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Figure Heloc Standard Chartered Calls for $8 XRP by 2026 Why the Market Isn’t Buying the Hype Yet
Timothy Young 
A bold bank forecast meets a very muted price reaction
Standard Chartered just turned a few heads in the crypto world. The bank’s head of digital assets research, Geoffrey Kendrick, raised his long-term price target for XRP to $8 by 2026, implying roughly 330% upside from recent levels around $1.86. On paper, that’s a big call. In reality, the market barely reacted. XRP’s price hardly moved, which says a lot about how traders still treat bank research: interesting to read, but not something to trade on blindly.
Still, when a major global bank starts publishing multi-year price models for XRP, it’s worth paying attention. Even if traders shrug in the short term, it’s another sign that crypto has moved deeper into the mainstream financial conversation. XRP is no longer just a retail debate topic — it’s something institutions feel obligated to analyze seriously.
Why Standard Chartered is getting bullish
Kendrick’s optimism rests on two big developments. First, Ripple’s long-running legal fight with the SEC is largely behind it. After years of uncertainty, the ruling brought clarity around secondary market trading, removing the biggest regulatory overhang for most investors.
Second, spot XRP ETFs in the U.S. have already attracted more than $1 billion in inflows. That matters because ETFs give traditional investors a clean, regulated way to gain exposure without dealing with wallets, private keys, or crypto exchanges. For compliance-focused institutions, that’s often the difference between watching from the sidelines and actually allocating capital.
Short-term charts tell a different story
While the long-term narrative sounds tidy, the short-term setup is far less convincing. Despite strong ETF demand, technical indicators are flashing caution. The MACD is showing signs of bearish divergence, suggesting momentum may be fading.
In plain English, XRP could still see a pullback toward lower support levels before any sustained multi-year rally takes shape. That disconnect between long-term optimism and short-term weakness helps explain why the market didn’t rush to reprice XRP after the report.
What XRP actually does and why it’s still relevant
At its core, Ripple is a payments company, and XRP is designed to act as a bridge asset for cross-border transfers. It’s not always visible to end users, but it can make moving money faster and cheaper behind the scenes. That real-world utility is a big reason XRP has remained relevant even during periods of heavy criticism.
The SEC lawsuit, first filed in 2020, cast a long shadow over the project. While the final outcome wasn’t a total victory, it removed the existential risk that kept many investors away. Once the SEC dropped its appeal, U.S. spot XRP ETFs became viable, changing the asset’s institutional profile almost overnight.
The risks haven’t disappeared
None of this suddenly makes XRP a low-risk asset. It still trades like a high-beta altcoin, often moving more sharply than Bitcoin in both directions. Critics also point out that some banks use Ripple’s software without XRP, while stablecoins could compete with its payment use case. Ripple’s large token holdings remain another ongoing concern.
That’s why Kendrick’s $8 target should be treated as one possible outcome, not a promise. For holders, it’s not a signal to switch off risk management. For newcomers, it’s a reminder to size positions carefully and expect volatility.
The smarter approach is simple: follow the data. ETF flows, real-world payment volumes, and activity on the XRP Ledger will matter far more than any single bank forecast. If those trends keep improving, the market won’t need a headline price target to figure out where XRP should trade next.
About the Author
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