The XRP ecosystem is expanding, institutions are deploying, and international financial institutions predict a 288% increase.

XRP today modestly increased by 0.56%, trading at $2.06, with a market capitalization surpassing $125 billion, maintaining its position as the 4th largest globally. This seemingly modest gain conceals a larger story: institutional investors are quietly accumulating, ecological applications are rapidly expanding, and international financial institutions are beginning to recognize its long-term value. This is not short-term speculation but a shift of assets from high-volatility cryptocurrencies to institutional allocation tools.

Continuous Net Inflows from Institutions, Long-term Allocation Framework Taking Shape

Since the launch of the US spot XRP ETF in November 2025, it has accumulated over $1.2 billion in net inflows, with assets under management exceeding $1.24 billion. More importantly, this inflow trend has maintained stable growth for seven consecutive weeks, with an average weekly increase of about $64 million.

The performance of Franklin Templeton’s XRPZ fund is particularly impressive. As of the latest data, its holdings have surpassed 100 million XRP for the first time, reaching 101.5 million XRP, with a holding market value of $1.927 billion, more than doubling in a month. This is not minor activity but a sign of top-tier global asset managers’ strategic confidence.

Compared to other assets during the same period, XRP’s uniqueness is even more evident. Bitcoin spot ETFs experienced outflows of $2.9 billion, Ethereum spot ETFs saw outflows of $59.5 million, yet XRP ETFs continued to see contrarian net inflows, with a single-day inflow reaching $70.2 million last week. What does this indicate? When mainstream assets face selling pressure, institutional investors are increasing their holdings of XRP.

Rapid Ecosystem Expansion, Broader Application Scenarios

The XRP ecosystem has broken through single-chain limitations. Wrapped XRP is now available on multiple mainstream networks including Solana, Ethereum, Optimism, Ink, and Unichain, launched through Hex Trust and LayerZero collaboration, supported 1:1 by native XRP, with over $100 million in liquidity locked during initial launch. This signifies that XRP’s liquidity and application scope are crossing different blockchain ecosystems.

Ripple’s stablecoin RLUSD is also advancing its multi-chain strategy. Through the Wormhole protocol, RLUSD has been piloted on Ethereum Layer 2 networks. Flare and DeFi platform Upshift Finance, along with risk management firm Clearstar, have launched the XRP yield product earnXRP, allowing users to deposit FXRP into vaults to earn XRP-denominated yields. These are tangible application scenarios.

The most vibrant aspect of the ecosystem is the development of real-world assets (RWA). Tokenized real-world assets on XRPL have exceeded $568 million, with an annual growth rate of 2200%. Among them, RLUSD accounts for over 50%, approximately $293 million, and OpenEden TBILL Vault about $61.46 million. These figures indicate that the XRP Ledger is transforming from a purely digital asset platform into infrastructure for real asset tokenization.

Clear Expectations from International Financial Institutions

Standard Chartered’s global head of digital asset research publicly expressed optimism about XRP, predicting its price could rise to $8 by 2026. Compared to the current level of $2.06, this represents a potential increase of 288%. This is not a guess by a crypto analyst but a judgment based on professional analysis from traditional financial institutions.

This assessment is built on three overlapping factors: capital inflows into the spot XRP ETF, improvements in global liquidity management, and the application prospects of XRPL in cross-border payments. Several technical analysts, based on long-term structures and historical fractals, also share this optimistic outlook, with some suggesting XRP could surge above $15 before 2026.

Policy Environment Improvements Signal Positivity

The current U.S. president has publicly emphasized modernizing the financial system through faster payment infrastructure and advanced crypto technologies. The market interprets this as a positive signal for blockchain and crypto payment solutions. As an asset designed for cross-border payments, XRP’s technological positioning aligns with current policy reforms.

The Japanese government is also signaling favorable developments. Japan plans to reduce the tax rate on cryptocurrency investment gains from a maximum of 55% to 20%, and intends to launch more ETFs linked to specific cryptocurrencies. Japan has already launched its first XRP ETF and established long-term cooperation with Ripple through channels like SBI Holdings in the cross-border payment field.

On-Chain Supply Structure Improves, Whale Selling Pressure Weakens

The holdings of XRP on centralized exchanges have fallen to about $2.6 billion, a new low since July 2024. This reflects investor preference for transferring tokens into self-custody wallets, with relatively limited circulating supply in the short term.

Although Ripple plans to unlock 1 billion XRP in January 2026, historical data shows that about two-thirds or even up to four-fifths of unlocked XRP are often quickly re-escrowed, with only a limited amount actually entering the secondary market. The 30-day moving average of whale fund flows indicates that selling pressure has eased.

Derivatives Market Matures, Institutional Trading Infrastructure Improves

CME Group has launched XRP futures based on spot prices, with nominal trading volume reaching hundreds of billions of dollars, making it one of the fastest assets to surpass high open interest. XRP futures now support TAS (Trade at Settlement), allowing traders to settle at the closing price of the day.

These infrastructural improvements reflect XRP’s transition from a high-volatility crypto asset to an institutional-grade financial instrument. Institutions generally adopt a “derivatives-first” strategy, using futures, swaps, and margin structures to control risk and gradually expand exposure.

Summary

The 24-hour increase of 0.56% in XRP is not accidental. Behind it are continuous strategic allocations by institutions, rapid ecosystem expansion, policy environment improvements, and recognition from traditional finance. From $0.002 in 2014 to $2.06 today, XRP has completed its transformation from a “high-risk crypto” to an “institutionally configurable asset.”

Standard Chartered’s predicted 288% increase, the 2200% annual growth in ecosystem RWA scale, and contrarian net inflows into institutional ETFs are not isolated data points but multiple facets of the same trend. The key future points to watch are: when will XRPL’s smart contract functionality go live, the progress of cross-border payment applications, and whether policy environments continue to improve. These factors could all become drivers for XRP’s next price phase.