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XRP has risen 89% versus Bitcoin’s 3.6% in the past year. Analysts cite ETF inflows, bank adoption and tokenization as drivers of a potential 177% price rise
XRP’s price sits at $1.44, a 60% drop from its 52‑week high of $3.65, yet the token has posted an 89% gain over the last 365 days, far outpacing Bitcoin’s modest 3.6% return [1]. The surge follows a cascade of catalysts: a settlement that cleared legal uncertainty, new on‑chain products, and a wave of institutional money flowing into spot XRP ETFs.
In August 2025 Ripple Labs settled the SEC lawsuit for $125 million, and a judge ruled that XRP sales on exchanges are not securities, removing a major regulatory cloud [1]. That clarity opened the door for banks and payment firms to engage with the token. Ripple then launched an Ethereum‑compatible sidechain on the XRP Ledger and introduced RLUSD, a dollar‑backed stablecoin that hit a $1 billion market cap within a year, boosting liquidity and enabling DeFi activity [1]. Simultaneously, Ripple pursued a U.S. banking license and acquired Hidden Road to create an institutional prime brokerage, further anchoring XRP in the regulated payments ecosystem [1].
Spot XRP ETFs have amplified the effect. Five U.S.-listed funds have attracted $1.35 billion since launch, with a record daily inflow on May 12, 2026, signaling strong institutional appetite [2]. The ETF model mirrors the early‑2024 Bitcoin surge, where fresh money into spot Bitcoin ETFs lifted prices. Large asset managers such as Franklin Templeton have entered the market, lending credibility that could unlock pension and wealth‑manager allocations [1].
Beyond ETFs, banks are deepening their blockchain ties. SWIFT tested Ripple’s technology for cross‑border payments at the end of 2025, and Mastercard added Ripple to its Crypto Partner Program in 2026, both indicating growing institutional adoption [2]. The XRP ledger is also being used for tokenizing real‑world assets, exemplified by a pilot with Mastercard and JPMorgan Chase to tokenise U.S. Treasury debt, hinting at broader use cases for the network [2].
If these trends persist, analysts project a 177% upside, taking XRP from $1.44 to $4 by the end of 2026 [2]. The key question is whether continued ETF inflows and deeper bank integration can sustain that trajectory, or if the token’s high volatility—annualized at 91%, more than double Bitcoin’s—will trigger sharper pullbacks as market sentiment shifts.
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AI-assisted synthesis by the TrendWatcher Editorial Desk · sourced from 2 outlets · Jun 13, 2026 · How we report
Most institutional transactions on the ledger use Ripple's stablecoin, RLUSD, for settlement, while XRP is only used to pay minimal network fees.
The kit provides tools for third parties to build agentic payments, aiming to automate cross-border payment workflows using AI agents.
Distributed assets are held and moved by investors in their own wallets, while represented assets are recorded on the ledger but managed elsewhere.
The activation of a native lending protocol and the potential for tokenized assets to trade directly on the ledger could create new utility for XRP.