- XRP is expected to hit the $20 mark in 2026 amid ongoing legal troubles with the SEC.
- Analyzes have suggested continued downward price pressure, and these figures indicate increased interest.
Ripple [XRP]a leading cryptocurrency, has faced significant challenges due to an ongoing lawsuit with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
So far, the asset has seen a drastic drop of 84.7% from its all-time high of $3.40 in 2018 and has yet to regain a fraction of its peak value.
This consistent price decline has continued: in the past 30 days, the value of XRP has fallen by almost 20%.
Although there was a small increase last week, the cryptocurrency has started to lose these gains and is currently down 2.3% in the last 24 hours.
However, despite the bearish pressure, one analyst did just that predicted that XRP has a bright future.
A bullish case for XRP
Armando Pantoja, a well-known crypto analyst, remains optimistic about the potential of XRP and estimates that its value will be between $8 and $20 by 2026.
This projection implies a dramatic increase of up to 3,557.6% from current levels.
Pantoja cites reasons why this rise could be possible, citing the 2017 bull run, which saw XRP rise more than 650 times to its peak, as a “Historical Precedent Powerhouse” for such growth.
Institutional adoption is a strong driver of XRP’s future price. So far, Ripple, the company behind XRP, has seen significant integration into major financial institutions such as Bank of America and Royal Bank of Canada.
Additionally, Ripple’s recent partnership with HashKey DX to introduce XRP Ledger-based solutions in Japan, and cooperation with SBI Ripple Asia, could push the price of XRP higher.
Despite these adoptions, steps are still being taken to accelerate further adoptions.
For example, RippleX, the development division of Ripple, has done that introduced major upgrades to the XRP Ledger (XRPL), such as the XLS-68d specification.
This improvement allows platforms to cover transaction fees for others without distributing free XRP, simplifying the onboarding process.
These developments are critical to increasing the appeal and utility of XRP in the digital economy.
In addition to institutional adoption, Pantoja emphasizes the influence of market trends and the increasing usefulness of financial services.
He predicts that XRP will soon gain legal clarity and see a significant expansion in the number of partnerships.
In terms of legal developments with Ripple and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), tensions escalated in March when the SEC sought a substantial $2 billion fine against Ripple for alleged violations related to institutional sales of XRP.
Ripple has refuted these allegations, with Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty presenting the company’s detailed rebuttal last week.
Ripple’s defense disputes the SEC’s claims and is proposing a much lower fine, ideally under $10 million.
Reports I believe the US SEC has filed its final response to the penalty opposition, but the documents are sealed and not yet accessible to the public.
As the lawsuit nears its closing stages, the crypto community is keenly awaiting the outcome and whether XRP can surpass its previous highs and potentially soar into double digits.
The Possible Short-Term Movement of XRP
Meanwhile, technical analysis indicates that XRP may remain under downward pressure in the near term.
The asset has consistently broken its structure on the daily and 4-hour charts, recently gaining liquidity and now targeting the swing low near $0.48.
Source: TradingView
This bearish short-term outlook is reinforced by a recent report from AMBCrypto, which noted that the Chaikin Money Flow for XRP was at zeroindicating that there is no significant inflow of capital into the market.
Realistic or not, here is the market cap of XRP in BTC terms
Despite these bearish indicators, the facts van Santiment shows an increase in metrics such as social dominance, total holders and active addresses for XRP.
This suggests that many in the community remain optimistic and confident about the future of the asset.
Source: Santiment