XRP to $1,000: Crazy Prediction or Reality? Analysis by a Former Goldman Sachs Analyst
On Monday, the XRP exchange rate showed a confident increase of 9.3%, reaching a local high of $1.29. This momentum was supported by two key factors: an active phase of coin accumulation by large holders (whales) and a renewed discussion of an ambitious long-term forecast, according to which the asset could rise to $1,000. The current rally also coincided with a general revival in the altcoin market, which strengthened the bullish sentiment.
Fundamental Reasons for the Growth
The XRP rally began amid extremely low market sentiment. The analytical platform Santiment recorded a drop in the sentiment index to its lowest levels since October 2025. However, historically, the most powerful price impulses are born precisely in moments of total pessimism. The key trigger for the trend reversal was the easing of geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran. This led to a decrease in pressure on risky assets: Bitcoin rose to $65,300, gold gained about 2%, while oil, on the contrary, lost more than 3%. As a result, a wave of optimism also swept over the largest altcoins. At the time of writing, XRP has stabilized around $1.22, showing a daily increase of 3.25%.
Whales Continue to Accumulate XRP
In addition to macroeconomic factors, the coin is receiving strong support from its largest holders. According to blockchain 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 "whales" have increased their holdings by approximately 1.53 billion tokens. This indicates a high degree of confidence from institutional and large private investors in the long-term prospects of the asset, despite recent price declines.
Forecast of $1,000 by 2030: A Skeptic's Analysis
Against this backdrop, a forecast by Dom Kwok, co-founder of the EasyA app and former Goldman Sachs analyst, has resurfaced. He sets a long-term target for XRP at $1,000 by 2030. His model is based on scenarios of mass adoption of the XRP Ledger (XRPL) and an influx of new users into the crypto industry.
Kwok compares the current evolution of the blockchain industry to the era of the internet's inception. In his view, the internet only became truly mainstream after the emergence of simple and useful services. The specificity of the crypto sphere, he says, lies in the mechanism of capital distribution: projects launched on the XRPL create value directly for the XRP token itself, rather than accumulating it within third-party overlays. He also notes that currently only 7% of the world's population owns cryptocurrencies, and newcomers are deterred by the high prices of Bitcoin and Ethereum. In his opinion, XRP appears to them as a more accessible and understandable asset.
My Expert Commentary: The forecast of $1,000 looks extremely ambitious and requires attracting trillions of dollars in market capitalization. This would necessitate an unprecedented level of XRP integration into the global financial system and international settlements. For now, this looks like a "black swan" scenario rather than a baseline forecast. However, the current actions of whales and the improvement in the macroeconomic backdrop do indeed create favorable conditions for medium-term growth.