Key Insights
- •Brad Garlinghouse suggests 2026 could be the most bullish year for XRP's price, with major institutions like BlackRock, Vanguard, and Franklin Templeton increasing their exposure.
- •Analysts indicate that XRP needs to surpass $2.28 to potentially reach $2.75, although current chart indicators show continued pressure below key regression bands.
- •Initial ETF inflows suggest a growing institutional interest in XRP, but traders caution that a breakout failure could lead to a decline to multi-month support levels.
The price of the Ripple XRP token is attracting renewed attention following CEO Brad Garlinghouse's prediction to investors that 2026 could be the most bullish year for cryptocurrency.
In late 2025, XRP was trading in the vicinity of $2.15–$2.20, and traders are now observing the possibility of a move beyond $2.28. Garlinghouse stated on December 3, 2025, at Binance's Blockchain Week:
As we go into 2026, I don’t remember being this optimistic in the last handful of years.
This optimistic sentiment, combined with recent institutional developments, has spurred discussions about a potential XRP price breakout towards the next significant resistance level near $2.75.
Analysts have noted that if XRP can successfully break above approximately $2.28, it could pave the way for a return to earlier 2025 highs around $2.75. XRP's price had reached a peak of $3.35 in mid-August before experiencing a retreat below $3.
Brad Garlinghouse's 2026 Outlook Drives XRP News
Garlinghouse's remarks were made amidst broader industry optimism. He argued that improvements in U.S. regulatory clarity and increased institutional investment flows are expected to drive the cryptocurrency market higher.
As an illustration, he highlighted that Vanguard, a firm that had historically been cautious about cryptocurrency, has now enabled its clients to purchase regulated crypto ETFs.
The Ripple CEO pointed out that the United States, representing 22% of global GDP, is no longer exhibiting outright hostility towards crypto, and major financial groups are reconsidering their positions.
This shift in attitude supports the theory of a significant rally in 2026. Such statements contribute to XRP news narratives, even when the focus is primarily on Bitcoin and the wider crypto market.
In fact, XRP has been featured in recent bullish news. During the Ripple Swell event in November 2025, the company announced a $500 million raise at a $40 billion valuation, established partnerships with Mastercard and Gemini, and introduced new products, including a crypto prime brokerage.
On the day these announcements were made, XRP's price surged by approximately 7%, reaching a high of $2.40.
Brad Garlinghouse stated that the company is intensifying its efforts to build "trust, utility, and liquidity on XRP" and predicted a rally once U.S. spot XRP ETFs begin trading.
These statements, coupled with Ripple's applications for a national bank charter and a Fed master account, reinforce the narrative that Ripple is establishing an institutional infrastructure.
XRP Price: Recent Movements and Breakout Potential
Following its peak near $3.35 in mid-August 2025, XRP has undergone consolidation within the low-$2 range. In early November, it was trading between approximately $2.21 and $2.40.
Technical analysts have identified resistance around the $2.28 mark. On December 2, the token experienced an intraday gain of about 6% and closed near $2.18, marking a recovery from its early December lows.
If XRP can achieve a convincing break above $2.28, analyst Ali Martinez anticipates a bullish target of around $2.75, a level that acted as a ceiling in late 2024 and 2025.
For additional context, according to XRP news reports, the coin averaged approximately $2.03 in December 2025, a decrease from $2.16 in November and significantly below July's average of $3.00.
Sustained trading volume and overall strength in the cryptocurrency market would be necessary to support such a price increase.
On-chain data has shown positive trends. The new U.S. XRP ETFs, which were launched on November 13, 2025, have collectively attracted roughly $750–$800 million in net inflows to date.
Futures open interest in XRP has also seen an uptick. These institutional investment flows lend support to the hypothesis that XRP's price may have underlying buying pressure.
Nevertheless, some analysts caution that the Ripple native coin faces competition from stablecoins and other payment networks. Consequently, a "clean break" above the $2.27–$2.30 range is considered crucial for maintaining upward momentum.
With all these factors in consideration, XRP's price action in early 2026 will be a significant indicator. If XRP consistently closes above the $2.28–$2.30 zone with strong trading volume, it could convincingly advance towards $2.75.
In such a scenario, it would validate Garlinghouse's optimistic outlook, as institutions continue to invest through ETFs and Ripple's payment rails experience broader adoption.
Conversely, a failure to maintain support around the $2.15–$2.20 levels could result in XRP remaining within its current trading range.
For the time being, Ripple's proactive institutional strategy and the pronouncements from Brad Garlinghouse provide investors with points of interest.
However, only confirmed price movements will definitively determine whether 2026 indeed becomes the crypto's "most bullish year."