XRP Price Action Is Quietly Turning Bullish

XRP pushed back toward the $2 level after a strong intraday move, with momentum accelerating on lower timeframes as buyers stepped in aggressively.

The short-term breakout comes as broader sentiment around XRP remains deeply divided in a setup that often precedes volatile continuation moves rather than clean reversals.

The renewed optimism follows commentary from cryptocurrency analyst Zach Rector, who outlined why he believes XRP is setting up for a much larger structural move into 2026, even if near-term price action remains choppy.

Why The Recent XRP Move Matters

On lower timeframes, XRP has transitioned from consolidation into expansion, reclaiming levels that previously capped upside. Volume expanded alongside price, suggesting the move wasn’t purely mechanical but driven by renewed participation.

While the rally itself is modest, the context is what stands out. XRP’s strength is emerging during a period of muted retail interest, subdued Google search trends, and lingering skepticism following missed price expectations earlier in the cycle.

Historically, XRP has tended to build strongest when enthusiasm is absent rather than euphoric.

The 2026 Thesis: Patience Over Hype

Rector’s broader argument centers on timing mismatches. According to his analysis on December 29, many investors underestimated how slowly global financial infrastructure adapts, particularly in areas like cross-border payments, regulatory clarity, and institutional settlement systems.

“The timeline that we want isn’t the timeline that we’re getting. (…) Ground the expectations in reality, which is that these banks move slow. We’re talking about the fourth industrial revolution. It does not happen overnight.”

Rather than signaling failure, XRP’s slower-than-expected price appreciation reflects delayed adoption timelines. Regulatory frameworks, bank integrations, and liquidity corridors are progressing, just not at the pace retail markets initially assumed. As he explained:

In that context, 2026 becomes less about instant parabolic moves and more about compounding structural progress. XRP doesn’t need constant speculative inflows to appreciate if its utility footprint continues expanding behind the scenes.

Supply, Liquidity, And Expectations

Another key point Rector highlighted is the difference between visible supply and available supply. While XRP may appear liquid on exchanges, much of it is effectively inactive, held by long-term participants unwilling to sell at current prices. 

That dynamic doesn’t guarantee explosive upside, but it does tighten conditions when demand does return.

Crucially, he stresses expectation management. Investors anchoring to extreme price predictions risk exiting early or abandoning positions entirely if timelines slip. By contrast, treating XRP as the long-duration infrastructure play reframes volatility as noise rather than failure.

At press time, the price of XRP stood at $1.87, indicating a 0.13% gain on the day, amid losing 2.7% across the week, and declining 14.43% over the past month, per the latest chart information.

Short-Term Momentum, Long-Term Positioning

In the near term, XRP’s move back toward $2 aligns with Rector’s recent posts and video suggesting capital flows are beginning to rotate back into the asset. Whether that momentum sustains is secondary to the bigger picture of XRP being accumulated quietly, not chased loudly.

As the crypto expert summarized his long-term view:

“From the very beginning and still to this day, XRP to me is a reserve currency of the new financial system. (…) The fundamentals are greater than they were when I first started investing in XRP.”

Markets rarely reward impatience, and XRP’s current phase appears less like distribution and more like preparation, with short-term breakouts acting as reminders that suppressed assets don’t stay quiet forever.

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