XRP Price Reclaims $2, Now Ranks Fourth-Largest Crypto

On Saturday, Jan. 3, XRP has shown its strongest performance in months. XRP is now trading at $2.01, up 6% over the past 24 hours.

Its market cap has risen to $122.05 billion, representing a 5.81% increase, making it the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.

The 24-hour trading volume surged 162.02% to $4.21 billion, signaling a sharp pickup in market activity behind the price move.

Open interest currently stands at $1.3 billion, with a 24-hour increase of 5.33%, indicating rising participation and growing positioning in the market.

2026 starts with crypto rally

Despite Bitcoin struggling to regain momentum in the first days of 2026, altcoins have seen a massive spike in trading volume. 

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index remains in the “Fear” zone, although it appears to be moving toward the “Neutral” direction.

According to data from SoSoValue, XRP ETFs have seen $13.5 million in inflows in the past 24 hours.

Since the initial Bitcoin ETF was launched two years ago, ETFs have been seen as the key source of liquidity, supporting not only Bitcoin but the crypto market in general. 

XRPhas finished December with an ETF flow profile that looks different from the rest of the big names, and the timing is lining up with a new security narrative rather than another speed pitch. 

CoinShares data for the week ending Dec. 27 show XRP investment products taking in $70.2 million, while Bitcoin products saw $443 million in outflows, with total digital-asset products down $446 million for the week.

XRP price prediction

Standard Chartered forecasts that XRP could reach $12.50 by the end of 2028. Geoffrey Kendrick, the bank’s Global Head of Digital Assets Research, projects XRP at $5.50 in 2024, $8 in 2026, $10.40 in 2027, and $12.50 by late 2028.  

That path implies a gain of more than 500% over the next three years. Standard Chartered also suggests XRP could surpass Ethereum in market capitalization, becoming the second-largest cryptocurrency by late 2028. 

The call followed the launch of the first U.S. XRP ETF, which does not offer direct exposure to the token. Instead, it uses swap-based instruments designed to track XRP’s price, making it a distinctive product in the digital asset market.