So, you’re looking at the charts, and you’re seeing XRP sitting around that $2.05 mark. It’s a weird spot to be in. On one hand, the token is up about 13% since the start of 2026, which feels pretty good compared to the sluggish movement we saw at the end of last year. On the other hand, we’re a long way off from those wild $3.84 highs of yesteryear.
The question of should I buy XRP now isn’t just about looking at a green or red candle on a screen. Honestly, it’s about whether you believe the "bridge asset" dream is finally coming true or if Ripple is just becoming a giant stablecoin company that happens to have a volatile legacy token attached to it.
The Big Legal Cloud Finally Evaporated
Let’s be real: for years, buying XRP felt like gambling on a courtroom drama. But as of January 2026, that chapter is basically closed. The SEC and Ripple finally dropped their appeals. Judge Torres’s 2023 ruling is the law of the land now. Retail sales on exchanges? Not securities. Institutional sales? Securities. Ripple paid their $125 million fine and moved on.
This is huge because it removed the "death penalty" risk that kept big American money away. You’ve probably noticed that XRP is back on every major exchange. Liquidity is at an eight-year high in some places. Without the threat of the SEC knocking down doors, the conversation has shifted from "Will this token exist tomorrow?" to "What does this token actually do today?"
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Why 2026 Feels Different for XRP
If you’ve been around since 2017, you’ve heard the "banks are coming" story a thousand times. It’s the crypto version of "the check is in the mail." But this year, there’s actually some meat on the bone.
Take the LMAX Group partnership that just dropped on January 15, 2026. They’re integrating Ripple’s new stablecoin, RLUSD, as a core collateral asset. Now, you might think, "Wait, I’m asking about XRP, why are we talking about a stablecoin?"
- The RLUSD Factor: Ripple is now a "full-stack" infrastructure provider. They aren't just pushing XRP; they're pushing a suite of tools.
- The Hub Strategy: By getting banks to use RLUSD for settlement, Ripple creates a highway. XRP is the high-speed lane on that highway for cross-currency swaps.
- Institutional FOMO: Ripple exec Reece Merrick recently predicted that every major bank will have "meaningful exposure" to crypto by the end of 2026. Whether that’s hyperbole or not, the $1.37 billion sitting in XRP ETFs right now suggests he’s not entirely dreaming.
The supply side is also getting weirdly tight. Exchange reserves for XRP are at two-year lows. When the supply on exchanges drops and the demand from these new ETFs stays steady (or grows), you get a pressure cooker situation.
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The Reality Check: Is It Actually a Good Buy?
I’m not going to sit here and tell you XRP is going to $100. That’s YouTube-thumbnail nonsense. If you're wondering should I buy XRP now, you have to look at the math and the "boring" stuff.
Standard Chartered’s Geoffrey Kendrick is calling for $8.00 by the end of the year. That’s a massive 330% jump from where we are today. He’s banking on those ETF inflows—which haven't seen a single day of net outflows since they launched—continuing to suck up supply.
But then you have the technical analysts who are staring at a "death cross" on the charts, suggesting we might dip back to $1.25 before any real moon mission happens. It’s a tug-of-war. The fundamental news is great; the price action is... well, it's XRP. It tends to move like a sloth for months and then jump 50% in a weekend because of a single tweet or partnership announcement.
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What Most People Miss
Most investors think XRP succeeds if Bitcoin succeeds. While there is a correlation, XRP has been acting a bit like a "maverick" lately. In the first week of January 2026, XRP jumped 25% while Bitcoin only managed 6%. It’s starting to decouple because it’s being traded as a functional utility asset rather than just a "digital gold" alternative.
However, there’s a risk nobody talks about: The Stablecoin Cannibal. If Ripple’s RLUSD becomes the preferred way for banks to move money because it’s stable, does XRP lose its job? Ripple says no—they claim XRP will always be the best way to bridge two different currencies (like Yen to Pesos) without holding local bags of each. But it’s a theory that still needs to be proven at scale.
Actionable Strategy for 2026
If you’re looking to pull the trigger, don’t just market-buy a huge chunk because of FOMO.
- The $2.35 Barrier: Watch this level. XRP has been struggling to flip $2.35 into support. If it breaks and holds above that, the path to the old $3.66 high looks a lot clearer.
- Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA): Since the $1.25 floor is still a technical possibility, many savvy traders are buying in 20% increments. If it drops, they lower their average. If it runs, they're already in.
- The ETF Inflow Metric: Keep an eye on the weekly flow data for the spot XRP ETFs. If those numbers stay positive, the "supply crunch" narrative stays alive. If they turn negative, the hype is dying.
Ultimately, buying XRP today is a bet on Ripple’s transition from a legal target to a global payments backbone. The "easy money" from the court settlement has been made. The "real money" will come from whether or not the XRP Ledger actually handles the trillions of dollars in cross-border payments that Ripple has been chasing for a decade. It’s a high-conviction play, not a "get rich quick" scheme.
Monitor the $2.00 support level closely over the next few weeks. If it holds, the foundation for a run toward $4.00 by Q3 is firmly in place.