- Standard Chartered drops its XRP price forecast.
- The bank previously predicted that the crypto would reach $8 by the end of the year.
Standard Chartered has cut its year-end price target for XRP by 65%, as its analysts revise their outlook following the crypto market’s brutal February sell-off.
The British investment bank previously predicted that XRP would reach $8 by the end of 2026. That forecast was lowered to $2.80 in a Thursday note to investors shared with DL News.
“The recent price development of digital assets has been challenging to say the least,” Geoffrey Kendrick, the bank’s global head of digital asset research, said in the note. “We expect further declines in the near term and are reducing our forecasts for the entire asset class.”
In recent weeks, the crypto market has been hit by the worst market rout in almost four years.
Bitcoin fell 28% over the past month, hitting a low of $60,000 before rebounding.
Other crypto assets have seen similarly poor results. Amid the rout, XRP briefly fell to $1.16, its lowest price in 15 months.
It has since rebounded, but remains down about 28% over the past month.
Big turnaround
This is a big turnaround for the $90 billion Ripple-linked cryptocurrency.
Clearly, XRP is off to a strong start in 2026. The asset rose 25% in the first week of the year, supported by XRP exchange-traded fund inflows and regulatory tailwinds.
On January 5, the amount of money locked in XRP ETFs reached a record $1.6 billion, according to crypto data platform SoSoValue.
That figure fell to just over $1 billion – a 40% drop – as of February 13.
It’s not just XRP Standard Chartered that lowered its forecast.
The bank also lowered its year-end target from $150,000 to $100,000 for Bitcoin, from $7,000 to $4,000 for Ethereum, and from $250 to $135 for Solana.
“We believe XRP will keep pace with ETH. Both will likely benefit from the further development of stablecoins and real-world tokenized assets,” Kendrick said.
Looking to the future
One of the main potential catalysts for a sustained recovery in XRP prices is the Clarity Act, a broad crypto market bill currently being considered by the US Senate.
On Thursday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said passing the Clarity Act would help the crypto market recover.
Last month, Katherine Dowling, president of Bitcoin Standard Treasury Company, said DL News XRP has the most to gain from the successful passage of the Clarity Act.
Progress on the bill stalled last month after bank chiefs and crypto executives disagreed on key elements of the legislation.
But the delays could soon be over. On February 10, Stuart Alderoty, Ripple’s chief legal officer, said he had a “productive session” at the White House and that the time was right to move forward.
“Clear bipartisan momentum remains behind sensible legislation on crypto market structure,” Alderoty said. “We should act now – while the window is still open – and deliver a real victory for consumers and America.” »
Tim Craig is DL News’ DeFi correspondent based in Edinburgh. Contact us with advice at tim@dlnews.com.
