XRP News Today: Bullish 2026 Call as ETFs Fuel Breakout Hopes

Standard Chartered Bank joins the ranks, signaling a bullish 2026 for XRP. The Bank’s Global Head of Digital Asset Research predicted a 300% plus rally on Tuesday, December 30, 2025.

The bullish outlook followed calls of a breakout year ahead from Canary Capital and Grayscale as US XRP-spot ETFs reported robust demand into the year-end.

Key fundamentals, including legal and regulatory clarity, XRP-spot ETF inflows, and increased utility, support the positive price outlook.

Below, I will explore the key drivers behind recent price trends, the medium-term (4-8 weeks) outlook, and the key technical levels traders should watch.

Standard Chartered Bank Predicts $8 by the End of Year 2026

Geoffrey Kendrick, Global Head of Digital Assets Research at Standard Chartered Bank, ignited the crypto news wires on December 30, projecting a year-end 2026 price of $8. At the current price of $1.8723, an $8 price target would translate into a 327% return.

The Global Head of Digital Assets cited regulatory clarity, following the resolution of the SEC vs. Ripple case, robust demand for XRP-spot ETFs, and increased utility as key factors.

Notably, Kendrick projected a $12.5 price target for 2028 with increased adoption and institutional demand likely to tilt the supply-demand balance firmly in XRP’s favor.

Kendrick is among a growing number of high-ranking members of the crypto community, predicting a bullish outlook. Grayscale Head of Research Zach Pandl and Canary Funds CEO Steven McClurg recently painted a rosy outlook.

Last week, Steven McClurg spoke about Bitcoin, XRP, and a potential decoupling on a broadcast with Token Relations, stating:

“XRP, I believe, is going to be a divergent asset, actually. […] Altcoins typically follow Bitcoin, but there are a handful of assets that I do believe will diverge in this manner and just watching XRP perform as everything’s going straight down and we continue to get inflows everyday and continue to hold up, I believe that it could look like another peak in XRP in 2026, when most of other crypto assets are going to be down.”

Grayscale’s Zach Pandl discussed a positive price outlook on Paul Barron’s podcast on December 26, citing strong institutional demand, tokenization, legislation, and Fed rate cuts.

XRP-Spot ETFs vs. BTC-Spot ETFs – Is a Decoupling Imminent?

The US XRP-spot ETF market saw $15.55 million in inflows on Tuesday, December 30. According to SoSoValue, issuers reported total volume traded of $50.16 million, setting the stage for an 8-week inflow streak. The US XRP-spot ETF market has yet to report an outflow to date, since launching on November 14, 2025, with total net inflows rising to $1.16 billion.

By contrast, the US BTC-spot ETF market saw total net outflows of $2.74 billion since November 14, 2025, supporting the decoupling theory. Crucially, BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) had net outflows of $2.2 billion, potentially incentivizing the ETF issuer to consider an iShares XRP Trust.

An iShares XRP Trust launch would be another price catalyst, given IBIT’s dominant $62 billion of inflows since launching in January 2024.

Spot ETF flow trends reflect sentiment and the supply-demand trajectory, supporting a decoupling from BTC.

Steven McClurg believed BTC entered a bear cycle, contrasting with the bullish view on XRP, stating:

“There’s been a lot of talk about the four-year cycle, and I know Matt, and I have different opinions of the four-year cycle of Bitcoin. But I’m in the camp of, yeah, a four-year cycle is still in effect. Mining activity still very much drives price, even though it’s becoming more and more muted in every four years, it will become more muted. But my belief is that Bitcoin peaked in October and it’s already going into its bear cycle.”

XRP Outlook Increasingly Bullish

Progress toward crypto-friendly legislation and strong demand for XRP-spot ETFs support the cautiously bullish short-term (1-4 weeks) outlook, with a $2.0 price target. Meanwhile, increased utility, Fed rate cuts, and the Senate passing the Market Structure Bill would reinforce the positive longer-term price trajectories:

• Medium-term (4-8 weeks): $2.5.
• Longer-term (8-12 weeks) $3.0.

Key Downside Risks Challenge Bullish Outlook

Several events could derail the positive outlook. These include:

• The Bank of Japan announces a neutral interest rate of between 1.5% and 2.5%, indicating aggressive rate hikes.
• US economic indicators and the Fed are dampening bets on a March rate cut.
• The MSCI delists digital asset treasury companies (DATs). Delistings would likely dampen interest in XRP as a treasury reserve asset.
• Lawmakers challenge the Market Structure Bill.
• XRP-spot ETFs report outflows.

These events would likely push the token toward $1.75, signaling a bearish trend reversal.

Technical Indicators Continue to Signal Caution

XRP rose 1.45% on Tuesday, December 30, reversing the previous day’s 0.77% loss to close at $1.8762. The token outperformed the broader crypto market, which gained 1.16%.

Despite Tuesday’s rally, XRP remained below the 50-day and 200-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs), indicating a bearish bias. While technicals remain bearish, bullish fundamentals are developing, outweighing the technical structure.

Key technical levels to watch include:

• Support levels: $1.75, and then $1.50.
• 50-day EMA resistance: $2.0512.
• 200-day EMA resistance: $2.3624.
• Resistance levels: $2, $2.5, $3.0, and $3.66.

Looking at the daily chart, a breakout above the $2.0 psychological level would pave the way to the 50-day EMA. A sustained move through the 50-day EMA would indicate a near-term bullish trend reversal, bringing the 200-day EMA and the $2.5 resistance level into play.

A sustained move through the EMAs would affirm the bullish medium-term outlook and the longer-term (8-12 weeks) $3.0 price target.

Fundamental Indicators: Legislation, Fed, and Spot ETFs

Near-term price drivers include:

• XRP-spot ETF flows.
• US economic indicators and March Fed rate cut bets.
• US crypto-related legislative headlines.

$2.0 Remains Key Resistance to the Bullish Structure

XRP has hovered for several sessions, suggesting an imminent move. A recovery and hold above $1.8 indicates a potential breakout rather than a breakdown, reinforcing the bullish structure and the constructive price bias.

A break above $2.0 would bring the upper trendline and the $2.5 resistance level into play. A sustained move through the upper trendline would signal a bullish trend reversal, supporting the price targets.

• Medium-Term (4-8 weeks): $2.5.
• Longer-term (8–12 weeks): target of $3.0.

However, rejection at $2.0 and a sustained break below the lower trendline would invalidate the bullish structure and indicate a bearish trend reversal.

Outlook:

Looking ahead, central bank commentary, US economic indicators, Market Structure Bill-related developments, and XRP-spot ETF flows will continue to influence near-term price trends.

Rising bets on a March Fed rate cut and a cautious BoJ policy stance would likely boost sentiment. Robust demand for XRP-spot ETFs and bipartisan support for the Market Structure Bill would add to the constructive bias.

To summarize, increasing institutional demand for XRP-spot ETFs and crypto regulatory developments support a medium-term (4–8 weeks) move to $2.5. A March Fed rate cut and the Senate passing the Market Structure Bill would affirm the longer-term (8–12 weeks) price target of $3.0.

Meanwhile, looking beyond 8-12 weeks, these positive events are likely to drive XRP to its all-time high $3.66 over the 6-12 month time horizon.