As 2026 begins, Ripple has finally put its long-running SEC battle behind it. With the legal overhang gone, attention has shifted to a possible Ripple IPO valued near $50 billion, which many analysts see as the single biggest potential catalyst for XRP this year.
XRP is already showing early signs of stabilization as the broader market attempts a gradual recovery. At the time of writing, the token is up about 1% on the day and trades near $1.12, where it continues to defend key monthly support levels.
The launch of spot XRP ETFs has added to the bullish setup. Investors are now asking whether XRP could see a major “decoupling” in the first quarter of 2026, breaking away from the wider market as institutional demand builds.
While XRP focuses on upgrading global payment rails, a new project is tackling scalability at the Bitcoin layer. Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER) has emerged as a high-utility complement for investors searching for one of the best crypto opportunities heading into early 2026.
Source – 99Bitcoins YouTube Channel
Bitcoin and Ethereum still lead the crypto market. Bitcoin is fighting resistance near $90,000, while Ethereum is trying to hold above $3,000. If either breaks higher, the move could spark a strong shift into altcoins, with XRP likely to benefit the most.
Big investors are already changing their behavior. After money flowed out in late December, demand flipped sharply at the end of 2025. On December 30, 2025, U.S. spot crypto ETFs pulled in fresh inflows, including about $50 million into XRP alone. That trend has continued into the new year.
As of today, XRP ETFs have posted net inflows for 30 straight days, pushing total assets above $1.1 billion. With 11 more XRP ETF applications still pending, Ripple is now competing head-to-head with Ethereum and Solana for institutional capital.
The 2026 outlook also looks stronger as major obstacles fade. The SEC case is now closed, and the Trump administration has signaled support for pro-innovation crypto rules. As a result, the legal pressure that weighed on XRP is quickly disappearing.
Momentum continues to build as well. Reports from January 2, 2026, list Ripple as a leading candidate for one of the year’s biggest IPOs. A valuation near $50 billion would place Ripple among the world’s top 10 private companies, alongside firms like SpaceX and OpenAI.
As Q1 2026 begins, the focus has shifted from survival to growth. Analysts at Standard Chartered now say steady ETF inflows could push XRP out of its long consolidation phase. Under that scenario, they see XRP targeting $5 to $8 by mid-year.
Short-term price swings may continue, but clear rules, strong institutional demand, and a supportive political backdrop give XRP a real chance to challenge its old all-time highs.
From a price perspective, XRP shows strong resilience as it moves through a key consolidation phase. As of January 2, 2026, XRP trades near $1.88, posts a modest 0.3% daily gain, and rebounds from a major demand zone around $1.82.
Although XRP sits about 8% lower on the month, these moves remain small compared to past drawdowns and point to a stronger price floor as exchange supply drops to an eight-year low.
Technical signals reinforce this stabilizing trend. Long-term price structure, tracked through Elliott Wave cycles and Fibonacci extensions, outlines a clear path for the months ahead.
Source – Amonyx via X
After an early accumulation phase, XRP launched into a powerful Wave (3) rally and then shifted into an extended Wave (4) consolidation. During this period, price continued to grind higher inside a broad rising channel while absorbing selling pressure.
Current price action now points to the start of Wave (5). As in past cycles, a long period of tight compression has produced a breakout from the long-term channel. The expansion phase visible on the chart closely matches the sharp vertical advances seen during XRP’s strongest historical rallies.
Fibonacci extensions highlight clear upside levels for this new impulse. The 1.272 extension acts as near-term resistance, while the 1.618 extension signals a more aggressive target at the top of the structure. In previous cycles, XRP has accelerated quickly toward these higher levels once Wave (5) gains momentum.
With ETF-driven institutional demand tightening supply and technicals shifting from consolidation to expansion, XRP now appears to be building momentum for a major trend reversal as 2026 begins.
While XRP provides the structural foundation for a 2026 portfolio, the search for the best crypto coin to buy is leading investors toward Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER) as a high-growth complement.
Bitcoin Hyper brings a new Layer 2 that makes Bitcoin easier to use in daily life. It supports fast payments, meme coins, stablecoins, DeFi, and lending, areas where Bitcoin often struggles because of slow speeds and high fees.
The network runs on the Solana Virtual Machine, which allows quick, low-cost transactions and smart contracts. Bitcoin still handles final settlement, so users keep Bitcoin’s strong security while gaining near-instant performance.
Bitcoin Hyper uses a built-in bridge that locks BTC on the main chain and moves it onto the Layer 2, where users can spend and deploy it across different apps. Instead of pulling activity away from Bitcoin, the system keeps BTC as the main currency. This approach creates real demand and expands Bitcoin’s role beyond simple storage.
The $HYPER token powers the network and covers transaction fees. The presale has already raised $30 million, with $HYPER priced at $0.013515. Even a small share of the Bitcoin Layer 2 market could push the token up to 10x after launch.
Some analysts have recently named Bitcoin Hyper as a top pick among the next cryptos to explode, which has fueled growing interest.
Investors can still buy $HYPER in the presale through the official Bitcoin Hyper website using ETH, USDT, or a credit card. Buyers can also stake their tokens right away and earn up to 39% dynamic rewards.
For storage, the team suggests Best Wallet. Many users rank it among the best crypto wallets, and $HYPER already appears in its Upcoming Tokens section for easy buying, tracking, and claiming once the token launches.
Visit Bitcoin Hyper
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