Standard Chartered Bank predicts a massive rise for Ripple's XRP in the coming years before U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office.
In a memo released on Tuesday, the global investment bank began covering XRP, indicating that the digital currency could reach $12.50 by the end of 2028, up from about $1.90 at the time of writing. In percentage terms, this would represent a 550% increase.
The forecasts are based on XRP's potential to 'keep up with the expected increases in Bitcoin's real value', supported by its role in cross-border payments and conversion to digital tokens.
The value of XRP surged sixfold in the two months following Trump's victory in the 2024 elections, marking the strongest gain among major digital assets.
Geoff Kendrick, head of global digital asset research at Standard Chartered Bank, attributes this to expectations that the Securities and Exchange Commission will drop its appeal against Ripple in a long-standing legal case. This move was confirmed in March, helping to remove a major obstacle from XRP's prospects.
Kendrick expects the XRP Ledger (XRPL) to benefit from structural growth in blockchain payments, an area where stablecoins have already seen rapid expansion in transaction volumes.
The analyst believes that XRP's gains after the elections are 'sustainable', not only due to the recent reshaping of the SEC's leadership 'but also because XRP occupies a unique position at the heart of one of the fastest-growing use cases for digital assets - facilitating cross-border payments and currency exchanges'.
Another key driver behind Kendrick's optimism is Ripple's recent push towards the conversion to digital tokens. Real assets like money market funds and treasury bills have started launching on XRPL, a trend the bank sees accelerating.
