Standard Chartered has released a new report forecasting a huge rise in the price of XRP, the digital currency developed by Ripple.
According to a new report from Geoffrey Kendrick, the bank’s global head of digital assets research, XRP could see its price rise from around $2 to $12.50 by the end of 2028, a potential increase of more than 500%.
Even more striking, Kendrick believes XRP’s market capitalization could surpass Ethereum’s, making it the second-largest non-stablecoin cryptocurrency behind only Bitcoin. He added tthat he “tariff mess” will soon be resolved, and bitcoin’s strong performance during the chaos suggests the entire crypto market could rise further.
A big factor is regulatory clarity, especially the recent announcement from Ripple’s CEO Brad Garlinghouse that the SEC has dropped its appeal in the XRP case.
Kendrick says this move was expected after Donald Trump, who is seen as more crypto-friendly, won the U.S. election. He also predicts the SEC to authorize XRP spot ETFs during the third quarter of 2025 and draw in $4–8 billion in the first year of investment.
Kendrick points to XRP’s primary application: enabling fast, cheap cross-border payments. He states that cross-border payments are among the fastest-growing crypto applications, such as stablecoins, which are increasing 50% annually and may increase 10x within four years.
Ripple is also entering the tokenization space with projects like tokenized U.S. Treasury funds and its new USD-backed stablecoin, RLUSD. Kendrick believes this could turn the XRP Ledger (XRPL) into a major platform for real-world asset tokenization, similar to Stellar, which already has success in this area.
Looking forward, Kendrick envisions XRP to hit $5.50 by the close of 2024, go up to $8.00 by 2026, and top out at $12.50 by 2028, holding steady at that price through 2029. These projections are founded on the premise that Bitcoin hits $500,000 in 2028. With more inflation than bitcoin, Kendrick still thinks that XRP will fare well.
Still, XRP faces some hurdles. Its developer community is smaller, and its low transaction fees limit how much value it can capture. But Kendrick believes the positives , like regulatory progress and expanding use cases, outweigh these challenges.
Also Read: Avalanche AVAX Price to Surge 10X by 2029: Standard Chartered
