Ripple's CEO predicts that 2026 will be a year of breakthroughs for cryptocurrencies

在12月3日的币安区块链周上，Ripple Labs首席执行官Brad Garlinghouse表示，监管变革、机构需求和现实世界实用性的罕见结合，正在为加密货币创造他所谓的强大的“宏观顺风”，使其在2026年蓬勃发展。

“我个人赞同理查德的一些观点：有很多宏观因素持续为这个行业提供顺风，我认为，展望2026年，我感觉自己在过去几年里从未如此乐观过，”Ripple首席执行官在与币安首席执行官Richard Teng和Solana基金会主席Lily Liu一同接受CNBC的Dan Murphy采访时表示。

Ripple CEO对2026年充满信心：原因如下

他认为，最近的下跌并非结构性熊市的开始，而是在基本面改善的背景下，避险情绪的暂时消退。“加密货币市场经历过周期性波动，风险偏好上升时人们会感到兴奋……现在市场出现了避险情绪，存在不确定性，”他说道。他认为，这次的不同之处在于，美国——全球最大的单一经济体，约占全球GDP的22%——终于开始摆脱他所说的多年来对该行业的公开敌意。

“Over the past four or five years, or even longer, this market has been openly hostile towards cryptocurrencies. But now, significant changes have occurred, and those changes are happening quite quickly,” he said. In his opinion, institutional investors are only beginning to adjust their attitudes. He noted that traditional asset management companies have become very visible in this context: “You saw Franklin Templeton this week, and BlackRock also made an appearance on stage. I think Vanguard Group has also started to change its stance… Vanguard Group used to say that they wouldn’t get involved with cryptocurrencies, but now their attitude has changed drastically.” Regarding cryptocurrency ETFs, Ripple’s CEO denied that the deal was overhyped. “Absolutely not,” he replied when asked if the claims about ETFs being overpriced were exaggerated. He emphasized that these tools are still relatively new in the United States, and highlighted the early demand for XRP products from the market. “In the past two or three weeks, more than $700 million has flowed into XRP ETFs. This is simply a release of pent-up demand from institutional investors and those who don’t want to manage cryptocurrencies themselves,” he said.

他认为，关键指标是加密货币在整个ETF市场中所占的份额仍然很小。“整个ETF市场中，加密货币只占1%到2%。我敢打赌，一年后这个比例肯定会超过1%到2%。”他说道。他建议，应该结合实际情况来看待比特币产品的短期资金流出：“到2026年，我们真的认为加密货币ETF在整个ETF市场中只会占1%到2%吗?绝不可能。”

Garlinghouse表示，Ripple自身的经纪业务已经感受到了这种行为转变。那些由于监管不确定性或风险规避而一直“观望”的机构现在“开始参与进来，他们从小规模做起，循序渐进——或者先爬行，再行走，最后奔跑。”当被直接问及近期的市场波动是否阻碍了机构资本时，他回答说：“绝对没有。”

稳定币将成为关键支柱

稳定币是他2026年投资理念的另一支柱。他认同，在最近的避险阶段，资金主要流向了稳定币，而不是从链上交易平台撤出，他认为这反映了稳定币的实用性和信任度。“人们逐渐意识到稳定币既稳定又易于管理，”他说道。

Garlinghouse emphasized that Ripple’s stablecoin was launched “more than a year ago”. Its market value has recently exceeded $1 billion. The coin has received approval from Abu Dhabi and is listed on the white list. It is also being used as a reliable collateral on various platforms for lending purposes. He believes that stablecoins represent an entry point for broader applications, and other uses will likely emerge within the Solana, Binance, and Ripple ecosystems.

Regarding U.S. policies, he noted that the situation has improved significantly, especially in terms of payment tokens. He pointed out that the GENIUS Act has brought “clarification regarding regulations” for stablecoins, and this clarity is linked to the growing interest of businesses in on-chain payments. After Ripple acquired GTreasury, the company now possesses “data on payments worth over $10 trillion”. He said, “Many customers have already contacted us, expressing interest in using stablecoins… It is precisely because of this clarity that people are actively adopting stablecoins.”

Ripple’s CEO also mentioned that XRP has received some clarification from federal courts in the United States. However, he acknowledged that more comprehensive legislation is still needed. He referred to the “Clarification Act” in the cryptocurrency sector, saying that it continues to develop. He predicted that “by the first half of next year, we will see relevant legislation passed, which will further unleash and drive the development potential of the industry.”

Finally, he set a price target for the next period, admitting that his approach is somewhat risky: “I predict that Bitcoin will reach $180,000 by December 23rd, 2026 (or December 31st).”

As of the time of writing, the trading price of XRP is $2.15.

XRP needs to break through the 0.382 Fibonacci retracement level (weekly chart). Source: TradingView.com’s XRPUSDT channel.