XRP storms $1.29: Is growth to $1000 realistic? Market analysis and forecast from former Goldman Sachs analyst
On Monday, the XRP rate made a confident leap, gaining 9.3% and reaching a local high of $1.29. This momentum was supported by several fundamental factors: an active accumulation phase by large holders, easing geopolitical tensions, and renewed interest in altcoins. Against this backdrop, discussions around an ambitious long-term forecast, according to which the coin could rise to $1,000, have intensified again.
What drove XRP up?
The key catalyst for the growth was a reduction in geopolitical risks. Diplomatic signals between the US and Iran led to a noticeable outflow of capital from safe-haven assets and a resurgence in demand for riskier instruments. Bitcoin reacted by rising to $65,300, gold gained about 2%, while oil, on the contrary, lost more than 3%. XRP, as one of the most liquid altcoins, was among the main beneficiaries of this flow. At the time of writing, the coin had stabilized around $1.22, showing a daily gain of 3.25%.
Notably, ahead of the rally, market sentiment around XRP, according to data from the analytical platform Santiment, had fallen to lows not seen since October 2025. However, the historical pattern of this asset shows that powerful price impulses often originate precisely in moments of extreme pessimism among retail investors.
Whales continue to accumulate
Support from the largest holders remains exceptionally strong. According to on-chain data, wallets with a balance of over 1 million XRP now hold 74.1% of the total market supply. Over the past six months, these players have increased their holdings by approximately 1.53 billion tokens. Santiment analysts emphasize that traders are closely watching the expansion of Ripple's partner network in the institutional payments sector and the development of tokenization on the XRP Ledger. Both of these directions support the long-term confidence of holders, despite recent price drawdowns. When a positive macro backdrop combines with steady whale accumulation, sharp rebounds become almost inevitable.
Forecast of $1,000: Math and Realities
Against this backdrop, the co-founder of the educational app EasyA and former Goldman Sachs analyst Dom Kwok has once again voiced his ambitious target for XRP — $1,000 by 2030. His forecast is based on the expectation of a massive influx of new users into the crypto sphere. Kwok compares the current evolution of the blockchain industry to the dawn of the internet era: the internet only became truly widespread after the emergence of simple and useful services.
In his view, the specificity of XRP lies in the fact that projects launched on the XRPL create value directly for the coin itself, rather than accumulating it within third-party overlays. "Bitcoin has practically no useful functions, but XRP has a lot of them," the expert notes.
Kwok's key argument is the low penetration rate of cryptocurrencies. Currently, only 7% of the world's population owns them. He is convinced that when the remaining 93% begin to enter the market, they will ignore expensive assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum, choosing the more affordable XRP instead.
However, the math behind this scenario requires colossal inflows. To grow from the current $1.22 to $1,000 (an increase of 81,867%) in four years would require attracting trillions of dollars into the token. In this case, XRP's market capitalization would exceed $60 trillion — an amount comparable to the combined GDP of several of the world's largest economies. Such a leap is only possible with an unprecedented level of adoption of the XRP Ledger in international financial and commercial settlements, as well as a massive influx of institutional capital.
My professional opinion: The forecast of $1,000 in itself looks more like an inspiring metaphor than a tradeable scenario. However, I cannot ignore the fact that the fundamental picture around XRP is indeed improving. Active accumulation by whales of over 74% of the supply is a powerful bullish signal, indicating the belief of "smart money" in the asset's long-term value. Growth to $5–10 within the current cycle looks like a much more realistic and achievable target, especially against the backdrop of the expansion of Ripple's partner network and positive macroeconomic shifts.