XRP continues to be deep in the red yearly.
With 2025 almost in the history books, it’s time to reflect on certain market behavior, and Ripple’s XRP is quite a curious case.
The company behind it is about to notch its perhaps best year to date. It concluded the lawsuit against the US SEC, which had lasted since the end of 2020, announced numerous partnerships with some big names, and completed several significant acquisitions, including the prime broker Hidden Road for well over $1 billion.
Its native token also had a highly impressive year, until July, that is. It surged to a new all-time high of $3.65 in the middle of that month, but it has been mostly downhill since then. XRP currently trades below $1.90, which represents a nearly 50% decline in less than half a year. Even the recently launched spot XRP ETFs couldn’t help its case as it dumped more than 20% since mid-November when the first one saw the light of day.
So, what more does XRP have to do to enjoy a happier Christmas next year?
Christmas 2026: XRP Edition
With the 2025 Christmas (almost) over, it’s safe to say that it wasn’t a particularly happy one. The 2024 Christmas saw XRP trading at around $2.30, but in this year’s edition, the asset lost the $2.00 and $1.90 support levels amid calls for a more profound price correction.
To find the answer to the question above, we decided to ask ChatGPT, and its first answer was not really groundbreaking. It said that “XRP needs to break out of its long-term downtrend” to have a happier 2026 Christmas. The first step would be to reclaim the $2.20 resistance convincingly and then break and hold above $2.50.
If successful, the bulls’ next target will be a retest of the $3.00-$3.20 level, but with strong volume – something that has been missing for the past several months.
You may also like:
Second, the AI solution said, “Translate ETF inflows into real market impact.” As repeatedly reported in the past month, the spot XRP ETFs have enjoyed investors’ attention, registering only green days since inception. However, the underlying asset has slumped by double digits within this timeframe.
To improve its position by next Christmas, XRP would need:
- Larger and more consistent ETF inflows
- Broader institutional participation
- More behemoths to join the ETF race, such as BlackRock and Fidelity
Narratives Matter
OpenAI’s solution noted that narratives matter significantly in finance and especially in crypto. While BTC continues to be the market-leader and the ‘digital gold,’ XRP needs to find its own to stage a more profound rally. According to ChatGPT, this could be a “renewed narrative around payments, a clear role in real-world tokenization, or stronger storytelling around enterprise adoption and ETF growth.”
Lastly, the AI platform noted that XRP would benefit from improvements to its on-chain utility. It admitted that “Ripple’s payment technology is solid,” but it added that the market “wants scale.” To fuel more long-term sustainable growth in value, the ecosystem would require higher on-chain settlement volume, more financial institutions using XRP liquidity in production, and expansion of ODL corridors and enterprise integrations.
SECRET PARTNERSHIP BONUS for CryptoPotato readers: Use this link to register and unlock $1,500 in exclusive BingX Exchange rewards (limited time offer).
