XRP Price Set to Shine in 2026: Here’s Why

XRP isn't just surviving the regulatory gauntlet—it's gearing up for a breakout year.

The Liquidity Machine Awakens

Forget speculative hype. XRP's core utility—settling cross-border payments in seconds at near-zero cost—is moving from promise to practice. Major financial institutions are finally integrating RippleNet's rails, creating real-world demand that dwarfs retail trading volumes. This isn't about moonboys on social media; it's about moving billions for banks that still fax instructions.

Regulatory Clarity: The Ultimate Catalyst

The legal fog is lifting. With key rulings establishing XRP's non-security status in major jurisdictions, the compliance overhang that choked institutional adoption is evaporating. Funds and treasury managers who needed a green light now have one. They're not buying memes; they're allocating to a compliant digital asset with a working use case.

Network Effect vs. Empty Hype

While other chains tout theoretical 'total value locked,' XRP's value is locked in something more tangible: daily settlement volume. Each new bank or payment provider onboarding doesn't just add a user—it adds a liquidity pipeline. This creates a compounding network effect that pure DeFi protocols struggle to replicate. The growth becomes structural, not seasonal.

The 2026 Outlook: Built on Utility, Not Narrative

The stage is set for a convergence of factors rarely seen in crypto: maturing utility, resolved regulation, and expanding institutional infrastructure. This positions XRP for a move driven by fundamentals, not just market sentiment. In a sector obsessed with the next shiny thing, the boring business of moving money efficiently might just be the most radical play of all—much to the chagrin of fund managers still trying to value JPEGs.

RSI Signals Point To A Completed Dip

One of the arguments supporting a bullish outlook comes from the 3-day Relative Strength Index highlighted by Dark Defender. According to the analyst, the RSI has already dropped into a zone that is known to indicate completed price corrections for XRP. This is because similar RSI conditions in 2024 were highlighted by periods before its price action returned decisively to the upside.

The chart accompanying his analysis shows XRP stabilizing NEAR a horizontal support region, and this fits with the RSI flattening near oversold territory. According to the analyst, this type of structure suggests exhaustion on the sell side, even if price action continues to trade sideways in the next couple of days.

Speaking of stabilizing near a support region, XRP is currently trading around the $1.86 to $1.90 price range, which aligns closely with the 1.618 Fibonacci extension highlighted on the chart at approximately $1.8815. This support level aligns with a projection using the Elliott Wave Theory, and this contributes to the notion that the xrp price will rebound to the upside any time soon.

Building The Base For A Surge

In addition to the RSI momentum indicator, XRP’s price structure on the chart analyzed by Dark Defender supports the idea that the cryptocurrency is forming a base. The visual Elliott Wave count on the 3-day timeframe shows that the recent decline fits within a corrective sequence on sub-impulse wave 5. Interestingly, this sub-wave is an extension of a fourth impulse wave that traces its origin as far back as early 2025. 

According to the Elliott Wave theory, this fourth impulse wave is expected to be followed by an impulsive Wave 5 that resolves to the upside. The projected impulse path on the chart shows how a confirmed breakout from this structure could push XRP into a massive rally. The price target in this case is around the 2.618 Fibonacci extension, which is marked at $5.85.

Dark Defender also linked this technical setup to timing, pointing out that the period around Christmas and the New Year could coincide with improving sentiment, and XRP will shine after the holidays. He also pointed to upcoming scarcity as another factor, which might be referring to the projected longer-term implications of Spot XRP ETFs.