The research arm of cryptocurrency exchange Bitrue has published a new report analyzing recent XRP price movements and outlining several scenarios for its future trajectory,
offering a mixed but cautiously optimistic XRP price forecast for 2026.
The world's fifth-largest cryptocurrency has experienced significant volatility in recent months. XRP has fallen more than 61% from its all-time high of $3.66 reached in July 2025 and recently traded around $1.37–$1.38, with a market capitalization of approximately $84 billion.
According to the research report from Bitrue Research Labs, the token remains in a downward price channel and is currently holding key technical support in the range of around $1.27–$1.30.
"XRP is a truly complex asset that many people find difficult to understand, in part because its price is so heavily dependent on real-world use cases, which are intertwined with obscure regulatory issues from global governments," said Adam O'Neill, Chief Marketing Officer at Bitrue.
Short-term signals remain mixed. The report points to bearish market pressure reflected in several on-chain indicators, including net unrealized profit/loss (NUPL) in the loss phase and high concentration among large holders.
At the same time, March's seasonality offers potential support: XRP has historically averaged around 18% growth during this month, suggesting the possibility of a rebound if broader market conditions stabilize.
In the optimistic short-term scenario, the study suggests that XRP could move to the $1.60–$1.85 range by the end of the month if the $1.27 support level holds and the price breaks above $1.51, indicating a potential shift in market structure.
Possible XRP Price Trajectories in 2026
Looking further ahead, the report outlines several possible paths for the XRP price forecast through 2026.
In the bearish scenario, the cryptocurrency could remain in the $1.00–$1.40 range if catalysts remain limited. The baseline scenario points to a gradual recovery to $1.40–$3.00 as macro conditions improve and the XRP Ledger ecosystem continues to expand.
A more optimistic scenario suggests that XRP could reach between $3 and above $8 if regulatory clarity improves, ETF inflows accelerate, and ecosystem adoption strengthens.
Head of Research Andri Fauzan Adziima offered a more focused forecast, noting that "through 2026, the most reasonable price expectation for XRP is in the $2.50–$4.00 range, with a midpoint around $3.00–$3.50 based on current data."
The report also highlights growing activity on the XRP Ledger. Daily successful payments recently exceeded 2.7 million transactions, while the network processes approximately 2–2.8 million transactions per day and supports approximately 40,000 active addresses.
Meanwhile, decentralized finance activity continues to expand: approximately 27,000 active automated market maker liquidity pools support over 16,000 tokens, with approximately 12 million XRP locked in these pools.
These developments point to the growing utility of the XRP ecosystem—factors that could influence the long-term XRP price forecast.