Ripple XRP Price Forecast: Bulls Defend $3.05 With $4.50 In Sight

XRP-USD Current Market Position

Ripple’s XRP-USD trades close to $3.05 after slipping 1.59% over the last 24 hours, supported by $5.75 billion in trading volume and a market capitalization of $183.6 billion. Earlier in September, the token broke from a falling wedge pattern, briefly climbing above $3.10 before sellers forced it lower. Current support zones cluster at $2.98, $2.93, and $2.87, while resistance lies at $3.20 and $3.50. The breakout target from the wedge remains $3.64, offering more than 20% potential upside from current levels if momentum builds.

Institutional Catalysts Driving Ripple

Institutional interest remains one of the most important forces behind XRP’s price forecast. The recent launch of Ripple’s RLUSD, a dollar-backed stablecoin issued on the XRP Ledger, triggered a 13% price surge and renewed whale activity. Analysts argue that stablecoin adoption could enhance XRP’s appeal as a settlement asset in RippleNet corridors. Alongside this, speculation over an XRP ETF approval in 2025 adds another catalyst, potentially channeling regulated inflows into the token. Combined, these developments have led strategists to maintain a medium-term target near $4.50.

XRP-USD On-Chain Weakness and Whale Behavior

While price action shows resilience, on-chain signals flash warnings. Active addresses on the XRP Ledger collapsed by 55% since July, falling to 22,500 from nearly 50,000. Daily transactions shrank from 850,000 to just 223,000—a decline exceeding 70%. Whale flows confirm this slowdown: more than 160 million XRP were offloaded in just two weeks. Large holders trimming exposure raises questions about whether institutional flows can fully offset weakening retail engagement. The network’s exit from the “millionaire’s club” further underscores this trend.

Technical Structure of Ripple (XRP-USD)

Technically, XRP trades above the 50-day exponential moving average at $2.94, holding a critical support zone. The RSI has cooled to 53 from 61, hinting at slowing momentum but avoiding oversold territory. The MACD hovers in neutral stance, with a potential bearish crossover signaling risk-off sentiment. Should XRP fail to defend $2.94, deeper supports at $2.81 (100-day EMA) and $2.56 (200-day EMA) would come into play. On the bullish side, higher lows forming since September and a potential golden cross—50-EMA above the 200-EMA—signal longer-term strength if demand revives.

XRP Price Prediction and Long-Term Outlook

The XRP price prediction balances extreme optimism with structural risks. Analysts targeting $3.64 in the short term see follow-through toward $4.00 and $4.50 if institutional inflows persist. More aggressive forecasts—like calls for XRP to surge 100,000% to $2,990 per token—would require unprecedented adoption, effectively positioning XRP as the global settlement layer for finance. Historical precedent does show what’s possible: XRP rallied 60,000% between 2017 and early 2018. Yet today’s $183 billion market cap makes such moves far more difficult. For 2025, realistic projections point to consolidation above $3.00 with bullish extensions toward $4.50.

Community Sentiment and Derivatives Positioning

The XRP community remains sharply divided. Bulls cite RLUSD adoption, potential ETF approvals, and RippleNet expansion as drivers of another rally. Bears point to collapsing network activity and whale exits as evidence of fading utility. Derivatives traders lean bullish: funding rates at 0.0087% confirm that longs dominate positioning. This divergence between futures optimism and on-chain weakness makes XRP highly volatile, where sentiment can swing prices rapidly by double digits.

Final Assessment on XRP-USD

Ripple’s XRP-USD shows a strong technical and institutional setup with resistance at $3.50 and a medium-term forecast of $4.50. However, collapsing address activity and whale sell-offs introduce meaningful downside risk. If support at $2.87–$2.94 holds, the bullish path remains intact, making XRP a Buy for speculative traders targeting $4.50, though caution is warranted given the divergence between on-chain fundamentals and derivatives-driven optimism.

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