A market commentator has assessed the price at which XRP must rise to facilitate sovereign-scale settlements with ease.

Today, XRP trades slightly above $1.9, but most analysts believe the crypto asset remains undervalued, especially when considering its potential role in global settlements. 

Notably, they believe large banks and sovereign institutions would need XRP priced much higher to move value smoothly and efficiently. Dr. Kamila Stevenson has supported this view, noting that banks would struggle to meet settlement needs at today’s price levels.

XRP Needs to Trade at $1,500-$3,000

Interestingly, Rob Cunningham of the KUWL Show shares this belief. In a recent post on X, Cunningham assessed the price range at which XRP could remove pre-funding, limit slippage, and ease liquidity pressure for sovereign-scale transactions.

Cunningham based his analysis on global settlement volumes, order book depth, central bank transaction sizes, and the need to reduce balance-sheet strain. From this, he concluded that XRP would need to trade between $1,500 and $3,000 to operate cleanly at a sovereign level.

To explain his reasoning, Cunningham presented a scenario where XRP trades around $2,000. At this price, he estimated the network value at about $200 trillion. 

Meanwhile, with a velocity assumption of 10x, he suggested the XRP Ledger could support up to $2 quadrillion in daily settlement capacity. He added that a single XRP would then represent a meaningful settlement unit. This would allow large sovereign transactions to clear without splitting liquidity across multiple pools.

At such price levels, Cunningham believes XRP’s role would change entirely. He argued that XRP would no longer behave like a speculative asset. Instead, it would function as financial infrastructure and act as a settlement rail and a reserve asset. 

Moreover, liquidity would become largely seamless, the cost of capital would move toward zero, and XRP would behave more like a system that powers finance rather than a typical form of money.

How Could Lower XRP Prices Work?

Notably, Cunningham also assessed how this would work at lower price levels. He said XRP around $500 could still be feasible, but only with inefficiencies. 

At that range, institutions would rely on workarounds that XRP was designed to avoid. To him, the $1,500 to $3,000 range marks the point where XRP fully delivers on its intended purpose. Beyond this level, the market would focus less on price and more on capacity.

He then explained that once markets recognize XRP as essential infrastructure, its price would no longer move like that of a normal asset. Specifically, instead of responding to earnings, stories, or cycles, XRP would reprice based on its role in the financial system. 

Cunningham believes institutions would treat XRP as a required tool, long-term holders would stop selling, and available supply would tighten.

A Three-Stage Valuation Process for XRP

The market pundit compared this to major historical changes, such as reserve currency transitions or the recognition of critical infrastructure. Notably, he called attention to a potential three-stage price process. 

The first stage would involve a rapid recognition period, due to clear regulation, sovereign or treasury-level adoption, or firm signals of real institutional use. During this time, he expects sharp price increases that could range from 5x to 20x in weeks.

The second stage would follow as markets focus on future demand rather than current pricing. Cunningham said this phase could push XRP from $100 to $500 and then toward $1,500 without heavy retail involvement. Specifically, institutional planning, market positioning ahead of scarcity, and capital shifts from bonds and foreign exchange markets would drive this move.

Meanwhile, in a subsequent post, Cunningham presented a third stage lasting one to three years. During this phase, XRP would enter what he described as infrastructure pricing. 

Late Update – apologies that I missed including this key section in my original post.

Phase III – Infrastructure Pricing (1–3 years)

At this point:
• XRP is no longer “priced”
• It’s managed

Think:
• yield curves
• collateral haircuts
• corridor liquidity…

— Rob Cunningham | KUWL.show (@KuwlShow) December 22, 2025

Notably, the markets would manage XRP through frameworks like liquidity corridors and collateral rules rather than speculation. Volatility would ease only after prices rise enough to remove liquidity stress, making four-digit prices normal instead of exceptional.

Cunningham concluded that most of XRP’s price adjustment would happen before broad agreement feels comfortable. According to him, XRP would rise not because belief spreads, but because institutions cannot afford to risk losing access to important settlement infrastructure.

South Korean scientist YoungHoon Kim, who claims to have the world’s highest IQ, has outlined a long-term scenario in which XRP could reach $1,000.

Kim shared his view on X, stating that XRP could approach $1,000 over the next 10 years. He stressed that this is not financial advice and is based on a specific set of assumptions rather than a short-term price prediction. Notably, the outlook suggests that $1,000 XRP could occur by 2035.

YoungHoon Kim’s 10-Year XRP Scenario

According to Kim, such a valuation would require a large-scale migration of capital into crypto, a decline in the U.S. dollar’s value, and sustained high inflation. From his perspective, under these conditions, the numbers themselves do not rule out the possibility.

Notably, this post came just days after Kim predicted that XRP’s price could reach $100 within five years. He now envisions another tenfold expansion over the following five-year period.

At the time of his comment, XRP was trading around $1.87, with a circulating supply of 60.57 billion tokens. This makes the projection highly controversial, as it would require a market capitalization of roughly $60.57 trillion.

Market Cap Concerns

Given these implications, other market participants challenged Kim’s outlook. X user Utumax argued that XRP reaching $1,000 would imply a market capitalization larger than that of gold. Accordingly, he called the scenario unrealistic.

Kim responded by suggesting that only those with a high level of understanding would grasp his reasoning.

Only high IQ knows.

— YoungHoon Kim, IQ 276 (@yhbryankimiq) December 22, 2025

Meanwhile, YouTuber Zach Humphries asked Kim to explain the implied market capitalization of XRP at $1,000 and to outline the methodology behind the forecast. Humphries noted that while he remains bullish on XRP, he would be satisfied with a move toward $100 over the next decade. Interestingly, other commenters argue “market cap is irrelevant.”

Market cap is irrelevant.

— Jay (@XRPDawgg) December 22, 2025

Others, like X user Jamila, mocked the projection, saying that the supposed world’s smartest person issued a prediction while failing to factor in reality.

Another community member added that long-term value in crypto is driven by adoption, liquidity, and real-world use — not timelines or headline-grabbing price targets.

Top Voices Calling for $1,000 XRP

While Kim’s $1,000 XRP prediction faces criticism, the outlook is widespread within the XRP community. In February, Matthew Brienen, COO of CryptoCharged, said XRP reaching $100–$1,000 within 10 years is “highly possible.”

He revealed that XRP makes up 50% of his portfolio, which he has held and staked for over five years. Brienen plans to sell some XRP in the short term but hold a portion for 5–10 years. He cites XRP’s remittance utility, fast, low-cost global transfers, as the key driver for the outlook.

Separately, investor Armando Pantoja said he is willing to wait ten years for XRP’s price to reach $1,000, given the extraordinary upside that could follow. He argues that XRP is deeply undervalued after years of regulatory pressure from the SEC lawsuit, which he says suppressed its price.

Despite the popular optimism, critics continue to push back on the outlook. They consider a $60 trillion market cap unrealistic, noting that it raises questions about where Bitcoin, Ethereum, and gold would stand if XRP, which currently ranks below them, were to reach that level.

XRP has remained under pressure as the broader crypto market continues to struggle, but a Japanese financial commentator believes an upsurge may be imminent. 

Angorou, a well-known market analyst in Japan, recently shared a market commentary suggesting that XRP could climb to 1,000 yen, which equals roughly $6.41, based on current exchange rates.

At the time of his analysis, XRP traded at $1.99, or around 300 yen. Despite recent price weakness, Angorou contended that structural and regulatory developments would help XRP put up a stronger performance in 2026.

XRP’s Price Journey Since November 2024

In his commentary, Angorou highlighted XRP’s recent price history to explain how the market arrived at its current position. Specifically, on Nov. 3, 2024, XRP traded at 75 yen. Three days later, on November 6, 2024, Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election. 

Angorou pointed out that Trump’s campaign promised to support cryptocurrency growth and remove SEC Chair Gary Gensler. According to the market pundit, this led many investors to expect an end to the legal battle between the SEC and Ripple.

Notably, this optimism triggered a sharp rally. XRP broke above 500 yen in January 2025 before sliding back into the 200-yen range following what Angorou described as a tax-driven shock. XRP later recovered and reached a new all-time high of 542 yen in July 2025.

After this peak, momentum faded. Specifically, XRP entered a steady decline and eventually fell to around 303 yen. From its July high, XRP has dropped 45%, placing it among the weaker performers within the top-ranked cryptocurrencies by market cap, though not the worst.

Whale Holdings Show Changing Market Sentiment

Angorou also called attention to on-chain data, focusing on whale addresses holding more than 1 million XRP, which equals over 300 million yen at current prices. On Nov. 6, 2024, the number of these large holders stood at 2,111.

Following Trump’s election victory, whale accumulation accelerated quickly, moving in step with XRP’s price surge. XRP hit its 2025 peak in July, while the whale count continued rising and reached a record 2,758 addresses in October 2025.

As prices dropped sharply after that point, whale participation declined just as fast. Notably, the count fell back to 2,011, roughly matching levels seen during the U.S. election period. Angorou also noted growing signs that retail investors had begun exiting XRP, adding to the downward trend.

XRP ETF Inflows Persist Despite Price Declines

However, while price action and on-chain data suggested weakening sentiment, Angorou highlighted a major contradiction: institutional capital continued to flow into XRP. In November, Canary Capital launched the first pure XRP spot ETF in the United States, and the fund’s performance immediately stood out.

Four more products have since emerged. Interestingly, since their launch, the XRP ETFs have recorded no days of net outflows. From the Nov. 14 peak onward, the ETF logged 25 consecutive business days of inflows, reaching a cumulative total of about $1.07 billion, or roughly 169 billion yen at the time of Angorou’s analysis.

By comparison, in their best periods, Bitcoin ETFs recorded 19 straight inflow days, Ethereum ETFs reached 20 days, and Solana ETFs hit 21 days. XRP now holds the longest inflow streak in the crypto ETF market.

Clear Regulation Could Drive XRP’s 2026 Outlook

Meanwhile, Angorou believes regulatory clarity could become the defining catalyst for XRP in 2026. He highlighted the Clarity Act, which could clearly classify cryptocurrencies as either securities or commodities. 

Under this Act, the SEC oversees securities, while the CFTC regulates commodities with fewer restrictions. Regulators already recognize Bitcoin as a commodity, and growing evidence supports a similar classification for Ethereum. 

Angorou argued that formal recognition of XRP as a commodity by Congress would allow U.S. financial institutions to adopt Ripple’s remittance technology without legal risk. He also mentioned Ripple’s recent conditional approval to operate as a trust bank, suggesting the company could expand into regulated banking services.

XRP-to-Bitcoin Ratio Supports a 1,000 Yen Price

To estimate XRP’s upside, Angorou assessed its historical ratio relative to Bitcoin. During XRP’s strongest reputation phase, the ratio peaked at 0.48, with an average of 0.169. During the 4-year-and-8-month SEC lawsuit period, the ratio averaged 0.042 under the Biden administration and 0.069 after Trump’s election.

Angorou believes regulatory clarity and institutional adoption could push the ratio back toward 0.169. If Bitcoin’s price remains stable and XRP closes that gap, XRP could reach around 780 yen. 

However, under two conditions, including the passage of the market structure law and Bitcoin rising above 20 million yen ($128,000) amid debate over a National Bitcoin Reserve Act, he expects XRP to exceed 1,000 yen in 2026, equivalent to approximately $6.41.