Will 2026 Be a Massive Year for XRP?

In crypto, when new technical infrastructure launches, investors tend to assume that the price of the corresponding coin should instantly rerate upwards. That's a tempting mental shortcut to take, because it sometimes proves to be true. But the odds are good that for XRP (CRYPTO: XRP), the path forward will be more about proving that the new tech is valuable rather than simply reaping returns from the headlines documenting its launch.

In other words, 2026 will probably be a year of stress-testing the stuff that shipped in 2025. Here's why you shouldn't be holding your breath for 2026 to be a massive year for this coin.

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The new sidechain needs to find users

In mid-2025, the XRP Ledger's (XRPL's) new Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) launched. Now, developers can run smart contracts using familiar tools from the Ethereum ecosystem, instead of learning a completely new tech stack. That's a big enabler for the chain, as it massively lowers the switching costs for developers who are currently building on other networks but would be willing to build on the XRPL if there was a reason to do so -- like lots of capital seeking a return from an investment in a new decentralized finance (DeFi) service, for example.

Still, compatibility with the languages programmers are already using is not the same thing as actual traction. There are plenty of other leading blockchains with EVM compatibility. A chain can offer great tooling and still fail to attract users or developers (or capital) if there isn't a compelling reason to be there instead of somewhere else. So in practice, the growth of activity on XRP's EVM sidechain in 2026, or lack thereof, will be one of the things driving the coin's price.

Thus far, the evidence is pretty clear on how strong an effect the current level of EVM sidechain activity is having on XRP's price. For all of Jan. 7, a piddling $38 in chain revenue was generated. There is effectively zero in the way of economic activity happening there. That could and probably will change for the better over time. But for now, there's no reason to suspect that it might power XRP to a huge bull run in 2026, because there's no trend of growth.

This could change if Ripple, the company that issues XRP, does a big push to promote the sidechain and other XRPL features, which is the topic we'll now turn to.

Ripple's development and acquisition work is ongoing

Ripple's activities will be another major driver of XRP's performance in 2026. If their recent actions are any indication, they'll probably give investors at least a few reasons to want to buy more of the coin.

For example, in 2025, Ripple purchased the prime broker called Hidden Road, as well as a crypto custody company, a payments company, and other related businesses. It also launched the XRPL's native stablecoin, Ripple USD, which it now has the freedom to scale up so as to give clients like financial institutions more liquidity with which to trade. If RLUSD becomes used meaningfully in clients' financial workflows centered around collateral and transaction settlement, it'll bring more traffic to the XRPL by default, and it might boost XRP's price along the way.

Still, the unavoidable truth is that XRP's path in 2026 is far more likely to be a slow grind forward rather than an upward explosion. The financial institutions and institutional investors that Ripple is hoping will want to use XRP and its stablecoin are, by nature, slow-moving and conservative. At the same time, after a year of making big acquisitions and improvements to the XRPL, it's also quite hard to see how Ripple will maintain the same pace of expanding its repertoire in 2026.

So will 2026 be a massive year for XRP? Probably not, but the stars are nonetheless very much aligned for it to still be worth more at the end of the year than it is right now.

Alex Carchidi has positions in Ethereum. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Ethereum and XRP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.