For a market that usually moves in one direction, some voices are starting to 
say this time might look a little different. Canary Capital CEO Steven McClurg 
said XRP could move on a different path from Bitcoin this year, pointing to 
enterprise use cases as a key reason. Related Reading: Futures Frenzy Pushed 
Crypto Exchange Volume To Nearly $80 Trillion In 2025 He made the remarks 
during a podcast with host Paul Barron, and outlined a cautious view of 
Bitcoin while singling out protocols tied to real-world tokenization. 
According to McClurg, the shift in focus toward practical applications may 
help a small set of tokens behave differently than the wider market. XRP And 
Hedera Seen As Practical Picks McClurg named the XRP Ledger and Hedera as 
examples of networks that could benefit from enterprise adoption and 
tokenization efforts. He argued that platforms with clear utility — like 
payment rails, tokenized assets, or stablecoin infrastructure — have a better 
chance of holding value when speculative momentum fades. Reports have 
disclosed that he does not expect these assets to race higher; instead, modest 
gains are the likeliest outcome, with growth described as low double-digit 
rather than explosive. Bitcoin Faces Additional Downside McClurg turned more 
negative on Bitcoin. He said he believes Bitcoin peaked on October 6, 2025, at 
$126,200. Since that date Bitcoin has slipped roughly 35% to about $95,800. He 
warned that prices could fall another 20–30% over the next six to nine months, 
which would place BTC roughly between $65,000 and $77,000 before the end of 
the cycle. Based on his view, a new all-time high is not expected in 2026 and 
the market may be entering a deeper correction. Markets Could Still Move 
Together Critics point out that altcoins often suffer greater losses when the 
market experiences a downturn, and history supports that caution. Liquidity 
tends to dry up during big Bitcoin sell-offs, and even assets with real use 
cases can be pushed lower in a broad risk-off episode. In layman&#8217;s phrasing, 
XRP might fall less than Bitcoin and therefore look stronger in comparison, 
but outright independence from Bitcoin is rare and usually temporary. Related 
Reading: Ethereum Staking Hits Record Levels As Buterin Urges Builders To 
Deliver Real Apps Relative Outperformance The More Likely Outcome According to 
McClurg’s perspective, what is most realistic is relative outperformance 
rather than complete separation. That means XRP and similar tokens could 
remain flat or show modest positive returns while Bitcoin weakens. Such a 
pattern would still be notable for holders and for enterprises planning 
tokenization projects, but it falls short of a dramatic price surge. Featured 
image from Bitpanda Blog, chart from TradingView

XRP Poised To Move On Its Own, Separate From Bitcoin: CEO

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Macro guru Luke Gromen says a potential COVID March 2020-style market 
capitulation could rock bitcoin and financial markets in the near future 
before any sort of liquidity-driven rally arrives. Sudden AI Deflation Could 
Cause COVID-Style Market Crash, Investor Luke Gromen Argues Speaking in an 
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COVID March 2020-Style Event Potentially Brewing for Bitcoin: Luke Gromen

Recent reports indicate that XRP has reached an almost six-month high in daily 
transactions, marking a pivotal moment for the cryptocurrency as it exhibits 
increasing adoption across both payment systems and decentralized finance 
(DeFi) applications. For January 2026 alone, the XRP Ledger recorded 1.45 
million daily transactions, following a steady upward trend in network usage 
that began in late 2025, coinciding with the introduction of new payment 
corridors through Ripple&#8217;s On-Demand Liquidity platform and the integration of 
stablecoins such as RLUSD. Gaps Between XRP Demand And Price Market expert Sam 
Daodu highlighted in a recent report for 24/7 Wall St. that historical trends 
suggest that gaps between rising demand and stagnant prices often precede 
sharp rallies. With exchange reserves at eight-year lows and increasing 
institutional inflows seen with XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the current 
situation indicates that the altcoin may be quietly gearing up for its next 
breakout. Related Reading: XRP Will Skyrocket Beyond $18: Analyst Suggests 
800% Growth Potential In 2026 Despite a slight rebound to $2.42 on January 6, 
which represented a nearly two-month high for the token, its price has since 
retraced to approximately $2.048 at the time of writing. This decline occurred 
despite the transaction surge, suggesting that XRP has yet to capitalize on 
its increased usage. Daodu noted that the discrepancy between XRP&#8217;s price and 
its on-chain activity isn&#8217;t unusual. He asserts that such gaps between usage 
and price have often been precursors to significant price movements, while 
also pointing out several factors contributing to the current delay in price 
reaction. Market-wide consolidation is one of the key reasons, as Bitcoin 
(BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) traded sideways in early 2026, dampening momentum for 
altcoins like XRP. In addition, profit-taking pressure has emerged following 
XRP’s July 2025 rally up to $3.65. Many short-term holders have cashed out, 
creating strong resistance levels in the $2.20 to $2.50 range. Until new 
catalysts arise, Daodu claims XRP may remain confined to this range without 
breaking out. Is A Major Price Breakout Ahead? Looking forward, Daodu posits 
that XRP has a historical tendency to lag behind its on-chain progress before 
initiating explosive price moves. In both 2017 and 2020, spikes in transaction 
volume and wallet activity preceded significant rallies for the token’s price 
by several weeks. Related Reading: Bitcoin And Crypto ETFs Set To Attract $130 
Billion-Plus Inflows This Year, JPMorgan Predicts For instance, in the third 
quarter of 2020, XRP&#8217;s daily transactions grew by over 40% in just two months, 
while the price remained flat at around $0.25, only to surge to over $0.70 
within weeks in November. A similar scenario unfolded in late 2017, where 
heightened usage metrics preceded a jump in XRP’s price from $0.30 to $3.30 by 
early January 2018. This suggests that the current surge in on-chain 
transactions could be a leading indicator of a delayed price breakout for XRP. 
Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

Surge In XRP Transactions: 1.45 Million Daily Users Could Signal Price Rally Ahead, Says Expert

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Cryptocurrency price in EUR