XRP to $1000? Analysis of fundamental drivers and the wild forecast from a former Goldman Sachs analyst
On Monday, the XRP exchange rate showed a confident increase of 9.3%, reaching a local high of around $1.29. The trigger for this movement was a combination of factors: active accumulation of the coin by large holders (whales) and a general improvement in risk appetite against the backdrop of geopolitical détente.
My on-chain data, particularly from Santiment, confirms that retail investor sentiment before this surge fell to lows not seen since October 2025. Historically, such levels of pessimism often precede powerful price impulses. In parallel, positive news about diplomatic negotiations between the US and Iran reduced pressure on risky assets: Bitcoin rose to $65,300, gold gained about 2%, while oil, on the contrary, lost more than 3%.
Against this favorable backdrop, XRP not only recovered its losses but also consolidated above $1.22, indicating the preservation of upward momentum. The key factor here is the behavior of whales: wallets with a balance of over 1 million XRP now control 74.1% of the total supply. Over the past six months, these addresses have increased their holdings by approximately 1.53 billion tokens, demonstrating long-term confidence despite recent price drawdowns.
Forecast of $1,000: Realistic Goal or Fantasy?
On the wave of this optimism, an ambitious forecast from the co-founder of the educational app EasyA and former Goldman Sachs analyst Dom Kwok has resurfaced. He sees XRP at $1,000 by 2030. In his argument, he draws parallels with the dawn of the internet era: the true mass adoption of blockchain users will only occur after the emergence of truly simple and useful services.
Kwok is betting on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) ecosystem. According to his logic, projects launched on XRPL create value directly for the XRP token itself, unlike Ethereum, where value often accumulates in third-party protocols. He also points to the low penetration rate of cryptocurrencies (only 7% of the world's population). In his view, when new users enter the market, they will be put off by the high prices of Bitcoin and Ethereum and will choose the more affordable XRP.
My expert assessment: The $1,000 forecast is a mathematically extreme scenario, requiring an influx of trillions of dollars and an XRP market capitalization exceeding $60 trillion. This is only possible if XRP achieves a complete and unconditional victory as a global settlement asset, which is unlikely in the foreseeable future. However, Kwok's logic itself—that XRP could become a "gateway ticket" for new users due to its low price and real use cases (cross-border payments)—has a solid foundation. For now, the market is evaluating these narratives, and the current growth is merely the first step on a long journey.