XRP is facing renewed pressure after a sharp correction and a major revision from one of the world’s largest banks. While development across the ecosystem continues, price action and sentiment suggest the market remains cautious. The coin is currently down 27% over the past month and trading under $1.50 – a significant decline from its 2025 peak above $3.50.
Of course, the drop follows broader conditions across the crypto market. Bitcoin and Ethereum have recorded even larger monthly losses, indicating that XRP’s weakness is not isolated. Still, the move lower places XRP near levels that traders view as technically critical, and $46 million of net outflows from spot ETFs has also drawn attention.
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Standard Chartered’s Revised Target
Standard Chartered recently its end-2026 price target for XRP from $8 to $2.80, a 65% cut. The downgrade followed broader reductions to several major crypto forecasts, such as Solana.
Despite the sharp revision, the new $2.80 target still remains significantly above XRP’s current price. The bank also maintained a long-term 2030 projection of $28, suggesting that its structural outlook on digital assets has not been fully withdrawn.
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Sentiment Is Fragile
Derivatives data shows negative funding rates for XRP, indicating that short positions are currently paying to maintain exposure. This often means defensive or bearish positioning among traders – persisent on the broader crypto market as well, with Fear and Greed Index signaling extreme fear levels.
Prediction market data on Polymarket also reveal cautious sentiment. Around 78% of bettors expect XRP to touch $1 this year, and roughly 70% anticipate a drop below $0.80. Close to half see $0.60 as possible. However, trading volume in these markets remains relatively low, limiting their broader significance.
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Ecosystem Development Continues
While price action remains weak, major developments on the ecosystem and XRP Ledger continue.
The network recently activated XLS-81, known as the “Permissioned DEX” amendment. This upgrade allows regulated institutions to operate gated trading venues directly on-chain, restricting participation to approved entities. It follows the earlier activation of XLS-85, which expanded escrow functionality to include issued tokens and stablecoins.
Ripple’s stablecoin, RLUSD, has also surpassed $1.5 billion in market capitalization. It now ranks within the top 50 cryptocurrencies by market cap and is among the top 10 stablecoins. Recent exchange integrations, including Binance and HashKey, have expanded its availability.
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A Market in Balance
XRP is currently torn between short-term pressure and ongoing ecosystem expansion. Exchange flows, ETF trends, and derivatives data suggest caution in the near term – but the same stays true for nearly all other major cryptocurrencies. At the same time, ledger upgrades, stablecoin growth, and institutional engagement indicate continued development beneath the surface, making the long-term perspective more convincing.
