's price trends to the downside on the daily chart. Source: XRPUSD on Tradingview XRP Price Slides as Key Support Breaks Technical indicators suggest the sell-off has been sharp. The Relative Strength Index is approaching oversold territory, reflecting strong downside momentum rather than a slow grind lower. Trading volumes have also picked up during the decline, a sign that sellers are acting with conviction rather than hesitation. On-chain data adds to the cautious outlook. Recent metrics show reduced network activity and limited evidence of sustained accumulation at current levels. In previous corrections, XRP price often stabilized when wallet activity and transaction counts began to rise. If the price fails to reclaim $1.60, analysts increasingly point to the $1.00 psychological level as the next area to watch. While oversold conditions can sometimes trigger short-term bounces, the broader structure suggests XRP remains vulnerable unless sentiment improves. Ripple’s Hyperliquid Integration Fails to Lift XRP The price weakness comes despite Ripple announcing that its institutional prime brokerage arm, Ripple Prime, has added support for Hyperliquid, a decentralized derivatives platform. The integration allows institutional clients to access on-chain perpetual futures while cross-margining those positions with assets such as foreign exchange, fixed income, and other digital assets through a single account. Market reaction has been mixed. While the move underscores Ripple’s push to bridge traditional finance and DeFi, it does not create a direct new demand driver for XRP itself. Some investors had hoped Ripple would prioritize deeper integration of the XRP Ledger. Diverging Signals Across the Market The contrast is clear elsewhere. Hyperliquid’s native token, HYPE, has shown relative strength following the integration news, trading above key moving averages even as the broader market weakens. That divergence suggests capital is flowing toward platforms tied to institutional trading activity, rather than toward legacy large-cap tokens facing technical breakdowns. Related Reading: Are We Near A Bitcoin Bear Market Bottom? History Offers A Framework For now, XRP’s trajectory appears driven more by market structure and on-chain signals than by Ripple’s expanding institutional footprint. Until buyers step in decisively, the risk of a deeper XRP price move toward $1.00 remains on the table. Cover image from ChatGPT, XRPUSD chart on Tradingview

XRP investors are closely monitoring market signals as the cryptocurrency navigates turbulent trading conditions and choppy price action. A recent analysis by market analyst Egrag Crypto identifies a critical exit candle, which could signal the next major step for XRP holders. As volatility increases and downside risks intensify, traders are debating whether to hold, sell, or buy more assets.  Analyst Identifies XRP Investors’ Next Exit Candle Egrag Crypto shared a cautious chart analysis for XRP on X this week, highlighting the importance of understanding upcoming price movements if the market is indeed in a bearish phase. He warned that if traders truly believed XRP could decline another 50-60%, then the pump after this price crash should be considered the traders’ next exit candle. Related Reading: XRP Price Falls Below $1.6: You Won’t Believe What Institutions Are Doing Amid The Crash Although he highlighted an exit pump for investors, Egrag Crypto stated that he will not sell his XRP and intends to hold it even if prices fall below $1. He emphasized that, unless XRP breaks below the blue support channel in the chart, his strategy remains long-term, ignoring the market noise.  The analyst further noted that XRP’s market structure could soon challenge bearish sentiment, potentially forcing many traders to exit in panic. He said that external factors, such as regulatory changes in the United States (US), could pose significant risks for investors. In particular, Egrag Crypto highlighted the possibility of US President Donald Trump appointing Kevin Warsh as new FED chair, replacing former chairman Jay Clayton. The crypto expert said that if this happens, things could get even worse in the market, potentially accelerating downside pressure.  Despite the warnings of a bearish outlook for XRP, Egrag Crypto emphasized that many investors will follow their own strategies. He said that some will continue to hold XRP even if it goes back to $0.5, marking a more than 83% decline from its price high above $3 earlier last year. He also stated that other investors might see the decline as an opportunity to buy and accumulate more tokens, ahead of any future price surges.  Market Discipline and Emotional Strategy Remain Critical At the start of his post, Egrag Crypto stressed that his XRP chart analysis is meant to guide investors facing panic, confusion, or emotional overload due to recent market downturns and sudden price crashes. He compared being a crypto investor and trader to competitive sports like basketball or football, describing it as a game that requires skills, preparation, and patience to succeed.  Related Reading: Pundit Says XRP Price Is Not A ‘Crypto’ Question, But A Systemically Important Liquidity Asset Since the market runs 24/7, Egrag Crypto asserts that managing both emotional and financial resources is essential. He advised traders to step away from the market when needed and avoid letting any asset dominate their emotional state. He also highlighted the importance of strategy and discipline when investing or trading. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

XRP has been misunderstood as just another retail-traded crypto asset, when in reality, it was engineered from the ground up to serve institutional finance. Most retail investors approach XRP through the lens of short-term price action, but that framing misses what the asset was actually built to do. XRP was never built for retail investors. Crypto trader Adam highlighted on X that from the outset, XRP was designed as institutional-grade infrastructure, powering liquidity corridors, cross-border settlements, and the movement of value between financial systems fast and efficiently. How Early Liquidity Providers Sit Ahead Of Demand The goal isn’t hype or speculation, but rather plumbing for global money flow. In this framework, the retail participant isn’t the target audience. Instead, retail holders occupy an early position, providing optional liquidity and gaining front-row access while the underlying rails are still being built. Related Reading: Ripple’s Next Steps: Where XRP Stops Being Trade And Starts Being Infrastrucutre As institutional adoption continues to expand, retail holders are positioned ahead of the curve and may benefit from utility demand, which ultimately drives long-term value. In this contest, being early doesn’t mean being excluded; it simply means being advantaged ahead of the curve. XRP has already transitioned into an institutional-grade asset. Analyst Xfinancebull has pointed out that the narrative from just two years ago was that many believed institutions would avoid XRP due to its uncertainty, perceived risk, and regulatory clarity, but that landscape has shifted. Currently, XRP exposure is available on major institutional platforms, including Vanguard, which manages over $10 trillion in assets and serves more than 50 million investors globally, and is second only to BlackRock. Multiple XRP ETFs are now live and accessible, including the Bitwise XRP ETF, Franklin Templeton XRP ETF, Canary XRP ETF, and Teucrium 2x XRP ETF. Despite this progress, XRP’s price remains low, and institutions are not emotional about the dip because they don’t buy green candles; they accumulate during the times of fear, and position their capital when retail interest is distracted or discouraged. XRP is now available on the same platforms used in managing retirement funds for millions of Americans and now offers direct XRP exposure. Once institutional allocations begin to flow, available supply can be absorbed quickly. “You’re either positioned before institutions move, or chasing after they’ve already entered,”  Xfinancebull noted. Banks Are Already Testing XRPL Infrastructure According to Jake Claver, the CEO of DAGFamilyOffice, the global banking system currently has roughly $27 trillion locked in pre-funded accounts, which only exist because banks can’t settle transactions in real-time. Meanwhile, the XRP ledger alternative can handle that settlement in seconds, and banks are already testing this infrastructure. Related Reading: XRP Tops All Assets On Risk/Reward, Analyst Says The key question, as Claver frames it, is not whether real-time settlement is possible, but how long the current system can persist before the efficiency gains become impossible for banks to ignore. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com

XRP is back at a level traders remember all too well. The cryptocurrency suffered a sharp flash crash on October 10 that sent the price crashing down from $2.82 to $1.58 before an equally fast rebound toward $2.36. Months later, that same zone is back in play, but this time without the volatility spike or immediate recovery that characterized the earlier move.  At the time of writing, XRP is trading around $1.44, down 10.4% over the past 24 hours. This sustained selling pressure has pushed the XRP price back into the flash crash low, and the next question is about what happens from here. Why The October 10 Wick Low Matters So Much According to a technical analysis done by crypto analyst Hov on the social media platform X, the October 10 wick low has been one of the most important structural levels to hold on XRP’s weekly candlestick timeframe chart.  Related Reading: XRP Just Hit A Golden Pocket, Relief Bounce Puts Price At $2.5 During the October 2025 flash crash, the XRP price registered a low of around $1.58, which acted as a panic extreme where the XRP price snapped back quickly once forced liquidations were cleared. However, the current situation looks different. XRP has now revisited and slightly undercut that wick low through real bearish trading, and as noted by crypto analyst Hov, things are starting to shape up. Hov’s technical analysis framework places XRP in the final stages of an expanded flat correction, with the current decline forming the C-wave. Notably, the analyst is tracking an ending diagonal within the C-wave. This is because ending diagonals are known for overlapping price action, compressed ranges, and false breakdowns that can shake out late sellers. If the structure holds, then XRP might transition into a stabilization phase and a potential reversal sequence. If it fails, then the corrective phase is not yet complete. $1.43 Is The Line That Changes Everything The most important thing to note going forward is how XRP reacts at $1.43 on the weekly timeframe. Technical analysis shows that this is the level XRP must hold to keep the current structure intact. A close below $1.43 would invalidate the ending diagonal thesis and shift the outlook decisively bearish. In the analyst’s words, that is where “things get real ugly real quick.” Related Reading: XRP’s 173-Day Theory: What Happens If This Historical Trend Plays Out Again The bullish scenario laid out on the chart also depends on XRP managing to hold above this $1.43 area. In that case, the projection shows the price stabilizing at this support before reversing higher and eventually going into a powerful rebound.  Under this outlook, XRP would be entering an Impulse Wave V within a larger Elliott Wave structure. If that impulse plays out as expected, the chart points to long-term upside price targets stretching as high as $5.53. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

XRP is down 58% from its all-time high, and two popular chart-focused accounts on X are framing the drawdown as a potential accumulation window rather than a trend break. How Low Will XRP Price Go? Crypto Patel (@CryptoPatel) told followers on Feb. 4 that XRP/USD has “entered our first accumulation zone at $1.50–$1.30.” In his post, he urged staggered entries rather than trying to time a single bottom. “Start buying slowly at these levels, no rush, just steady accumulation,” he wrote, positioning the move as capital-preservation after what he described as an earlier call highlighting a “bottom accumulation zone.” On the risk side, Patel tied his next decision point to the $1.30 level, suggesting a deeper set of bids if that floor breaks. “If XRP breaks below $1.30, place your entry bids between $0.90–$0.70,” he wrote. “But here’s the thing — if price hits that zone, it could be the best long-term accumulation opportunity for maximum profits.” Related Reading: XRP Enters ‘Washout Zone,’ Then Targets $30, Crypto Analyst Says He added that his “long-term target remains $10,” arguing that entry discipline matters more than headline targets: “Buying at $3 or $2? Not ideal in my view. If the target is $10, why not aim for entries at $1.50–$1 during hard dips for much bigger returns?” Patel also leaned on his prior public call as evidence of a repeatable framework. He said he shared an XRP setup at $0.50 in the last bear market and that XRP later rallied to $3.66, which he characterized as “over 600% profit.” XRP Bottom In March? A separate post from Charting Guy framed the selloff less as a new regime and more as a familiar cycle structure. “XRP repeating 2021, bottom in march roughly around $1.20 imo,” he wrote, adding: “maybe wick to $1 to scare the hoes. The bear market is almost over.” When asked directly by another user—“Bear market ends in march?”—Charting Guy replied: “yep.” In Charting Guy’s weekly XRP/USD chart, the roadmap is framed around a rising multi-year trendline and a Fibonacci ladder drawn across the move, with several of those Fib levels clustering right where he expects a March low. On the retracement side, the chart labels the key downside bands at roughly 0.618 ($0.915) and 0.702 ($1.2149), with additional levels below at 0.5 ($0.615) and 0.382 ($0.413). Charting Guy’s “bottom in March roughly around $1.20” lines up almost directly with the 0.702 Fib (~$1.215), while his “maybe wick to $1” comment points toward a deeper flush into the space between $1.00 and the 0.618 Fib (~$0.915). Related Reading: Analyst Predicts XRP Price Wil Target 450% Rally To $7 What makes that zone more than just a horizontal level on his layout is the trendline confluence. The green, rising trendline he’s drawn from the 2020–2022 base is shown catching price into early March (his vertical marker sits around Mon 02 Mar ’26), with the trendline effectively rising into the same $1.00–$1.20 neighborhood. In other words, his implied “March bottom” isn’t just a date call, it’s a confluence call: trendline support rising into the 0.702 retracement area, with room for a volatility wick closer to the 0.618 if the market tries to force capitulation. Above spot, the chart also shows the upside Fib extensions he’s using as reference points: 0.786 ($1.612), 0.888 ($2.274), and the prior swing reference around 1.0 ($3.317), with higher extensions marked at 1.236 ($7.349), 1.272 ($8.297), 1.414 ($13.389), and 1.618 ($26.630). At press time, XRP traded at $1.3888. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

XRP has entered what Korean Certified Elliott Wave Analyst XForceGlobal (@XForceGlobal) calls a “washout” phase inside a broader Elliott Wave corrective structure, a zone he argues can set the stage for a renewed macro advance, with eventual cycle targets stretching into the $20–$30 region. In a Feb. 3 video breakdown, XForceGlobal said the recent pullback does not change his larger framework, but rather pushes XRP deeper into what he described as the “alternative” macro scenario: an expanded flat correction where a prior push to new highs becomes a “fake out” before a final leg lower attempts to flush late buyers. “Nothing new here, we’ve been talking about this for quite some time where we have 2 extreme points of interest,” he said. “The B Wave here creating a fake out point at the all time high, and then the current C Wave that we are also in that creates a fake out point below the market structure of this previous low here, that Wave A.” XRP May Needs A Final Dump Before $30 The core of his argument rests on a measured target for Wave C derived from the pivot points of Waves A and B, specifically the 1.618 Fibonacci extension, which he framed less as a mystical level and more as a behavioral marker where corrections turn emotional. In his telling, Wave A is the initial counter-trend move, Wave B is the “overconfidence phase,” and Wave C becomes the forced exit: stop losses, broken conviction, and liquidation pressure. Related Reading: Where’s XRP Price Headed As Exchange Reserves Plunge To 1.7 Billion? “Basically, it’s a trap and kind of a liquidation structure where Wave A is the first counter trend of the larger trend that we were expecting,” XForceGlobal said. “And then the B Wave is the overconfidence phase and then the C Wave becomes the reality check where everyone who bought the B Wave at the top is now wrong and exiting at the local bottoms because of their stop losses or they just lose confidence in the overall structure of the XRP.” He argued that because Wave C is driven by “emotion and not balance,” it tends to resolve as a five-wave decline rather than a three-wave correction, often terminating around the 161.8% extension as selling pressure exhausts. The key, he said, is not that the asset becomes “cheap,” but that sellers run out of ammunition and divergences begin to appear. “The markets will not reverse there because prices are really cheap,” he said. “It reverses because the sellers are exhausted at those levels and usually you’ll see sellers being really exhausted. You’ll start to see some bullish divergences occurring.” From a levels perspective, XForceGlobal described a volatile “free for all” zone where bulls and bears battle for a base, pointing to a range he labeled between roughly $1.50 down toward $1.08–$1.09. He suggested that, if the expanded flat thesis holds, that area could evolve into a buy zone, but only after the five-wave move down completes and a reversal sequence provides confirmation. Related Reading: XRP Market Structure “Very Similar” To April 2022, Glassnode Says Macro context remains central to his conviction. XForceGlobal pointed to XRP breaking out of a prior multi-year triangle and then rallying roughly 500% as evidence of an objective five-wave advance, followed by corrective structures consistent with an expanded flat setup: a non-impulsive pullback, a B-wave push to an extreme, then a new downside extreme below prior market structure. $XRP One of the most important #XRP videos to date! A complete 10-minute breakdown covering targets and invalidation levels. More importantly, I cover how to properly manage expectations in the midst of chaos using the macro structure, and why the overall trend remains bullish. pic.twitter.com/E2g9ga52N9 — XForceGlobal (@XForceGlobal) February 3, 2026 If XRP does complete the corrective leg and transitions into what he frames as a new impulsive cycle, with the classic wave three, wave four, wave five sequence, his roadmap opens higher targets over time. “We got a wave three in the making here, a wave four, and then a wave five that’s pending that could bring us up into that $20 to $25, $30 region that we’re looking for at a later stage,” he said. He also flagged $6 as a major level where he expects profit-taking and a reassessment, framing it as part of a broader risk-management approach rather than a single-shot price call. At press time, XRP traded at $1.5887. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

Crypto analyst Diana has predicted that the XRP price could rally to $7, representing a 450% gain for the altcoin. She alluded to technical setups that prove that the token could reach this price target this year, which would mark a new all-time high (ATH). XRP Price Eyes 450% Rally To $7 In an X post, Diana stated that the XRP price technical setup targets $7 next based on the Elliot Wave and Fibonacci levels. She noted that right now, the altcoin is sitting at a critical support zone between $1.50 and $1.55 and that this is the level buyers must defend. If this support holds, the analyst predicts that XRP can rise to between $1.88 and $2 with volume, which could lead to the chart opening up fast.  Related Reading: XRP Price Crash Is Not Over If This Support Doesn’t Hold Diana also highlighted the short, medium, and long-term outlook for the XRP price even as it looks to surge to the $7 target this year. In the short term, she expects a clean breakout above $2, which could send XRP to between $2.20 and $2.70, a move that the analyst noted will finish the current local wave.  For the medium-term outlook, Diana noted that the XRP price structure looks like the start of a larger wave 5 impulse from the 2025 to 2026 lows. Using Fibonacci extensions and channel projections, she stated that the major target lands in the $5 to $8 zone, with $7 lining up perfectly as the next realistic cycle high.  The analyst also predicted that the XRP price could reach this target within the next four to eight months if momentum continues. She added that XRP could peak between June and October 2026 in bullish scenarios.  XRP Could Soon Begin Wave 4 Move To The Upside In an X post, crypto analyst CasiTrades stated that she expects the Wave 4 relief move to begin soon for the XRP price as the altcoin has held its current support nicely. She noted that the first resistance she is watching is the .382 retrace at $1.78, which also coincides with the prior support breakdown.  Related Reading: XRP Price Falls Below $1.6: You Won’t Believe What Institutions Are Doing Amid The Crash CasiTrades also noted that the Wave 2 move was very shallow, with the XRP price only retracing to .382, and that in Elliot Wave, shallow Wave 2 moves often lead to deeper Wave 4 retraces. As such, she believes that it is possible that this Wave 4 move could push higher toward $1.93 or even up to the $2.03 macro .5 retracement level.  The analyst added that the XRP price needs to reclaim $2.03 and hold it as support. This would invalidate the need for another wave down toward $1.55 or lower, thereby causing Wave 5 to fail.  At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.58, down in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Peakpx, chart from Tradingview.com

XRP is showing signs of a potential bullish turnaround after recently hitting a Golden Pocket. Analysts say this Golden Pocket could trigger a strong relief bounce in the XRP price, potentially propelling it toward $2.50. At the same time, they predict that a price drop to new lows remains possible if the market does not unfold as expected.   In an X post on Monday, crypto market analyst CasiTrades announced that XRP has hit a Golden Pocket, bringing attention to an upcoming W4 relief bounce that could fuel a rally to $2.5. Sharing a detailed Elliot Wave chart, she noted that XRP experienced an expected flush into the Golden Pocket around the 0.618 Fibonacci level near $1.93. At the same time, the cryptocurrency aligned well with the 1.618 Extension for Wave 3, which CasiTrades describes as a textbook move.  XRP Golden Pocket Signals Rally To $2.5 According to the analyst, this sets the stage for a full Wave 4 relief to begin. She pointed out that the first resistance to watch is the 0.382 Fibonacci Retracement level at $1.78, which also coincides with a previous support breakdown and could serve as a backtest of resistance.  Related Reading: XRP To $11, And Then $70: The Next Impulse Wave To Watch Out For CasiTrades noted that XRP experienced a very shallow Wave 2, only retracing to the 0.382 Fibonacci level in the Elliott Wave chart structure. She explained that modest Wave 2 corrections often signal a deeper Wave 4 retracement, indicating the XRP price could experience a stronger pullback during the next corrective phase before potentially resuming its upward trend.  Based on this pattern, the analyst stated that Wave 4 could push XRP higher, potentially reaching the $1.93 level from its current price of around $1.60. She added that the cryptocurrency could climb further to $2.03, which corresponds to the macro 0.5 retracement level. CasiTrades emphasized that XRP would need to reclaim the $2.03 level and hold it as support before a sustained upward move could begin. This highlights $2.03 as a key turning point that could trigger XRP’s next breakout phase above $2.50.  The analyst further explained that holding $2.03 as support would eliminate the need for another corrective wave down toward $1.55 or lower. She added that maintaining this level could also prevent  Wave 5 from failing.  What Happens If Support Fails In her Elliott Wave analysis, CasiTrades admitted that “nothing is confirmed yet,” keeping her bullish outlook for XRP speculative. She noted that XRP’s recent drop to new lows created a Bullish Divergence, but the market could still revisit lows. Related Reading: XRP Price Could Surge Another 30% If This Trend Is Confirmed CasiTrades said that XRP’s bullish scenario will only be confirmed once it breaks through the key resistance level. The accompanying chart highlights the potential downside of support failing, projecting a roughly 8% decline from $1.60 to $1.47.   Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

XRP’s recent price rebound has come at an unusual moment. The token is slowly recovering from levels last seen nearly two years ago, even as fresh controversy arises around resurfaced Jeffrey Epstein emails and renewed scrutiny of early XRP-related experiments such as Mojaloop. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Crash Spells Trouble For Strategy: 10-Month Low Stings Below Average Purchase Price For many traders, the timing raises a simple question, Why is XRP finding buyers now, despite headlines that could have weighed on sentiment? The answer appears to lie less in historical debates and more in present-day market structure, regulation, and real-world use cases that are beginning to show measurable traction. XRP's price trends to the downside on the daily chart. Source: XRPUSD on Tradingview Epstein Emails and Mojaloop Reignite Old Debates Recently released emails linked to Jeffrey Epstein have drawn attention to how early crypto insiders viewed XRP and similar payment networks. Parity involving figures from Bitcoin-centric firms suggested that supporting projects like XRP or Stellar was seen as politically and strategically risky within early crypto circles. Separate leaked discussions from the Mojaloop Foundation compared XRP-based models with Stellar, highlighting push payments and real-time settlement, while also pointing to integration and adoption challenges. Industry figures, including Ripple’s chief technology officer David Schwartz, have stressed that these documents show opinion and proximity, not involvement or control. The emails largely reinforce what was already known, XRP’s design and goals put it at odds with Bitcoin-aligned investors in its early years, slowing adoption despite technical promise. While the renewed attention has stirred online speculation, it has not introduced evidence of misconduct or direct operational ties. XRP Price Rebound Driven by Market and Regulatory Signals Despite the chatters, XRP recently bounced from around $1.50, its lowest level in almost two years, as the broader crypto market staged a modest recovery. Bitcoin and Ethereum also moved higher, helping lift sentiment across major tokens. XRP has since traded near $1.60, even after falling more than 15% over the past month. Beyond market beta, regulatory developments have played a role. Ripple’s approval for a full Electronic Money Institution license in Luxembourg allows it to operate across the European Union and expand its regulated payment services. In parallel, a partnership with DXC Technology is integrating XRP into banking systems for settlement and payments, reinforcing its utility narrative at a time when investors are looking for assets with tangible use cases. Real-World Activity Offers Counterweight to Controversy Another factor supporting sentiment is growing activity on the XRP Ledger beyond payments. In the UAE, more than $280 million worth of polished diamonds have been tokenized using Ripple-backed custody infrastructure and the XRPL. While the project remains in a controlled phase pending regulatory approvals, it highlights how the network is being used for real-world asset experiments rather than speculation alone. Related Reading: Bitcoin Net Taker Volume Sees Third-Largest Bearish Spike In 2 Years Taken together, XRP’s bounce appears to be driven less by the dismissal of historical concerns and more by current fundamentals. Regulatory progress, institutional-facing partnerships, and broader market stabilization have, for now, outweighed renewed debate over old emails and early adoption struggles. Cover image from ChatGPT, XRPUSD chart on Tradingview

The XRP price might be trading in a bearish mood, but exchange-held supply behind the scenes points to a trend that could matter for price direction in the months ahead. A recent report from 21Shares shows that exchange reserves have dropped to a seven-year low of 1.7 billion XRP. The report shows how tightening liquidity, ETF demand, and investor behavior are quietly lining up for a possible repricing for XRP in 2026. Falling XRP Exchange Supply Meets ETF Demand According to 21Shares, three pillars will shape XRP’s price action in 2026: regulatory clarity, substantial investor demand through spot ETFs, and real-world adoption of XRPL. As noted in a report by the Switzerland-based financial services company, exchange reserves are at roughly 1.7 billion XRP, their lowest level in over seven years. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Crash To $76,000: Why This Analyst Is Warning Against Buying This number coincides with an institutional demand in XRP ETFs, which is intersecting with a community that is increasingly adopting the outlook of holding. This narrowing of readily tradable supply is a catalyst for nonlinear repricing if sustained through the year. According to 21Shares, this is creating a supply-shock mechanism that mirrors the GameStop revolution on Reddit. ETF products in the US have attracted over $1.3 billion in their first month with a record streak of consecutive inflows regardless of market conditions and outflows from other crypto ETFs. That persistent demand indicates, in the report’s view, a transition from speculative trading to structural capital allocation. This demand is still strong, although the cumulative total net inflow of these ETFs has since dropped to $1.18 billion at the time of writing. The report also looked at the path set by Bitcoin spot ETFs as an analog, where nearly $38 billion of net inflows helped double Bitcoin’s price from $40,000 to $100,000 in under a year. Keeping this precedent in mind, XRP’s much smaller market capitalization at ETF launch, roughly one-eighth of Bitcoin’s, means that its inflows are going to exert a proportionally larger impact on price discovery. According to 21Shares, capital velocity on XRP could be higher, which is expected to amplify the reflexive price feedback loop if inflows continue. XRP ETF Assets. Source: 21shares XRP Price Outlook For 2026 The 21Shares report envisioned 2026 as a year where XRP’s valuation will be impacted by a combination of regulatory access, sustained ETF flows, and significant RWA volume on the XRP Ledger. In terms of pricing, it lays out a scenario range for 2026 that centers on a base case peak of $2.45 (assigned 50% probability), a bull case peak of $2.69 (30%), and a bear case peak of $1.60. Related Reading: Why Gold & Silver’s All-Time Highs Are Very Bullish For Bitcoin And Altcoins The base case assumes regulatory stability supports steady ETF inflows and gradual improvement in real-world utility, while the bull case leans on institutional-scale tokenization and tighter liquid supply creating a stronger repricing effect. The bear case, on the other hand, is tied to stagnant adoption and capital rotation away from XRP. Right now, XRP is trading around this bear case, and bulls are struggling to hold above $1.6. Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

An XRP analyst is pushing back against the growing sense of boredom surrounding XRP’s price action, with the outlook that people are misreading what is actually happening on the higher timeframes.  Taking to the social media platform X, an analyst known as XRP QUEEN said traders are overlooking a typical setup that has always preceded some of XRP’s most notable rallies. Her view is based on XRP’s weekly price structure and a comparison with how previous long consolidation phases eventually resolved. Why XRP $1.50 To $3 Range Matters More Than It Looks A look at the weekly candlestick timeframe chart shows that XRP’s price action over multiple months has been largely confined between support at $1.5 and resistance just above $3. Interestingly, according to the analysis from XRP Queen, XRP’s price action being pinned between roughly $1.50 and $3 is not a sign of weakness but a repeat of earlier accumulation zones.  Related Reading: Pundit Says XRP Price Is Not A ‘Crypto’ Question, But A Systemically Important Liquidity Asset The chart shows how the token has previously spent long stretches moving sideways for hundreds of days, highlighted on the chart as 200-day, 800-day, and even 1,000-day consolidation phases. In each case, price compression eventually gave way to a vertical move higher, labeled as MOON on the chart. The key point being made is that these flat, frustrating periods tend to drain interest and attention from the market. That drop in engagement, according to the analyst, has always aligned with smart accumulation. The longer the range holds, the more pressure builds beneath the surface. $2.72 And The Projection Of A Teleport Move A notable level on the chart is the $2.72 zone, which is sitting around the 0.786 Fibonacci extension level projected from XRP price lows in 2018. Breaking and holding above $2.72 would be important to how XRP rallies to new all-time highs. As noted by XRP Queen, if $2.72 holds, then the next outlook is looking at $9-$15. Related Reading: Pundit Explains Why The XRP Price Hitting $100 Isn’t Delusional Once XRP leaves this range, it teleports. No pullbacks and no second chances. The projection on the chart shows Fibonacci extensions stretching far above the current price. These extensions include 0.786 at $2.71, the 1.0 extension around $3.40, followed by 1.618 at $5.47, 2.818 at $8.78, and the most extreme 4.764 extension around $15.89, all pointing to price targets to be broken once the current range is broken. However, the altcoin is currently trading far below the $2.72 level needed to confirm the price teleportation to interesting highs. At the time of writing, XRP is trading around $1.60, meaning the price would need to climb by about 69% just to retest $2.72. Until that happens, XRP is in consolidation mode, and it is unclear how long it will keep trading sideways in the current range. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com

The XRP price recently entered a volatile contraction phase after a sharp drawdown from multi-month highs, leaving traders questioning whether the recent crash represents a distribution top or a structurally valid buying opportunity. With price confined to a clearly defined range and macro pressures still in play, actionable short-term trading requires disciplined structure analysis, risk management, and clarity on key levels rather than guesswork. Trading XRP Price After The Crash: Structure, Levels, And Range Execution During the most recent price cycle, XRP fell sharply from early-January 2026 highs near $2.39, breaking below the $2.00 level and printing lows in the $1.58–$1.60 region. That move flushed excess leverage and forced short-term positioning out of the market, creating conditions for consolidation. For traders, this transition is critical because it shifts the playbook from trend-following strategies to range-based execution. Related Reading: Why Gold & Silver’s All-Time Highs Are Very Bullish For Bitcoin And Altcoins Recent short-term commentary from market analyst Luke Suther helps frame this phase by emphasizing structure over prediction. His technical read aligns with the chart now showing a compressed range, with higher-timeframe resistance still anchored around $1.95–$2.00 while the visible local supply zone sits closer to $1.67–$1.70. On the downside, repeated defenses in the $1.58–$1.60 region highlight where demand continues to stabilize price despite broader uncertainty. Trading XRP in this environment requires respecting those boundaries. Long exposure becomes favorable near the lower end of the structure, where consistent reactions indicate that sellers are failing to accelerate momentum. Entries should remain confirmation-based, supported by observable demand, with tight invalidation below support to maintain risk control.  On the upside, moves into resistance, both the local supply zone and the broader $2.00 region, serve as tactical exit or risk-reduction areas rather than breakout signals. XRP has repeatedly failed to sustain progress through these ceilings, highlighting weak upside conviction. Until price reclaims resistance with meaningful volume, short-term strategies continue to favor mean reversion over trend continuation. Managing XRP Trades Around Catalysts And Volatility Risk Because XRP is in compression, Suther believes that external catalysts carry outsized influence. Short-term traders must actively factor these into execution and sizing. Ongoing Epstein-related developments risk undermining institutional confidence, which can pressure broader crypto markets through Bitcoin correlation. Elevated US fiscal risk, including shutdown concerns, increases volatility and makes false breakouts more likely. Any progress or commentary around the CLARITY Act is particularly relevant for XRP and can rapidly shift sentiment, while geopolitical tensions involving Iran remain a wildcard for risk assets. Related Reading: Dogecoin Price Could Continue To Decline If This Doesn’t Happen; Analyst In practical terms, this means reducing leverage, tightening stops, and avoiding oversized positions ahead of high-risk news windows. Catalyst-driven moves should trigger reassessment, not emotional reaction. A confirmed break above resistance with sustained volume would shift the short-term bias toward continuation, while a loss of the $1.50 support zone would invalidate the current range and reopen downside risk. Until structure resolves, the most effective way to trade XRP after the crash is disciplined range execution, strict risk control, and patience.  Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

Crypto pundit X Finance Bull has highlighted how institutions are accumulating XRP amid the crypto market crash. His comment comes amid the XRP price drop below the psychological $1.6 level, which has further sparked bearish sentiments among retail investors.  Institutions Are Still Accumulating Amid XRP Price Crash In an X post, X Finance Bull noted that while retail investors are panicking over the XRP price crash, institutional investors continue to accumulate the Ripple-linked token. The crypto pundit pointed to inflows into XRP ETFs, while Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs continue to see outflows. Based on this, he stated that the rotation is starting, with institutional investors moving from BTC and ETH to XRP.  Related Reading: XRP Price At $10,000 Is Not A Prophecy: Analyst Shares Simple Framework That Points Higher SoSoValue data show that Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs recorded outflows of $1.61 billion and $353 million, respectively, on January 30. Meanwhile, the XRP ETFs recorded a net inflow of $15.6 million. X Finance Bull noted that these inflows might be small now, but that direction matters. He further remarked that institutions don’t chase hype in choppy markets but rather position for fundamentals.  The crypto pundit also noted that inflows into XRP ETFs, while Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs are bleeding, aren’t random. He highlighted fundamentals that are bullish for the XRP price despite the current market crash. This includes the token’s cross-border payments utility, which he noted solves a “Quadrillion-dollar problem.” He added that regulatory clarity is coming and that infrastructure is already in place.  X Finance Bull expects the XRP price to be among the first to recover when the market rebounds, noting that capital flows to utility. He added that the smart money is already front-running that shift. The crypto pundit also believes that those investing in XRP now are still early, given that the XRP ETFs have just recorded $1.18 billion cumulative inflows in three months.  Two Potential Paths For The Altcoin At The Moment Crypto analyst Egrag Crypto has highlighted two paths for the XRP price following its drop below $1.60. He stated that the first path is a double liquidity grab, whereby a relief bounce happens from here, followed by a second liquidity sweep and then an expansion. His accompanying chart showed that the second liquidity sweep could happen around $1.3.  Meanwhile, the second path of the XRP price is a direct expansion, which aligns with the cycle fractal. Egrag Crypto stated that if history rhymes, the altcoin could record a 340% gain, similar to the 2021 bull cycle, or a larger 1,600% gain, similar to the 2017 bull cycle. A 340% surge and a 1,600% surge would put XRP at $7 and $27, respectively.  Related Reading: Rising Above The Ashes: XRP ETFs Set New Record Despite Market Crash At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.54, down over 7% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com

The XRP price was caught in the latest crypto market-wide selloff, falling to an intraday low of $1.57 within the past 24 hours. The sudden drop brings into focus XRP’s higher-timeframe structure, which is teasing a break below the 33-month exponential moving average.  According to a technical assessment shared on X by crypto analyst Egrag Crypto, the recent drop below the 33-month exponential moving average does not automatically signal the end of XRP’s cycle, but XRP must close above an exact level to avoid a macro bearish confirmation. Related Reading: Ethereum Boost: Vitalik Buterin Sets Aside $45M In ETH For Privacy And Open Tech The 33 EMA Breakdown Signal At the time of writing, XRP is back to trading around $1.65, stabilizing after a volatile few hours that forced many traders to reassess the broader structure. However, according to technical analysis by Egrag Crypto, the most recent crash saw XRP breaking a bit below the 33 EMA on the monthly candlestick timeframe chart. Egrag based the recent price action around one critical condition: a confirmed monthly close below $1.60 and the 33 EMA. According to the analyst, such a close would mark a macro bearish confirmation based on historical structure, not sentiment or opinion.  The chart he shared highlights how XRP has respected the 33 EMA as a long-term trend reference across multiple cycles, with violations often preceding extended corrective phases. As shown in the chart below, the XRP price has been trading above the 33-EMA since early 2025, even during periods of corrections. However, XRP is now trading dangerously close to this EMA, and there is now a risk of a breakdown. XRP Price Chart. Source: @egragcrypto On X What This Means For XRP’s Price Structure There’s a risk that XRP can transition into a macro bear structure. At the same time, there’s enough reason to suggest an upside bounce for the cryptocurrency. A major point in Egrag’s analysis is historical performance that shows XRP’s strongest upside expansions did not require a clean bull-market environment. Therefore, there are two historical analogs of how XRP can play out from its current range around $1.60. The first is a repeat of the 2021-style move. This move, measured from similar structural conditions, would imply an upside expansion of roughly 340% with a price target around the $7 region. The second one is a repeat of the 2017 cycle. Comparison to the 2017 cycle projects a much larger structural expansion of about 1,600%, which would align with the $27 zone highlighted on the chart above. In both cases, the rallies originated from oversold conditions and compression ranges, not from a strong bullish macro confirmation like many would expect. Related Reading: Crypto Funds Bleed $1.80 Billion As Metals Rally Heats Up According to the analysis, a breakdown below $1.60 could still lead to panic selling and reinforce fear narratives of a macro bear market, yet those same conditions have previously been the zones where late sellers exit just before volatility expands upward. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Discussion around XRP’s long-term price outlook picked up this week following remarks from David Schwartz during a Q&A exchange with members of the XRP community on X. The former Chief Technology Officer of Ripple and one of the original architects of the XRP Ledger weighed in on claims that XRP could realistically reach price levels between $50 and $100.  Related Reading: Ethereum Boost: Vitalik Buterin Sets Aside $45M In ETH For Privacy And Open Tech Interestingly, Schwartz’s view wasn’t one of outright bullishness but on how markets actually price belief, probability, and conviction with a blunt reality check. Schwartz Refuses To Admit Or Dismiss A $100 XRP When asked whether to tell investors that XRP cannot realistically reach $50 or $100, Schwartz refused to give in to take that position. Instead, he began by explaining why he was uncomfortable making absolute statements about XRP’s future price. Drawing on personal experience, he pointed out that he once considered much lower milestones unrealistic, including XRP trading above $0.25 and Bitcoin reaching $100 as an impossible dream. However, personal disbelief was not the issue. His contention is based on how rational markets behave when participants genuinely believe in a specific outcome.  According to Schwartz, if a meaningful number of rational investors truly believed there was even a modest chance of XRP reaching $100 within a few years, the market would already reflect that belief.  In such a scenario, investors would be unwilling to sell XRP at prices far below $10, and buyers with that conviction would rapidly absorb available supply. At the time of writing, XRP is trading well below $10, and is yet to even establish $2 as a support floor. The fact that XRP continues to trade well under that level, in his view, shows that very few market participants actually assign a serious probability to a $100 outcome.  According to Schwartz, cryptocurrency markets are more rational than they are often given credit for. However, he also noted his personal belief that most significant crypto bull runs were due to unpredictable external changes. This caveat still opens up the possibility that XRP would, in fact, trade at $100 one day. Comparing XRP And Bitcoin Through A Rational Market Lens In a follow-up exchange, Schwartz responded to a comparison between XRP reaching $100 and Bitcoin’s early journey to $1,000. The unlikelihood of XRP reaching $100 is dependent more on the multiple of the asset than anything else. A ten-fold increase in XRP, he said, is about as unlikely as a ten-fold increase in Bitcoin or Ethereum right now, regardless of whether that move occurred in the past or might happen in the future. The idea that XRP would one day trade at $100 has been a popular idea among bullish XRP enthusiasts. However, a few critics have always downplayed the idea, citing the enormous amount of inflow this would take and saying it would be best to target lower prices like $10 first. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Slide To $82K Sets Off A $1.7 Billion Chain Reaction Schwartz’s remarks do not declare a $100 XRP impossible but follow the reasoning of the latter group. Instead, the Ripple emeritus CTO challenges the logic behind confidently promoting such targets when the market itself shows little willingness to price that outcome in today, something that might not sit well with XRP enthusiasts. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Ex-Ripple CTO David “JoelKatz” Schwartz pushed back on viral XRP price calls, arguing that today’s market price is already a referendum on how much credible capital actually believes in a near-term path to $100. His comments also spilled into a broader discussion about XRPL economics and scaling tradeoffs that, in his view, get lost in the hype cycle. Can XRP Reach $100? Schwartz was responding to an X user urging him to tell “xrp supporters” that XRP “can’t and won’t go to 50-100$,” warning that “So many people get poor with investing in xrp.” Schwartz declined to make an absolute claim, but framed the debate in probabilistic terms, pointing to his own history of being surprised by crypto’s upside. Related Reading: 21Shares Drops 3 XRP Price Predictions For 2026: What’s The Upside? “I don’t feel comfortable saying something like that,” Schwartz wrote. “While I don’t think it’s likely, I didn’t think it was likely that XRP would ever hit $0.25. I started selling XRP at $0.10 because it seemed insane. I remember when bitcoin hitting $100 seemed like an impossible dream.” Rather than debating narratives, Schwartz offered a market-math thought experiment: if rational investors truly believed there was a meaningful chance of XRP reaching $100 within a few years, the current price would not sit far below double digits for long. “If many rational people believed that there was a 10% chance that XRP hit $100 within a few years, they definitely wouldn’t sell very much today at much less than $10,” he said. “Those with that belief would quickly buy up most of the XRP, because they’d value it more highly than those without that belief, and soon the supply of XRP well below $10 would dry up.” Schwartz then drew his conclusion from the gap between the hypothetical and the tape. “That the current trading price is well below $10 shows that there aren’t very many people who really think it has a 10% chance of hitting $100 within a few years with enough confidence to put their money where their mouth is,” he wrote, adding: “So anyone who says otherwise is not telling the truth.” He emphasized that readers can “do that same math” with different odds, time frames, and target prices. In a final note, Schwartz argued his baseline assumption is that crypto markets are “rational most of the time,” with major bull runs typically catalyzed by “unpredictable external changes,” rather than widely telegraphed certainties. Related Reading: XRP Risk-Adjusted Returns Signal Consolidation Rather Than Trend Formation – Details In a separate reply, Schwartz revisited an older famous X post by himself where he said that XRP “can’t be cheap.” Asked what he meant by this, he answered: “It means that a low price for XRP actually makes it more expensive to use for payments and exchanges.” The implication is mechanical: if XRP’s price is lower, more units are required to represent the same value in flight, potentially impacting how the asset is used across payment and exchange flows. Scaling The XRP Ledger Schwartz also addressed concerns about XRPL throughput after a user questioned whether “1500 per second (theoretical) is sufficient,” asking about ways to increase on-chain transactions per second. Schwartz said higher TPS is possible, but warned that most approaches shift costs onto node operators. “There are ways, but I don’t think you really want to,” he wrote. “Almost any way you do it imposes costs on everyone who runs a node. They have to receive more transactions, process and store more transactions, and relay more transactions to others.” He argued that decentralization pressure shows up when node costs rise without a matching benefit, and suggested a different optimization target: “This is why I think it makes more sense to try to increase the value of each transaction rather than trying to increase the number of transactions you can support.” With XRPL fees “so low,” he added, many transactions are “very low in value,” leaving room to “get more useful transactions on XRPL, even crowding out the worthless ones,” before throughput becomes the binding constraint. At press time, XRP traded at $1.76. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

After months of compressed price action, XRP is back in focus after a widely followed crypto trader on X highlighted a significant shift on the weekly chart. The asset is now showing a technical signal that has historically appeared near major turning points, sparking debate over whether this setup can realistically support a move back toward XRP’s prior all-time highs. XRP’s Multi-Year Range Holds As Bullish Momentum Emerges The crypto trader notes that XRP’s current market structure remains anchored to a clearly defined weekly price range that dates back to the 2018 cycle peak. This long-standing zone, stretching roughly from the low-$2 area to the low-$3 region, has functioned as a structural equilibrium for XRP across multiple market phases. Since late 2024, XRP’s price has stayed compressed within this range, repeatedly testing both support and resistance without delivering a decisive breakout or breakdown. Related Reading: What’s Going On With The US Dollar And How Does It Affect Bitcoin, Ethereum Prices? What differentiates the current setup from previous failures is the behavior of momentum. On recent weekly lows, momentum indicators have begun forming higher lows even as price revisits familiar support levels. In practical terms, downside moves are losing strength, signaling that selling pressure is weakening. This bullish divergence suggests distribution is fading, with sellers expending more effort for diminishing downside results. The chart shared by the trader reinforces this view, showing price holding range support while underlying momentum trends higher. From a structural perspective, this consolidation reflects absorption rather than weakness. Short-term participants are gradually replaced by longer-term holders, improving market stability. While a bullish divergence alone does not guarantee a return to all-time highs, it reopens that discussion in a technically credible way. A sustained breakout above the upper boundary of this multi-year range would be the key confirmation. Until that occurs, ATHs remain a conditional outcome—but the divergence signals that the groundwork for such a move may now be forming. Macro Rotation And The Case For A  Delayed Altcoin Catch-Up The broader market context reinforces the significance of the trader’s weekly XRP analysis. Equities continue to reach record highs, metals are losing momentum, and the US dollar is falling—conditions that historically signal capital rotation. Yet, many altcoins, including XRP, remain sidelined in sentiment, largely overlooked after underperforming relative to newer narratives. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Prediction: Analyst Forecasts 72.86% Crash To $30,000 According to the crypto trader, this disconnect is notable: altcoins still trade well above bear-market lows, but cautious positioning creates the potential for asymmetric gains if capital rotates from crowded trades. The bullish divergence on XRP’s weekly chart does not guarantee an immediate rally or automatic return to all-time highs. However, it signals that structural groundwork for a larger move is forming. If XRP can reclaim and break above the upper boundary of its multi-year range with conviction, the case for revisiting previous peaks becomes materially stronger. This setup reflects temporary frustration, not failure. Momentum is building, and while patience is required, the chart suggests the market is positioning correctly for a potential delayed catch-up in the altcoin sector. Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

Crypto analyst Luke has declared that an XRP price rally to $10,000 is not a prophecy, but one that can indeed happen. He shared a framework that breaks down the factors that could drive the altcoin’s rally toward this ambitious target.  Analyst Shares Framework For XRP Price Rally To $10,000 In an X post, Luke stated that an XRP price target of $10,000 is ot a target or prophecy but a thought experiment. He further noted that Ripple is building the infrastructure that makes this outcome possible for the altcoin. The analyst then provided the “simple framework” on how XRP will reach this $10,000 price target.   Related Reading: Pundit Explains Why The XRP Price Hitting $100 Isn’t Delusional First, he predicted that the XRP price would reach between $10 and $25 when liquidity rotates, not because fundamentals had changed, but because attention had shifted. Luke stated that altcoin cycles still exist and that speculation still moves first. Furthermore, the analyst predicts that XRP will reach $100 once the altcoin is used rather than discussed. This utility will come in the form of repeatedly serving as the bridge currency for cross-border transactions. When this happens, Luke believes that velocity begins to matter and that idle liquidity becomes a liability. The next part of the framework is the XRP price rally to $1,000, which the analyst stated will happen when financial infrastructure assumes XRP is there. In this phase, he envisions a scenario in which XRP becomes the backbone of global finance, with no workarounds or substitutes.  Luke said that at this stage, the system relies heavily on XRP, as removing the altcoin would break the system. He added that the price will reflect dependency, not belief. The final part of the framework is the XRP price rally to $10,000, which he claimed would occur when global capital moves under pressure, prefunding fails at scale, and speed, certainty, and liquidity are non-negotiable.  Another Pundit Shares XRP Thesis Crypto pundit BarriC, who has always predicted that the XRP price could reach $10,000, has shared his thesis on what will happen as the altcoin rallies to as high as $1 million. He stated that XRP at $2 equals retail speculation, while a $10 price target is early utility and liquidity growth. At $100 per XRP, the analyst believes that institutional usage will begin to matter.  Related Reading: Analyst Says All Conditions Are In Place For XRP, Here’s What It Means Furthermore, BarriC stated that large-scale settlements will reduce the required supply, with the XRP price at $1,000. Meanwhile, the analyst noted that fewer units will be needed to move massive value when the altcoin reaches $10,000. He also predicted that XRP could reach $1 million, noting that at this stage, efficiency will exceed abundance.  At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.86, down almost 2% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

A crypto analyst has provided a new update on the XRP price, highlighting its role as a systemically important liquidity asset. According to the pundit, its price dynamics go beyond the typical crypto speculation, emphasizing its value as a foundational financial tool for global liquidity, settlement, and treasury management.  XRP Price Signals Value Beyond Crypto Speculation On January 27, crypto analyst and investor Rob Cunningham shared a new take on the XRP price that challenges conventional crypto thinking. He emphasized that the question of XRP’s value is not primarily about crypto speculation but about balance sheets, liquidity, and risk management. He also argued that understanding the altcoin requires viewing it as a structural tool within the global financial system rather than just a market-traded asset. Related Reading: XRP’s 173-Day Theory: What Happens If This Historical Trend Plays Out Again Cunningham noted that when XRP is treated as plumbing, neutral collateral, and a source of settlement certainty, its price logic will stop looking like Bitcoin’s. He described XRP as a systemically important liquidity asset, meaning its valuation reflects systemic function rather than market hype. This framing positions XRP as an essential infrastructure for liquidity and cross-border settlement.  The crypto pundit also cited a previous commentary from Ripple’s CTO Joel Katz, who reportedly argued that XRP’s price would need to be well above $200 to achieve its intended purpose. According to Katz, this price target is necessary to make the token a cost-effective neutral bridge of liquidity and settlement globally.  Building on this, Cunningham concluded that regulatory clarity could come first for XRP, followed by adoption, and that price would then adjust. The analyst underscored the importance of maintaining patience, noting that the token’s future is inevitable once its functional purpose is fully recognized and integrated into global financial systems.  Price When Driven By Global Liquidity And Settlement In his post, Cunningham referenced an image illustrating XRP’s potential flow, liquidity, and price relationships. The data highlighted the price levels XRP’s price could reach if driven by global liquidity and settlements.  Related Reading: XRP To $11, And Then $70: The Next Impulse Wave To Watch Out For According to the image, if XRP captures just 15% of SWIFT’s annual flow, it would represent $22.5 trillion in yearly liquidity processed through the cryptocurrency. At 25% XRP settlement rate and tight liquidity corridors, the yearly XRP-settled flow would total $5.6 trillion. Notably, the liquidity required to support these flows depends on its velocity, which ranges from 1:6 to 1:12 per year.  Based on an annual flow of $5.6 trillion and a buffer of 2x to 5x, Cunningham estimates the required XRP liquidity would range from $280 billion to $700 billion. This calculation reflects the treasury scale of XRP necessary to absorb and settle global flows effectively.  The price scenarios in the image show a wide range, depending on settlement and treasury reserve assumptions. The base case assumes a price range of $2.50 to $7.50 for XRP, while full ripple effects could push the token to $10 to $200. If XRP were to function as a major reserve currency, the image suggests its price could reach $50 to $100 or higher. Featured image from Peakpx, chart from Tradingview.com

21Shares has outlined a three-scenario price outlook for XRP in 2026, arguing that the token is moving from a litigation-defined trade to one increasingly priced on ETF-driven demand and measurable on-ledger adoption. In a Jan. 23 research note, 21Shares’ Matt Mena frames 2026 as a “defining turning point” in which XRP’s valuation becomes “anchored in institutional fundamentals” after the August 2025 settlement that ended the SEC case overhang. The firm says that resolution removed a structural constraint that had limited XRP’s upside “regardless of underlying utility,” allowing the market to reprice to a new all-time high of $3.66 and then consolidate with the former $2.00 ceiling acting as support. XRP Price Predictions For 2026 21Shares describes the post-settlement regime as a tougher environment for the asset: less narrative optionality, more accountability. With the legal cloud cleared, the note argues XRP “can no longer rely on courtroom hype or regulatory uncertainty to drive its valuation or excuse underperformance,” introducing a “sell the news” risk if usage fails to scale and the market re-rates the asset on realized adoption rather than legal relief. Related Reading: XRP’s ‘Golden Ticket’ Might Not Be What You Think, Expert Says The firm’s view is that clarity expands the addressable buyer base and product surface area in the US “US-based institutions. Regulated funds and ETP issuers. Banks and payment companies.” In 21Shares’ telling, those channels were previously constrained by compliance risk, and their re-entry sets up a new phase of price discovery. The second pillar is flows. 21Shares says US spot XRP ETFs have “fundamentally rewritten” XRP’s demand profile, reaching more than $1.3 billion in assets under management in their first month and logging a 55-day streak of consecutive inflows. The note leans heavily on a supply-demand argument, pairing ETF absorption with what it characterizes as unusually sticky retail positioning. “Exchange reserves are at a seven-year low of 1.7 billion XRP. Institutional ETF demand is colliding with a community that refuses to sell.” That collision, the firm argues, is the “primary engine” for a potentially non-linear repricing, while also warning that reflexivity cuts both ways if inflows slow. To ground the reflexivity case, 21Shares points to the first year of US Bitcoin spot ETFs as a template, citing nearly $38 billion in net inflows and a price move from roughly $40,000 to $100,000 inside 12 months. The distinction, in its view, is liquidity overhead: XRP launched its ETF era at a much smaller market cap than Bitcoin did at its debut, implying a larger marginal impact per dollar of net buying, provided those early capture rates persist through 2026. Related Reading: XRP Could Enter New Growth Phase After Clarity Act Decision — Here’s How The third pillar is utility, with 21Shares positioning XRPL as “financial plumbing” for tokenization and stablecoin settlement. The note highlights RLUSD’s growth to more than 37,000 holders and a market cap increase of over 1,800% from $72 million to $1.38 billion in under a year, alongside XRPL DeFi TVL expanding nearly 100x over two years to above $100 million. It also points to the Multi-Purpose Tokens standard as a mechanism for institutions to issue RWAs with embedded metadata and compliance rules. Still, 21Shares flags execution risk: progress is “evolutionary, not explosive,” and XRPL trails rivals on developer and user engagement, with competition for RWA flows cited from Canton, Solana, and other ecosystems. 21Shares’ modeled peak ranges for 2026 put a base case at $2.45 (50% probability), a bull case at $2.69 (30%), and a bear case at $1.60 (implied -16%), with key swing factors being sustained ETF inflows, meaningful tokenization volumes, and RLUSD maintaining institutional traction. At press time, XRP traded at $1.8792. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

A fresh debate in the XRP Ledger (XRPL) community is converging on a specific “golden ticket” thesis: XRP’s breakout utility case won’t come from narratives, but from plumbing: Ripple’s regulated payments stack sourcing liquidity directly from the on-chain XRPL DEX, and Ripple Prime settling institutional flow on-ledger. The XRP Golden Ticket Theory The idea surfaced in an exchange on X after one user, Alex Cobb, a well-known commentator within the XRP community, argued that US market-structure legislation, the CLARITY Act, is “XRPs golden ticket.” Another renowned community member, Krippenreiter, pushed the focus back on product rails rather than policy catalysts: “Personally I think Ripple Payments sourcing liquidity from the onchain XRPL DEX and Ripple Prime settling post trade on the XRP Ledger are XRPs golden tickets.” Personally I think Ripple Payments sourcing liquidity from the onchain XRPL DEX and Ripple Prime settling post trade on the XRP Ledger are XRPs golden tickets. (Long-term view ????) https://t.co/DOkLdsH1oo — Krippenreiter (@krippenreiter) January 27, 2026 Krippenreiter clarified that the phrasing tracks what Ripple has previously messaged about how it intends to use the XRPL in institutional contexts. “The ideal is to do everything on-chain, so yes. Anything happening on-chain settles on XRPL,” they wrote, adding: “I said ‘post-trade settlement’ because that’s what Ripple initially publicly stated for what they plan on using XRPL for.” Related Reading: XRP Funding Rates And Spot Volume Tell An Interesting Story For Price That distinction matters because routing liquidity through a public DEX, especially for regulated entities, creates a different compliance surface than using a ledger as a settlement layer after execution happens elsewhere. In the thread, attorney Bill Morgan framed the gating issue bluntly: “Eventually, once it can source liquidity from the XRPL DEX without risk of regulatory non-compliance.” Others pointed to Permissioned Domains and a permissioned DEX construct as the major blocker for regulated liquidity sourcing, with Krippenreiter describing “credentials,” “permissioned domain,” and “permissioned dex” as the solution set. Morgan noted the implication extends beyond Ripple: if that’s a blocker for Ripple, “it will be a block for any other institution that may wish to use the XRPL DEX.” Notably, the Permissioned Domains amendment is on track to go live next week, XRPScan shows 27 of 34 validator votes (88.24% consensus) and an estimated activation time of Feb. 4, 2026 at 09:57:51 UTC, provided it remains above the required threshold through the enablement window. The same thread pulled Ripple Prime into the picture. Luke Judges (middle management at Ripple) said, “Prime underrated, we need more CEXs to support XRPL inventory. Working on it.” Related Reading: XRP Ledger Congestion Could Burn 1 Billion Coins A Year, Developer Claims Krippenreiter suggested that, beyond exchange inventory, privacy could be the other hard prerequisite for Prime’s deeper XRPL integration, calling it “the blocker” in circulating rumors. That maps onto Ripple’s own public framing: in an October 2 post, Ripple engineering leader J. Ayo Akinyele argued that “finance cannot function without confidentiality, yet blockchains are built on transparency,” and that institutional-grade adoption requires privacy that still supports compliance. Akinyele put the institutional constraint in plain terms: “Without privacy, financial institutions cannot safely use public ledgers for core workflows. Without accountability, regulators cannot sign off. With programmable privacy, we can have both.” The discussion landed just as Ripple and GTreasury rolled out “Ripple Treasury,” positioning it as enterprise treasury infrastructure that blends traditional cash operations with digital-asset rails. At press time, XRP traded at $1.9256. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

XRP may be approaching a pivotal turning point as regulatory uncertainty is moving closer to resolution with the upcoming Clarity Act decision. If the Clarity Act establishes a clearer framework, XRP could unlock fresh capital flows, renewed exchange participation, and broader integration across the financial platforms. This moment could represent the transition from consolidation to a new phase of sustained growth. How Clear Rules Could Reshape XRP Market Perception The passing of the Clarity Art will trigger XRP to go absolutely parabolic. An analyst known as Bird has highlighted on X that the Clarity Art is designed to make the rules of crypto regulation straightforward. It will tell in the market which digital assets will be legally allowed and which are not. As the resolution inches closer, XRP has already been tested in court and was not classified as an illegal security.  Related Reading: What Does XRP Really Do? Expert Explains What It Is Built For Thus, when the rules become clear across the entire crypto market, companies, banks, and investors can finally use and hold XRP without worrying about regulatory backlash. These clear rules mean more trust, more capital, and more use for XRP. Bird’s view is that this is exactly why the court case was meant to happen, because it has positioned XRP to front-run every other digital asset. While retail traders are watching the price, banks and institutions are positioning for it. Crypto analyst LukeSuther pointed out that the XRP price action is being deliberately constrained, not out of bad faith, but out of necessity, because participants can’t migrate global settlement infrastructure into a market that’s still fully volatile and speculative. Before true price discovery can happen, regulation, liquidity corridors, compliance frameworks, and integration with legacy financial systems must be in place. However, if XRP were already operating in a completely open, utility-driven market, LukeSuther argues that it wouldn’t be trading at $2.00. Instead, the price will remain compressed while the institutions load and the rails are being built. Why Infrastructure Matters More Than Market Narrative The founder of Lux Lions NFT and host of the Crypto Blitz YouTube show, RipBullWinkle, stated that what started as a digital asset experiment is now evolving into real capital markets infrastructure. Brad Garlinghouse and Tony Edward break down XRP’s institutional adoption trajectory during an X Spaces discussion. Related Reading: XRP Advances As A Recognized Digital Asset In Regulated Markets — Here’s How According to RipBullWinkle, the conversation wasn’t about price targets. Rather, it was about real-world utility in the cross-border settlements and liquidity infrastructure that traditional finance is quietly integrating into the blockchain-based rails. While the market is busy chasing narratives, foundations are being built in public view. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

The idea of the XRP price reaching $100 is usually dismissed almost instantly based on arguments of market capitalization and circulating supply. On paper, that math suggests a $100 value would imply a market cap valuation of at least $6 trillion, which is a figure many see as unrealistic when compared to today’s crypto market.  Nonetheless, a few XRP enthusiasts are of the notion that such a framework does not apply to XRP. A crypto pundit on X, known as 24HRSCRYPTO, noted that treating XRP like a static store-of-value asset misses the entire point of what the cryptocurrency is designed to do. The Pundit’s Argument: XRP Moves Value, It Doesn’t Store It According to 24HRSCRYPTO, market cap math is misleading when it is used to judge an asset like XRP, which is designed for high-velocity settlement. 24HRSCRYPTO is an XRPL validator and fervent XRP supporter that’s always calling for ultra-bullish price targets for the cryptocurrency. Related Reading: Crypto Traders Share Odds Of XRP Price Rising 40% This Year, Can It Still Rally? In his words, market capitalization assumes an asset stores value, whereas a global liquidity asset moves value. XRP, from this perspective, is not meant to warehouse trillions of dollars but to facilitate the rapid movement of capital across systems, borders, and currencies. Based on this logic, if XRP is used to free trapped capital and settle transactions at scale, the same units of liquidity can be reused repeatedly within a short period of time with huge demand. Price, then, reflects the demand plus the level of trust placed in the system and the volume of economic weight it is clearing, not how much money is sitting still.  Under that framework, static market cap comparisons are a poor proxy for what XRP could be valued at in a fully deployed global settlement role. With this in mind, 24HRSCRYPTO noted that XRP at $100 isn’t delusional; it’s reality.  Why Market Cap Math Dominates The $100 Debate The skepticism around a $100 XRP price comes from straightforward math. At the time of writing, XRP is trading at $1.92 and is about 5,100% away from reaching $100. XRP currently has a circulating supply of 60.85 billion tokens, and multiplying that supply by $100 produces a $6 trillion market cap, which is larger than the current market cap of the entire crypto market.  Related Reading: XRP Funding Rates And Spot Volume Tell An Interesting Story For Price Market cap is treated as a hard ceiling based on this angle. The assumption is that for XRP to trade at $100, trillions of dollars would need to sit idle inside its market cap at the same time. That logic works reasonably well in theory for XRP. However, 24HRSCRYPTO is of the notion that the logic is for crypto assets like Bitcoin, whose primary function is holding value, and the assumption breaks down when applied to a liquidity-focused network asset.  However, this claim does not, in fact, guarantee that XRP can trade at $100 without the cumulative market cap of circulating tokens reflecting such an amount. Featured image from iStock, chart from Tradingview.com

XRP is trading below the $2.00 mark as the market drifts into a phase defined by apathy and uncertainty, with participation thinning and conviction on both sides fading. After a powerful rally earlier in the cycle, price action has cooled significantly, and recent attempts to regain momentum have failed to attract sustained follow-through. The current environment reflects a market that is no longer driven by aggressive speculation but instead is weighed down by caution and a lack of clear directional catalysts. Related Reading: Bitcoin Breaks Below $87K As Political Risk Spikes – Liquidations Reveal The Real Driver Top analyst Darkfost explains that the shift began in the derivatives market. After XRP open interest on Binance surged to a new all-time high of $1.76 billion on July 17, positioning became increasingly crowded. As price stalled and volatility picked up, that leverage started to unwind. The result was a sharp contraction in open interest, which unfolded alongside a major price correction. XRP fell from $3.55 to $1.83, a drawdown of nearly 50%, highlighting how tightly price and leverage were linked during the distribution phase. Declining moving averages compress the price, signaling persistent downside pressure and weak momentum. Most recently, Binance XRP open interest dropped below $500 million, a level that has persisted since the exceptional liquidation event on October 10. This sustained compression signals a market that has largely flushed excess leverage, but has yet to see renewed speculative interest—leaving XRP stuck below $2 and searching for a new equilibrium. Deleveraging Resets Market Structure After Liquidity Flush Overall, XRP open interest has fallen by nearly 60%, signaling a significant destruction of liquidity in the derivatives market, particularly following the October 10 (10/10) liquidation event. This contraction reflects a broad unwinding of leveraged positions rather than a sudden collapse in spot demand. As positions were forced out or closed voluntarily, the derivatives layer thinned substantially, leaving the market far less crowded than during the mid-2025 peak. It is also important to recognize the mechanical effect of price on open interest. As XRP’s price dropped, the notional value of outstanding futures contracts fell alongside it, naturally amplifying the contraction in OI. In other words, part of the drop reflects lower prices reducing leverage in dollar terms, not just traders exiting positions. Still, the scale of the decline points to a genuine reset in speculative activity. Stepping back, these deleveraging phases play a critical role in restoring healthier market conditions. They flush out excess leverage, reduce forced-selling risk, and shift control away from overextended short-term traders. Historically, such phases become visible when XRP open interest on Binance falls below its semi-annual average, as is the case now. Past cycles show that once leverage is rebuilt gradually—and participation returns without excessive crowding—price action often stabilizes first and recovers later. While this does not guarantee an immediate rally, the current cleanup phase reduces downside fragility and lays the groundwork for a more sustainable move if demand re-emerges. Related Reading: US Institutions Step Back From Ethereum: Coinbase Premium Flashes Caution XRP Price Action Details XRP is trading just below the $2.00 psychological level, hovering around $1.89. This is a zone that has repeatedly acted as short-term support over recent months. Declining moving averages compress the price, signaling persistent downside pressure and weak momentum. The 50-period moving average (blue) continues to slope downward and now acts as dynamic resistance near the $2.30–$2.40 region. Above it, the 100-period moving average (green) reinforces this resistance cluster, confirming that medium-term trend control remains with sellers. More importantly, XRP is now leaning on the 200-period moving average (red), which has flattened and is acting as a critical structural support around the $1.85–$1.90 range. Historically, sustained trading near the 200 MA often marks transition zones between continuation and broader trend failure. A clean break below this level would expose risk toward prior demand zones near $1.60–$1.70. Related Reading: Bitcoin Stuck In Bear Mode For 83 Days: Trend Pulse Confirms Structural Weakness Volume remains muted, suggesting market apathy rather than panic selling. This aligns with the broader derivatives deleveraging we’ve already observed, suggesting that the market has largely flushed out speculative pressure. For any meaningful recovery, XRP must reclaim the 50 MA and hold above $2.00. Until then, price action points to consolidation under resistance. The direction hinges on whether long-term support continues to hold or finally gives way. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com 

For over a decade, Ripple and its executives have been steadily dumping XRP into the open market. Because XRP was fully created at launch, every token sold came from a known and finite supply. By comparing the original allocations from 2012 with current on-chain holdings, it is now possible to calculate how much XRP Ripple and its executives have offloaded so far.  How XRP Was Allocated And Where The Tokens Went XRP was launched in 2012 with a fixed supply of 100 billion XRP, all created at once on the XRP Ledger. There has never been mining, staking, or inflation. Of that total supply, 80 billion XRP were transferred to the company that later became Ripple, while the remaining 20 billion XRP were allocated to founders and early insiders. The core individuals involved at launch were Jed McCaleb, Arthur Britto, and David Schwartz. Related Reading: Coinbase Exec Points Out The Big Difference Between Bitcoin And Central Banks More than a decade later, the remaining holdings of Ripple and its executives provide a clear benchmark for calculating how much XRP has been sold. Combined, Ripple and named executives currently control about 41.485 billion XRP. Ripple itself holds approximately 37.685 billion XRP, split between 3.5 billion XRP in wallets that can be accessed directly and 34.185 billion XRP locked in escrow.  Among executives, Chris Larsen, Ripple’s chairman, holds about 2.5 billion XRP across eight wallets, while Arthur Britto controls roughly 1.3 billion XRP spread across seven wallets. David Schwartz, despite being a co-founder, holds a significantly smaller amount, peaking historically at around 26 million XRP, far below the multi-billion-token balances of other insiders. When current holdings are subtracted from the original allocations, the numbers indicate that Ripple and its executives have sold or distributed approximately 58.515 billion XRP since 2012. What Those Sales Mean In Price And Market Terms The scale of these sales often raises concerns about long-term price pressure, but timing is critical. XRP’s earliest recorded market price was approximately $0.00587 in August 2013. Today, it trades near $1.88, reflecting a remarkable increase of roughly 31,756% over that period. These gains unfolded even as billions of XRP entered circulation gradually rather than in sudden waves. In 2017, Ripple implemented an escrow system that locked up 55 billion XRP, allowing up to 1 billion XRP to be released each month. Any unused portion is returned to escrow, effectively limiting unexpected supply shocks. As of 2026, 34.185 billion XRP remain locked under this system. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Prediction: Analyst Forecasts 72.86% Crash To $30,000 Cumulatively, the 58.515 billion XRP sold over 13 years would be valued at approximately $109 billion at today’s prices. These sales occurred alongside ongoing ecosystem development, legal challenges, and multiple market cycles, highlighting that distribution happened in a managed, phased manner. Overall, while Ripple and its executives have distributed a significant portion of their holdings, the careful, escrow-managed approach over more than a decade coincided with sustained price appreciation. This suggests that strategic, phased selling has not undermined XRP’s long-term market growth. Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

A panel of XRP-focused commentators is leaning heavily into Davos optics as evidence that BlackRock and Ripple are converging on a shared vision for tokenized finance, even as none of the participants produced direct confirmation of a formal partnership between the two firms. BlackRock, Ripple And XRP After Davos Host Versan Aljarrah opened by pointing to “BlackRock and Brad Garlinghouse at Davos,” asking guest Jake Claver what he took from their presence and the “conclusion they had over there.” Claver’s answer centered on what he said he heard from BlackRock CEO Larry Fink about settlement consolidation. “He mentioned that it would be ideal if everything was on one blockchain or at least settled back to one blockchain,” Claver said. “For Ripple to be in the room and having been in the room for years at this point, it gives me you know a lot of confidence that it is the XRPL […] I feel like BlackRock and Ripple are much more involved than people realize.” Today we’re joined by @beyond_broke to discuss BlackRock’s quiet ties with Ripple, the soft disclosures around XRP, and the future of digitization and tokenization. Excited to have everyone back together for this one.https://t.co/oMHGWqMehB pic.twitter.com/u1s7LyOAhs — Black Swan Capitalist (@VersanAljarrah) January 26, 2026 Aljarrah immediately widened the claim beyond Davos stagecraft, asserting, “it’s quite obvious at this point that Blackrock, JP Morgan, Ripple and all these major banks they have some ties to Ripple [and] XRP,” before returning to the recurring theme that Davos access itself is a filter. Later, he argued that the set of crypto-native executives allowed near institutions like the WEF and BIS was narrowing and that Garlinghouse’s inclusion mattered more than “headline hype.” Related Reading: ‘I’m Very Bullish’: Ripple CEO Forecasts Record Performance For Crypto In 2026 David (Digital Outlook) pushed the discussion toward implementation, but repeatedly brought BlackRock back into the frame as a connective thread in Ripple’s institutional strategy. “When it came out to like, okay, has Ripple really positioned themselves to be like […] the main leader in the space […] with the acquisitions that they’ve made […] custody with Palisade,” he said. “I think they got Metaco and Standard Custody in there […] clearance through Hidden Road, all that. Then […] you see all these other linkages between their partners like what they’re doing with Blackrock. You know, they’ve got some stuff going on there.” A second line of argument was that BlackRock’s eventual entry could be the trigger for an XRP liquidity event. Edo Farina framed it in “order size” terms: “It takes one huge institutional order from a Blackrock a great scale and that’s it,” he said, claiming market pricing can stay muted if institutional positioning happens through OTC arrangements. Related Reading: Ripple Builds XRP ‘Wall Street Kit’: Developer Claims ‘Billions Incoming’ Claver added: “When Blackrock steps in, there will be likely a supply shock that allows XRP to decouple from the rest of the crypto market and Bitcoin,” and tied that idea to a viral episode the panel said briefly moved XRP out of sync with the rest of crypto. “We’ve seen it decoupled once […] when […] the [fake] trust that had been filed in Delaware for Blackrock’s iShares XRP ETF […] hit Twitter,” Claver said. Still, BlackRock’s observable crypto footprint still tilts towards Ethereum and Bitcoin rather than XRP. BlackRock’s flagship US spot exposure is via products tracking bitcoin and ether, IBIT and ETHA, while its tokenization beachhead has also been Ethereum-first: BlackRock’s BUIDL fund debuted on Ethereum via Securitize in March 2024, and only later expanded to additional networks. Also, BlackRock’s own 2026 thematic outlook is explicitly naming Ethereum as the infrastructure layer that “collects the toll” as tokenization scales, with stablecoins treated as an early proxy for tokenization “in action.” BlackRock highlights data indicating “65%+” of tokenized assets sit on Ethereum, an argument for why “one blockchain” speculation often defaults to ETH in institutional circles. At press time, XRP traded at $1.88. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

Crypto analyst Cryptoinsight has drawn attention to an “extremely interesting” price action for XRP. He highlighted the altcoin’s funding rates and spot volume, which provided insights into XRP’s recent downtrend, with its drop below the psychological $2 level.  How XRP’s Funding Rates And Spot Volume Explain The Price Action In an X post, Cryptoinsight noted that open interest is rising significantly as funding flips heavily negative and the premium also continues to get more negative. In line with this, he remarked that leveraged players artificially created the move down for XRP. The analyst then pointed to the rise in spot volume, which is also significant.  Related Reading: XRP’s 173-Day Theory: What Happens If This Historical Trend Plays Out Again The rise in the XRP spot volume is said to be happening just as the altcoin sweeps the recent wick into the year-long support at around $1.8, thereby creating a Bullish Divergence on the 4-hour chart. Cryptoinsight warned that the altcoin may have to drop a little further based on the hourly liquidity pools.  However, the analyst is confident that a potential bounce for XRP from these price levels will be “quite violent” when it happens and will trigger a shortsqueeze back to the upside. Crypto analyst Darkfost also recently noted that there are predominantly short positions for XRP at the moment, with the funding rates on Binance mostly negative since December.  The analyst stated that negative funding rates signal a potential reversal for XRP, and that any price rise could trigger several short liquidations, pushing the price much higher. A similar pattern is said to have played out twice for the altcoin since 2024. The first was between August and September 2024, while the second was in April 2025, with the price rebounding after the funding rates turned negative for a while.  A Monthly Close Above $1.91 Is Key In an X post, crypto analyst ChartNerd said that XRP must close above its monthly 20 EMA at $1.91 this month. This came as he warned that, historically, after macro trends, closes below this EMA have signaled further decline. As such, the analyst declared $1.91 a fine line in the sand that market participants should be watching closely.  Related Reading: XRP Price Recovery Is Possible If It Reclaims This Ichimoku Base A “great sign,” according to the analyst, is XRP’s breakout of its 3-week-long falling wedge resistance. With this breakout, the altcoin could be targeting $2.40, where the breakdown began after the falling wedge pattern formed. However, XRP is set to face key resistance between the $2.13 and $2.20 range. Meanwhile, ChartNerd assured that the altcoin’s fractal remains valid, with a rally to $27 still on the horizon.  At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.90, up over 2% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Vectorstock, 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