XRP breaks through strongly at $2.36, ranked by CNBC as the preferred cryptocurrency asset in 2026

After a legal tug-of-war, XRP has gained market favor with a clear regulatory status. In August 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officially ended its multi-year lawsuit against Ripple, and both parties reached a settlement. This milestone legal victory set an important precedent that XRP is not considered a security under current law. With the legal cloud lifted, XRP’s price responded with an increase of over 10%.

Market Focus

In CNBC’s early 2026 program, attention was turned to XRP. The media pointed out that XRP had gained over 20% in the past week and successfully climbed to the third largest market cap among cryptocurrencies.

This remarkable market performance was no coincidence. CNBC analysis suggests that XRP’s cross-border payment use cases and its relatively lower “congestion level” compared to Bitcoin and Ethereum are key factors attracting investors. The program mentioned that even in the overall market correction in Q4, XRP continued to see inflows, demonstrating its unique market appeal against the trend.

Legal and Regulatory

The ongoing SEC lawsuit against Ripple, which lasted for years, reached a decisive turning point in 2025. The SEC officially withdrew its appeal, and Ripple also withdrew its cross-appeal, marking a critical step toward fully resolving the case. According to court documents, Ripple will pay a $50 million fine to settle the case. More importantly, this settlement established a clear legal identity for XRP — not classified as a security.

The impact of this ruling is profound. It removes years of regulatory uncertainty surrounding XRP and opens the door for institutional investors. The market responded positively; after the settlement was announced, XRP’s price immediately rose.

ETF Wave

In November 2025, the U.S. market saw the listing of multiple XRP spot ETFs, including products launched by Canary Capital, Grayscale, Bitwise, and Franklin Templeton. These ETFs performed remarkably. As of December 31, 2025, U.S. XRP spot ETFs had recorded net inflows for 29 consecutive trading days, with a total inflow of $1.15 billion.

Notably, this trend of capital inflow contrasted sharply with the overall market decline. Continuous institutional support provided a solid foundation for XRP’s price.

Technology Applications and Ecosystem Development

Ripple’s core vision is to improve cross-border payments using blockchain technology. CEO Brad Garlinghouse predicts that XRP’s blockchain will capture 14% of the current SWIFT system’s transaction volume within five years. If this forecast is realized, it would mean XRP handling payment flows worth over $20 trillion. Such a vast potential application scenario is a key support for XRP’s long-term value.

To showcase its technological capabilities, Ripple launched an interactive demo of its enterprise payment platform, highlighting the practical use of its compliant stablecoin Ripple USD and XRP in cross-border transactions.

Current Price Analysis and Future Outlook

According to Gate market data, as of January 8, 2026, XRP’s trading price is above $2.00. This level is a pullback from the $3.66 historical high set in July 2025 but has shown signs of recovery since the end of 2025.

From a technical analysis perspective, XRP has formed an ascending flag pattern on the four-hour chart. If it can break through the key resistance at $2.20, further upside potential may open.

Several institutions and analysts have provided price forecasts for XRP in 2026:

While the market remains optimistic about XRP’s long-term prospects, analysts also warn of short-term risks. Bitget Wallet analyst Lacie Zhang pointed out that XRP’s trajectory into 2026 may remain volatile, with a short-term pullback to around $1.40.

Competition and Challenges

Despite the promising outlook, XRP faces notable challenges. Some analysts suggest that using highly volatile cryptocurrencies for cross-border payments may be less practical than stablecoins. Data also shows that XRP’s monthly trading volume has been steadily declining over the past two years, indicating that XRP as a bridging currency has yet to gain significant market traction.

Ripple has recognized this issue and launched its own stablecoin, Ripple USD, attempting to address volatility in payment scenarios. Whether this stablecoin can stand out among mature stablecoins like USDC remains to be seen.

On the other hand, derivatives market performance also reflects investor caution. XRP futures open interest remains at $3.72 billion, down about 66% from the record high of $10.94 billion in July 2025.

The upward trend of XRP’s price is supported by solid fundamentals. With continuous ETF capital inflows and Ripple’s expanding influence in global payment networks, the real-time price chart on the Gate market page shows a fluctuating upward curve. This chart not only records the changes in numbers but also tells a complete story of a cryptocurrency breaking free from legal constraints and being re-recognized by the market. Institutional investors’ attention has shifted to this once-controversial token. As cross-border payment corridors are gradually established, XRP may be transforming from a “lawsuit token” into a truly practical digital asset with global utility.