Standard Chartered Lowers XRP 2026 Price Target Amid Institutional Adoption Hurdles

Geoffrey Kendrick, head of digital asset research at Standard Chartered, has significantly reduced his 2026 price projection for XRP. While his previous forecast targeted $8 by December 2026, the revised estimate now stands at $2.80. Despite this reduction, the new target implies a 107% increase from the current trading price of $1.35. The revision comes as the asset struggles to establish itself as a primary bridge currency for cross-border payments. While Ripple's On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) platform aims to disrupt the SWIFT messaging system by offering faster, cheaper settlements, institutional adoption has remained stagnant. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse previously projected a 14% market share of SWIFT by 2030, which would represent roughly $21 trillion in annual volume, but current data suggests this goal remains elusive. Furthermore, the introduction of six spot XRP ETFs has failed to provide the expected catalyst for price growth. XRP has fallen 42% in 2026, and assets under management (AUM) for these ETFs sit at $1 billion. This represents only 1.2% of XRP's $81 billion market capitalization, a stark contrast to spot Bitcoin ETFs, which hold $95 billion in AUM and represent 6.4% of Bitcoin's $1.4 trillion market value. Adding to the pressure is the competitive landscape for stablecoins. Ripple's RLUSD is facing stiff competition from established players like USDT and USDC, limiting its ability to drive demand for the native XRP token. With the asset already down 61% from its all-time high, some analysts warn that the price could continue to slide toward $1 by the end of the year.