Geoffrey Kendrick, head of digital asset research at Standard Chartered, has revised his 2026 price forecast for XRP, slashing it from $8 to $2.80 due to ongoing macroeconomic challenges. Despite this reduction, Kendrick’s new estimate still suggests a potential upside of 107% from XRP’s current price of $1.35. However, skepticism remains about XRP’s viability as a bridge currency, especially as it has fallen 61% from its peak and shows signs of stagnation in transaction volume.
The cryptocurrency faces stiff competition from stablecoins, which offer less volatility for cross-border transactions. Ripple’s attempts to enhance XRP’s utility through its On-Demand Liquidity platform and the introduction of Ripple USD have yet to gain traction, as evidenced by the lackluster performance of recently approved spot XRP ETFs. With institutional interest remaining muted—reflected in the ETFs capturing only a small fraction of XRP’s market cap—the outlook for XRP appears bleak.
In summary, XRP’s limited appeal as a bridge currency and the ineffectiveness of spot ETFs suggest a challenging path ahead, with analysts predicting a potential decline to $1 by year-end 2026.
Source: fool.com