Daily Crypto Deep Dive: XRP to $5.40 or Zero? The Bulls vs Bears

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Welcome back to the Daily Crypto Deep Dive. Imagine opening your portfolio and seeing XRP at $5.40. If you own a thousand coins, that is $5,400.

Five thousand coins becomes $27,000.

Suddenly the money you have been patiently building starts looking like something that could make a difference. Now imagine somebody telling you the entire investment is heading towards zero. Same asset, completely different future. Tonight, we are putting names and reasons behind both arguments. Because your money deserves more than somebody shouting a number you want to hear.

Welcome back to the Daily Crypto Deep Dive. Peter Brandt has just put a $5.40 XRP projection into the conversation, and we are going to examine it alongside other traders, institutional voices and some outspoken critics. Before we start, Kraken is the exchange we use and trust, and using our affiliate link in the description helps support this podcast. If you already have an account, a 5-star Spotify rating is another brilliant way to help. Nothing in this episode is personal financial advice, and every price target we discuss can be wrong. Let us start with Brandt, a veteran trader whose career stretches back long before crypto existed. On September 21st, he shared a long-term XRP chart suggesting an eventual move towards $5.40. That word, eventual, matters. He did not give everybody a date to book their retirement party. He also stressed that publishing a chart is different from documenting an actual trade. His argument comes from the shape of the long-term price chart, rather than a calculation of how many banks will use XRP. It is a technical scenario from an experienced trader. That deserves attention, but experience cannot make a market obey a drawing. Ali Martinez gives us a much closer checkpoint. In commentary reported today, he highlighted substantial whale accumulation and identified $1.60 as an area where selling pressure could emerge. His analysis points to roughly 2.5 billion XRP having previously changed hands around that level.

Think about what that means psychologically. Some holders approaching their entry price might finally want their money back. Brandt is discussing a possible destination. Martinez is identifying traffic on the road. Those views can coexist. XRP can have an interesting long-term setup and still struggle with sellers almost immediately. Then there is Geoffrey Kendrick, Standard Chartered's head of digital assets research. This is where we need to be honest about the history.

The bank previously had an $8 XRP target for the end of 2026

In February, it cut that forecast to $2.80, a reduction of 65%.

Kendrick still argued that XRP could benefit from stable coins and tokenized real-world assets, but his team had become much more cautious about market conditions. If someone is still waving the $8 forecast at you without mentioning a revision, you are getting an incomplete story.

A bank's research department can identify an opportunity and still misjudge its timing dramatically. Steven McClurg, Canary Capital's co-founder, offers another bullish perspective. Speaking on Paul Barron's podcast in August, he said XRP above $3 or $4 12 months later would not surprise him. His reasoning involved expanding lending and other financial uses for XRP, including activity through Flair. If holders can put assets to work, he believes more capital could follow. Those products carry additional risks. XRP itself does not automatically pay interest. McClurg also has a commercial interest in crypto investment products. His view helps explain the bullish argument, although it does not endorse Brandt's exact target or guarantee institutional buying. There is something concrete behind that institutional angle. Canary's XRPETF holds XRP and trades through conventional brokerage accounts. That gives investors access without managing a crypto wallet themselves.

My view is that this matters because easier access can broaden the potential buyer base. But an open shop does not guarantee customers. What would strengthen the bullish case is sustained net buying that adds to fund holdings rather than excitement around a ticker followed by another disappointing weight for buyers.

Now let us hear the opposition properly. Max Keiser, the outspoken Bitcoin advocate, has made the extreme argument. Back in January 2024, he said XRP was effectively guaranteed to head towards zero against Bitcoin, attacking what he considered its centralization. Notice the comparison. Against Bitcoin. That is different from predicting a literal dollar price of zero. XRP could rise in dollars and still lose purchasing power against Bitcoin if Bitcoin rose faster.

Keiser's language was absolute. But he did not produce a mathematical proof that settles XRP's future. His statement tells us about his conviction in Bitcoin and rejection of rival assets. It does not establish that your XRP must become worthless.

For a more substantial economic criticism, consider Kyle Samani and Tushar Jain, the co-founders of MultiCoin Capital.

In their 2017 XRP research, they argued that Ripple's technology could be useful while XRP remained an unattractive investment. This is an old report, and we should not pretend its description of the ecosystem is current. But the central question remains relevant. Does successful infrastructure necessarily create demand for its native token? Their concern was that institutions could move other assets through the network without acquiring XRP in proportion to the value being transferred. That is a challenge every holder should be able to answer without getting angry. Ryan Selkis, the former Massari chief executive, raised a related criticism in a 2025 Wall Street Journal report. He argued that XRP was a volatile asset from an earlier era, facing competition from stable coins. Put yourself in the position of a business moving money internationally. Would you prefer a dollar-linked token or an asset whose price can move sharply? That question strengthens the bearish argument, but it does not settle it.