XRP May Trade Sideways In 2026 Until More Catalysts Emerge: Analysts

Crypto analysts are anticipating XRP’s price to trade sideways heading into the new year, at least until more bullish catalysts emerge.

“We maintain a view that the latter half of 2026 will provide more constructive conditions for risk assets in general, but in the short term, we have a slightly bearish tilt on altcoins until BTC consolidates or forms a bottom,” Nansen senior research analyst Jake Kennis told Cointelegraph.

Kennis is holding off on specific price predictions for 2026 amid market uncertainty but pointed to several catalysts that could drive XRP (XRP) higher, including potential spot ETF approvals, deeper integration with global payment rails, and “increased efforts to make XRP a liquidity or bridge asset.”

XRP may not start off with a “strong new trend,” says exec

XRP is down 14.63% since Jan. 1, trading at $1.84 at the time of publication, according to CoinMarketCap. 

Meanwhile, Jesus Perez, CEO of Posidonia21 Capital Partners, told Cointelegraph that XRP may record sideways price action as we head into the new year. “We see XRP holding around current levels in a constructive market scenario, rather than initiating a strong new trend,” Perez said.

“XRP’s upside will likely depend more on narrative persistence and market sentiment than on fundamental transformation,” Perez said.

XRP ETFs have been performing strong recently

“While discussions around staking have emerged, the lack of a clear yield mechanism continues to represent a structural limitation compared to competing assets,” he added.

Earlier this month, US-based spot XRP ETFs surpassed $1 billion in assets, which CEO of crypto price index provider CF Benchmarks, Sui Chung, said is “because of the familiarity.”

Related: If 2026 brings an alteason, will ETH, BNB, XRP, SOL and DOGE be the top performers?

“It has a long track record,” Chung said.

Overall, market analysts are anticipating a mix for 2026. Some say Bitcoin’s current conditions may make it hard for the broader crypto market to reach new all-time highs.

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