Wall Street turns more bullish on XRP
Some Wall Street analysts are raising their medium-term expectations for XRP, with one widely cited forecast suggesting the token could reach $8 by 2026. According to the report, that would represent a gain of roughly 315%, putting XRP back in focus as one of the more closely watched large-cap crypto assets.
Standard Chartered analyst Geoffrey Kendrick pointed to two main catalysts behind the bullish case. The first is the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s decision to drop its appeal in the Ripple case. The second is the potential approval of a spot XRP ETF. Together, these developments are seen as improving regulatory clarity and making XRP more accessible to a broader base of institutional investors.
Probability models suggest a more measured outlook
Even so, the outlook is far from one-sided. The article also cited a Monte Carlo model showing a 60% probability that XRP trades between $1.04 and $3.40 by 2026, with a median price of $1.88. That range suggests that while the $8 target has attracted attention, more conservative projections still dominate in probabilistic terms.
Other analysts remain cautious and have set targets closer to $3. Those estimates reflect the fact that XRP’s path may still depend on broader crypto market conditions, capital flows, and how quickly supportive regulatory or product-related developments materialize.
ETF approval could boost institutional participation
From a market structure perspective, a spot XRP ETF could matter beyond short-term price momentum. It would offer a more familiar investment vehicle for traditional market participants and could help deepen institutional engagement with the asset. That possibility is one reason ETF speculation continues to play such a large role in the current XRP narrative.
Overall, sentiment around XRP’s 2026 outlook is improving as regulatory progress and ETF expectations gain traction. Still, the gap between the most bullish forecasts and model-based projections underscores that uncertainty remains high, and investors are likely to keep weighing upside potential against execution and market risks.