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Asset manager 21Shares has shared its XRP predictions for 2026. The ETF issuer highlighted that XRP enters 2026 with the groundwork laid out for institutional breakout.
In an X post, 21Shares outlined its XRP price predictions for 2026. In a base case scenario, 21Shares analysts predict XRP reaching $2.45, a near 30% increase from current prices. In a bull case scenario, XRP is predicted to reach $2.69, a 40% increase, while in a bear case scenario, XRP might drop 16% to $1.60.
21Shares explains the reason for its base case target to be due to regulatory stability, which supports steady ETF flows and incremental utility. It predicts a bull case of $2.69 amid institutional RWA scaling and potential repricing due to supply exhaustion. 21Shares predicts a 16% XRP drop in a bear case scenario on the basis that stagnant adoption and capital rotation might offset legal victory benefits.
XRP at definitive turning point
In its blogpost, 21Shares noted that XRP stands at a defining turning point as 2026 progresses. The cryptocurrency eyes a decisive shift from speculative volatility to a valuation anchored in institutional fundamentals.
The final resolution of the Ripple-SEC lawsuit last year removed the structural overhang that had limited XRP’s price for years, despite underlying utility.
Now that the legal cloud over XRP has been removed, the crypto asset has entered a phase of market driven price discovery as it can no longer rely on courtroom hype or regulatory uncertainty to drive its valuation or excuse underperformance.
What to expect?
According to 21Shares, XRP's setup echoes Ethereum’s trajectory from 2017 to 2018, when abstract promise gave way to proven utility during "DeFi Summer" in 2020. XRP seems to be entering a similar phase.
If this is the case, 2026 might be shaping up to be a breakout year for XRP and its ecosystem, owing to a resilient investor base and increasing institutional adoption.
21Shares added that the XRP network may be primed for continued price appreciation as a history of sharp uncoiling after multiyear compression meets with regulatory clarity and institutional adoption.
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