•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Standard Chartered has cut its 2026 price target for XRP by 65%, citing ETF outflows and broader macro pressure as reasons for the revision. In a note to investors, the bank lowered its forecast for XRP from $8 to $2.80 and said it expects further weakness in the crypto market.
The downgrade follows a sharp downturn across digital assets in February. Geoffrey Kendrick, global head of digital assets research at Standard Chartered, said recent price action has been “challenging, to say the least,” adding that the bank expects further declines near term and has lowered forecasts across the asset class.
During the selloff, XRP fell to $1.16, its lowest level in more than a year. The token later rebounded, but remains below earlier highs.
Standard Chartered also lowered projections for other major cryptocurrencies. The bank reduced its year-end Bitcoin target from $150,000 to $100,000, cut its Ethereum forecast from $7,000 to $4,000, and lowered its Solana target from $250 to $135.
The bank said XRP is expected to move in line with Ethereum over time.
Bitcoin declined about 28% over the past month before recovering from near $60,000. Other large-cap tokens posted similar losses over the same period.
XRP began 2026 with strong gains, rising 25% in the first week of the year. On January 5, assets in XRP exchange-traded funds reached a record $1.6 billion, according to SoSoValue. That figure later fell by roughly 40% as sentiment weakened.
Standard Chartered said the wider crypto market experienced one of its steepest pullbacks in nearly four years, with analysts pointing to weaker risk appetite and tighter financial conditions.
Attention is now on the Clarity Act in the US Senate. Supporters say the bill could provide clearer rules for digital assets, and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said its passage may support market recovery.
Ripple chief legal officer Stuart Alderoty said he had a “productive session” at the White House, adding: “Clear, bipartisan momentum remains behind sensible crypto market structure legislation.”
Premium gym chains are entering a “golden era” that is ending or already in decline, as rising operating costs collide with shifting consumer preferences toward more flexible, community-based ways to exercise. Long-term memberships are shrinking, margins are pressured by higher rents and facility expenses, and competition from smaller, more personalized…
