A prominent XRP commentator has argued that a move above $10 this year would place XRP in the record books alongside the most successful funds in Wall Street history.
Game designer Chad Steingraber recently stated that no exchange-traded fund has ever delivered a 5x return in its first year of launch in traditional markets. According to him, if XRP simply climbs above $10 in 2026, it would surpass that benchmark.
XRP Price Context and ETF Launch
Notably, XRP is currently trading at $1.44, up 6.28% over the past 24 hours. XRP spot ETFs launched in November 2025 when the asset was around $2.30. Since then, the price has experienced notable volatility, dropping as low as $1.11 earlier this month before rebounding.
A rise from current levels to $10 would represent nearly a 7x move from $1.44. Even from the ETF launch price near $2.30, a surge to $10 would translate to more than a 4x return within the first year of these products trading on U.S. exchanges.
By comparison, the spot Bitcoin ETFs that launched in January 2024 saw strong performance, but not at that scale in their first year. BTC moved from roughly $38,000 at the time of ETF approval to $109,114 by January 2025.
It later reached an all-time high of $126,200 in October 2026. While impressive, that represents roughly a 3x move in the first year, below the 5x threshold Steingraber referenced.
Institutional Exposure to XRP Expands
Despite recent price pressure, institutional appetite for XRP exposure has been building through regulated products.
Last week, Franklin Templeton disclosed in SEC filings that its XRP ETF held 118,387,154 XRP as of December 31, 2025, worth approximately $216.37 million at the time. The fund is listed on NYSE Arca and provides pure-play exposure to XRP without direct custody.
More recent data shows the fund’s assets have grown to $243 million, even as its NAV has declined due to XRP’s price correction. The ETF has posted negative returns since its inception, reflecting the downturn in crypto markets after launch.
Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs confirmed in its Q4 2025 13F filing that it holds approximately $153 million worth of XRP exposure through various ETFs, including products from Bitwise Asset Management, Grayscale Investments, and 21Shares.
Altogether, XRP ETFs have accumulated over $1 billion in assets within months of launch, signaling strong Wall Street participation.
Can XRP Deliver a Historic Run?
Supporters argue that with institutional rails in place and capital flowing into regulated products, XRP could see an outsized move in a strong cycle. For perspective, BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, IBIT, crossed $100 billion in assets in under two years, showing how fast capital can scale when demand aligns. The move significantly contributed to Bitcoin’s explosive price rally during that period.
Still, a move to $10 from $1.44 is a formidable feat for XRP, considering the massive pessimism currently dominating the crypto space. Ultimately, while institutional access is expanding, whether XRP delivers that kind of breakout in 2026 remains to be seen.
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