XRP Price Forecast: Standard Chartered Expects 400% Surge by 2026

XRP has surged to $2.42 after Ripple reached a $50 million settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), effectively ending a five-year legal battle. This major development triggered a strong rebound, pushing XRP to its highest level in 50 days.

By the end of Friday, XRP settled around $2.34, marking a 6.5% weekly gain and a 13.5% rise over the past 30 days. On a yearly basis, XRP has climbed nearly 350%, demonstrating remarkable resilience despite prolonged regulatory headwinds.

Geoffrey Kendrick, head of digital asset research at Standard Chartered, believes XRP’s upside potential remains significant. He forecasts the token could reach $5.50 by the end of 2025 and rise to $8.00 by 2026. Further projections include $10.40 by 2027 and $12.25 by 2029 — a potential gain of over 400% from current levels.

This bullish outlook is driven by XRP’s strategic role in facilitating cross-border payments — one of the fastest-growing applications of digital assets. Additionally, optimism around a potential U.S. approval of a spot XRP ETF is fueling investor sentiment. Standard Chartered predicts such an ETF could be approved before October 2025, potentially drawing $8 billion in inflows in its first year.

According to prediction market Polymarket, there is a 77% probability that an XRP ETF will be approved next year. Meanwhile, investors on Kalshi currently give XRP a 55% chance of outperforming Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies in 2025.

Beyond regulatory clarity and ETF speculation, the broader crypto market rebound is also supporting XRP. Bitcoin is holding steady above $63,000, while Ethereum and Dogecoin have posted double-digit weekly gains.

Currently trading around $2.34, XRP could target the next major resistance at $2.60 if it maintains support at $2.19. Technical indicators such as the MACD and rising trading volume suggest bullish momentum is building.

However, failure to break above the $2.41 resistance level decisively could bring renewed selling pressure. In that case, the next support zone is expected at $1.98.

Nonetheless, the combination of legal clarity, institutional interest, and a favorable macro environment positions XRP as one of the most promising altcoins in the years ahead.