Key insights
- The article discusses the potential for XRP to drop below $1, presenting a contrarian buying opportunity. It highlights the success of XRP ETFs, growing institutional support, Ripple's business developments, and the potential impact of the upcoming Digital Asset Market Clarity Act as bullish factors. Despite potential price dips, the author believes institutional investors will support XRP, and the company's progress and regulatory clarity could drive future growth.
Right now, XRP (XRP +1.23%) is teetering on the edge of $1, and crypto investors are understandably concerned. If XRP breaks through the psychologically important $1 price level, it could go into free fall as investors abandon it entirely.
However, let's take a contrarian view. If XRP drops below $1, it could present a unique buying opportunity for bargain-hunting crypto investors. After all, XRP is down nearly 70% from its 2025 high and could be ready to rebound.
The first big reason to be bullish involves the new spot XRP ETFs that launched last year. By all accounts, they have been a smash success. In just the first 50 days, they pulled in more than $1 billion from investors. Even during the recent market turbulence, they have held up surprisingly well.
That leads me to think there's growing institutional investor support for XRP. So I'm not nearly as worried about XRP going into free fall as I am about other cryptocurrencies. (Yes, Cardano, I'm looking at you.) If anything, these institutional investors will buy the dip, helping keep XRP's price steady.
At the same time, Ripple (the company behind the XRP token) has been on a roll of late as it builds out an end-to-end blockchain-based payment system powered by XRP. The company raised $500 million from VC investors in November, valuing it at $40 billion. Then in March, the company started buying back shares at an implied valuation of $50 billion.
This is another positive signal. It means that there's a quality, deep-pocketed fintech firm behind XRP. And Ripple has partnered with some of the biggest names in banking and finance. Earlier this year, for example, credit card giant Mastercard included Ripple in its new Crypto Partner program.
Best of all, XRP may have a major catalyst this summer. That's when a piece of blockbuster crypto legislation, the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act ("Clarity Act"), is set to be signed into law.
If that happens -- and it's still a big "if" given all the twists and turns in Washington -- it could unlock tremendous value for XRP and accelerate institutional adoption. The purpose of the Clarity Act is to make it easier for institutions to work with crypto, which plays directly into the hands of Ripple, which is trying to convince institutions to adopt blockchain solutions.
That being said, it's not clear how much higher XRP can go in 2026. Right now, prediction market traders on Kalshi say there is a 49% chance that XRP drops below $1 in June and a 19% chance it falls below $0.90.
However, I'm willing to take that chance. XRP under $1 is simply too cheap. If it falls below $1 this summer, I'm buying the dip.