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XRP has remained under pressure as the broader crypto market continues to struggle, but a Japanese financial commentator believes an upsurge may be imminent.
Angorou, a well-known market analyst in Japan, recently shared a market commentary suggesting that XRP could climb to 1,000 yen, which equals roughly $6.41, based on current exchange rates.
At the time of his analysis, XRP traded at $1.99, or around 300 yen. Despite recent price weakness, Angorou contended that structural and regulatory developments would help XRP put up a stronger performance in 2026.
XRP’s Price Journey Since November 2024
In his commentary, Angorou highlighted XRP’s recent price history to explain how the market arrived at its current position. Specifically, on Nov. 3, 2024, XRP traded at 75 yen. Three days later, on November 6, 2024, Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election.
Angorou pointed out that Trump’s campaign promised to support cryptocurrency growth and remove SEC Chair Gary Gensler. According to the market pundit, this led many investors to expect an end to the legal battle between the SEC and Ripple.
Notably, this optimism triggered a sharp rally. XRP broke above 500 yen in January 2025 before sliding back into the 200-yen range following what Angorou described as a tax-driven shock. XRP later recovered and reached a new all-time high of 542 yen in July 2025.
After this peak, momentum faded. Specifically, XRP entered a steady decline and eventually fell to around 303 yen. From its July high, XRP has dropped 45%, placing it among the weaker performers within the top-ranked cryptocurrencies by market cap, though not the worst.
Whale Holdings Show Changing Market Sentiment
Angorou also called attention to on-chain data, focusing on whale addresses holding more than 1 million XRP, which equals over 300 million yen at current prices. On Nov. 6, 2024, the number of these large holders stood at 2,111.
Following Trump’s election victory, whale accumulation accelerated quickly, moving in step with XRP’s price surge. XRP hit its 2025 peak in July, while the whale count continued rising and reached a record 2,758 addresses in October 2025.
As prices dropped sharply after that point, whale participation declined just as fast. Notably, the count fell back to 2,011, roughly matching levels seen during the U.S. election period. Angorou also noted growing signs that retail investors had begun exiting XRP, adding to the downward trend.
XRP ETF Inflows Persist Despite Price Declines
However, while price action and on-chain data suggested weakening sentiment, Angorou highlighted a major contradiction: institutional capital continued to flow into XRP. In November, Canary Capital launched the first pure XRP spot ETF in the United States, and the fund’s performance immediately stood out.
Four more products have since emerged. Interestingly, since their launch, the XRP ETFs have recorded no days of net outflows. From the Nov. 14 peak onward, the ETF logged 25 consecutive business days of inflows, reaching a cumulative total of about $1.07 billion, or roughly 169 billion yen at the time of Angorou’s analysis.
By comparison, in their best periods, Bitcoin ETFs recorded 19 straight inflow days, Ethereum ETFs reached 20 days, and Solana ETFs hit 21 days. XRP now holds the longest inflow streak in the crypto ETF market.
Clear Regulation Could Drive XRP’s 2026 Outlook
Meanwhile, Angorou believes regulatory clarity could become the defining catalyst for XRP in 2026. He highlighted the Clarity Act, which could clearly classify cryptocurrencies as either securities or commodities.
Under this Act, the SEC oversees securities, while the CFTC regulates commodities with fewer restrictions. Regulators already recognize Bitcoin as a commodity, and growing evidence supports a similar classification for Ethereum.
Angorou argued that formal recognition of XRP as a commodity by Congress would allow U.S. financial institutions to adopt Ripple’s remittance technology without legal risk. He also mentioned Ripple’s recent conditional approval to operate as a trust bank, suggesting the company could expand into regulated banking services.
XRP-to-Bitcoin Ratio Supports a 1,000 Yen Price
To estimate XRP’s upside, Angorou assessed its historical ratio relative to Bitcoin. During XRP’s strongest reputation phase, the ratio peaked at 0.48, with an average of 0.169. During the 4-year-and-8-month SEC lawsuit period, the ratio averaged 0.042 under the Biden administration and 0.069 after Trump’s election.
Angorou believes regulatory clarity and institutional adoption could push the ratio back toward 0.169. If Bitcoin’s price remains stable and XRP closes that gap, XRP could reach around 780 yen.
However, under two conditions, including the passage of the market structure law and Bitcoin rising above 20 million yen ($128,000) amid debate over a National Bitcoin Reserve Act, he expects XRP to exceed 1,000 yen in 2026, equivalent to approximately $6.41.
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