XRP Today News: Standard Chartered Bank bullish on XRP, target price $8, potential increase of 330% by 2026

Standard Chartered becomes the latest major international financial institution to explicitly express optimism about XRP. According to the bank’s latest research forecast, by 2026, XRP’s price is expected to rise to $8, representing a potential increase of up to 330% compared to the current level of approximately $1.86. This assessment quickly attracted market attention and reignited discussions about XRP’s long-term value.

Geoffrey Kendrick, Head of Global Digital Asset Research at Standard Chartered, stated that the core logic behind their bullish outlook on XRP lies in the synchronized expansion of its ecosystem and institutional demand. The growing interest in spot XRP ETFs in the US market is seen as a significant driving force. Since November last year, several well-known asset management firms, including Franklin Templeton, Grayscale, and Canary Capital, have launched XRP-related investment products, which to some extent reduce the custody and compliance risks faced by institutions holding cryptocurrencies directly.

Data shows that as of December 29, these XRP investment products have attracted approximately $1.15 billion in total funds, indicating that institutional capital is gradually entering this sector. This trend is also considered one of the important reasons for Standard Chartered’s upward revision of XRP’s medium- and long-term price expectations.

From a fundamental perspective, XRP, as the native cryptocurrency of the XRP Ledger, remains focused on cross-border payments and settlement. Compared to traditional SWIFT systems, XRPL offers faster transaction speeds and lower costs. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has previously stated that within the next five years, XRP could carry 14% of the total global SWIFT payment volume. Even if this goal is only partially achieved, it could significantly increase the actual demand for XRP as a bridge asset.

However, the market is not unanimously bullish. Senior trader Peter Brandt recently pointed out that the weekly chart of XRP may have formed a double top pattern, which is often seen as a trend reversal signal, and warned of the risk of the price breaking below $1. This view serves as a reminder for investors to pay attention to technical changes beyond macroeconomic positives.

In addition to ETFs, increased institutional participation is also reflected in the derivatives market. CME Group launched XRP futures based on spot prices in mid-December, providing institutions with a more efficient allocation channel. Meanwhile, interest in XRP within tokenization and DeFi sectors is also rising. Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano, recently stated that Ripple and its related networks have already significantly outpaced traditional financial tokenization efforts in terms of scale.

Overall, Standard Chartered’s optimistic forecast for XRP reflects the combined effects of institutional adoption, payment applications, and infrastructure upgrades. However, amid frequent large price fluctuations, the medium- and long-term trend of XRP still depends on the balance between real-world application implementation and market sentiment.