XRPXRP Forecast: Bulls Target $1.80 as Ripple CEO Joins “Olympics Crypto Roster” at CFTC

Despite a 5% pull back to $1.48 in the last 24 hours , the digital asset has shown up remarkably well, successfully defending...

Quick overview

  • XRP is currently in a high-stakes consolidation phase, recently pulling back to $1.48 while maintaining its support level established in February.
  • Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse's appointment to the CFTC's Innovation Advisory Committee signals a shift towards regulatory partnership and boosts institutional confidence in XRP.
  • The XRP ecosystem is expanding rapidly, with Aviva Investors launching tokenized funds on the XRP Ledger and RLUSD gaining traction on Binance for trading and yield-earning.
  • Technical analysis indicates that XRP must hold above the $1.43 Fibonacci level to maintain a bullish outlook, with potential targets at $1.62.

XRP (XRP) is currently caught in a tight – and very high stakes – consolidation zone as the market processes a flurry of major , top-tier institutional and regulatory developments. Despite a 5% pull back to $1.48 in the last 24 hours , the digital asset has shown up remarkably well, successfully defending its base that was established back in early February.

The narrative surrounding XRP has completely flipped from a fight for legal survival to an intense push into aggressive ecosystem expansion , all thanks to new U.S. regulatory representation and a huge surge in tokenized asset ventures.

The “Garlinghouse Effect”: A Seat Around the CFTC Table

But then, something really big happened. On February 12 2026, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse was officially invited to join the CFTC’s Innovation Advisory Committee as a special guest – which has been described by industry insiders as the ” Crypto Dream Team Roster” – and boy did it make waves. However , i think its more like “the Olympics Crypto Roster” I digress.
  • Direct Influence: Sitting alongside CEOs from Coinbase and Gemini, Garlinghouse will be there to lend his expertise on blockchain policy, market structure , and derivatives oversight – just like youd expect from a top CEO.
  • Regulatory Legitimacy: This move is sending a huge signal from the U.S. regulators that they are ready to pivot towards partnership after all the drama in 2025 with the SEC and the settlement which confirmed XRP is indeed not a security when it comes to secondary trades.
  • Institutional Signal: Traders see this as a major legitimacy boost – and are excited to get their hands on this new asset – lowering the “fear premium” for banks and big hedge funds out there who are considering XRP based cross border products.

Ecosystem Momentum: Tokenization and RLUSD Goes Live

Now , lets talk about the price action which has been a bit choppy – but the underlying XRPL utility is scaling like crazy in 2026.

1. Aviva Investors Gets Onboard with XRPL for Tokenized Funds

This is a big one : Global asset manager Aviva Investors teamed up with Ripple on February 11th to launch its first ever tokenized fund products – that was built directly on the XRP Ledger. This is a huge step into the Real World Asset space (RWAs) , using XRPL’s super fast settlement times ( only 3-5 seconds ) and clever compliance tools to modernize traditional fund structures.

2. RLUSD Gains Huge Steam on Binance

Ripple’s USD-pegged stablecoin , RLUSD , has now completed a full integration with Binance. As of February 2026 , RLUSD is now available for yield-earning on Binance Simple Earn and for margin trading – providing a sweet , regulated and liquidity rich bridge for institutional treasury flows.

3. XRP Spot ETF Continues to Boom

Since they launched at the end of 2025 , U.S. xrp spot ETFs have been seeing some pretty consistent flows. Thats right , cumulative net inflows have now surpassed $1.37 billion – which is a pretty huge number , and even more impressive is the fact that they are the fastest crypto spot ETF to reach the $1B AUM milestone since Ethereum.

XRP Technical Analysis: The $1.43 Fibonacci Battleground

XRP is currently caught between a rising trendline and some pretty strong overhead resistance. The price is just resting above the 0.382 Fibonacci level at $1.43 – and that needs to hold to keep the hope of a recovery intact.

XRP Price Prediction
XRP Price Prediction – Source: Tradingview

Key Levels to Watch

Level Type Price Point Significance
Major Resistance
$1.62 – $1.67
The February peak; breaking this opens the path to $2.00+.
Immediate Resistance
$1.53
The 0.5 Fib retracement; a critical hurdle for daily bulls.
Pivot Support
$1.43
The 0.382 Fib floor; failure here exposes the $1.31 level.
200-Period MA
$1.38
Serves as the ultimate trend-confirmation floor.

The Verdict: Weekly Bias

The outlook for the week of February 16 2026 looks Neutral to Bullish above $1.43.

Now , while that Gravestone Doji pattern on the daily chart might suggest a bit of short term exhaustion – the structural inflows into spot ETFs and that Aviva RWA partnership suggest that there is some kind of ” Buying the dip” sentiment out there among the big institutional whales.

Trade Idea: If XRP manages to hold $1.48 after the Asian session close – then consider taking a long position and targeting $1.62. Just make sure to set a stop-loss below the $1.43 support level to keep your downside risk in check.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR See More
Maham Arslan
Crypto News Writer | Blockchain & Web3 Reporter
Maham is a crypto news writer and market analyst specializing in breaking down the latest developments across blockchain, digital assets, and decentralized finance (DeFi). With hands-on experience covering high-impact stories—from regulatory shifts and token launches to macro-driven price movements—she delivers timely, accurate, and SEO-optimized content for fast-growing crypto media platforms. Her expertise lies in producing daily news reports, price predictions, technical summaries, and coverage of market-moving events. Maham tracks real-time updates across global newswires, X (Twitter), and on-chain data to provide actionable insights tailored for retail traders, crypto enthusiasts, and institutional readers. With a strong grasp of crypto fundamentals and Web3 trends, she delivers content that’s informed, accessible, and always on time.

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