Crypto markets 'will reach an all-time high' this year, says Ripple CEO

• Ripple won its legal battle against the SEC in March 2025 after spending $150 million fighting allegations related to $1.3 billion raised through XRP sales
• The GENIUS Act passed in June 2025 established regulatory guardrails including full reserve backing and monthly audits for stablecoins, which Garlinghouse expects to 'scale in a very big way'
• Standard Chartered analysts project XRP could reach $8 in 2026 and $12.50 by 2028, while Garlinghouse sees a 'really nice opportunity to grow for the next 10 years' for cryptocurrencies overall

Summary

Key Outlook: Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse predicts cryptocurrency markets will reach all-time highs in 2026, expressing strong bullish sentiment on the sector's trajectory at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Market Context: Bitcoin previously hit an all-time high of approximately $126,000 in October 2025 but traded around $89,000 as of Wednesday, representing a roughly 29% decline from peak levels.

Regulatory Developments:

• The GENIUS Act, passed in June, establishes industry guardrails including full reserve backing and monthly audits for stablecoins
• The SEC dropped its legal case against Ripple in March after the company spent $150 million in legal defense
• The original case involved accusations of raising $1.3 billion through XRP token sales
• Garlinghouse expressed optimism about the pending Clarity Act framework for cryptocurrency regulation

Company-Specific Performance: XRP, Ripple's payments token, traded at approximately $1.90 on Wednesday. Standard Chartered analysts project XRP could reach $8 in 2026 and $12.50 by 2028, though Garlinghouse declined to comment on these targets.

Market Implications:

• Garlinghouse believes institutional interest from major financial institutions represents a "massive sea change" not yet fully priced into crypto markets
• He identified stablecoins as a key use case for 2026, expecting them to "scale in a very big way" and improve operational efficiency in areas like payroll
• The CEO characterized the current environment as "settling into a really nice opportunity to grow for the next 10 years"

Investment Thesis: Improved regulatory clarity and increasing institutional adoption are positioned as primary catalysts for sustained cryptocurrency market growth.