YoungHoon Kim, a social-media personality who claims to hold a world-record IQ of 276, has publicly declared he is beginning to purchase XRP. His statement, "I buy XRP from now on," posted on X on December 12, 2025, has been interpreted by the crypto community as a bullish signal for the asset.
The announcement coincided with significant ecosystem developments for XRP. Solana's official account announced "XRP is coming to Solana," referring to a wrapped-asset setup that would enable XRP to be used within Solana's DeFi ecosystem. Hex Trust is positioned as the issuer and custodian for the wrapped token (wXRP), which is designed to be 1:1 backed and redeemable for native XRP, utilizing LayerZero's OFT standard.
This news follows the recent success of the XRP spot ETF in the United States. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse highlighted that within barely four weeks of its debut, the regulated product became the fastest crypto spot ETF to reach $1 billion in assets under management. Data from Sosovalue shows daily inflows averaging over $20 million since launch, with cumulative inflows approaching $1.2 billion.
Analysts are weighing these factors against XRP's price action. The token is currently consolidating just above the critical $2.00 support level. Technical analysis suggests the $2.38-$2.40 region is a crucial pivot point that must be reclaimed to validate a bullish continuation pattern, with potential targets at $2.81 and $3.20 if broken. Analysts at Sistine Research suggest that if XRP defends the $2 support and ETF inflows continue, a price range of $10-$15 in 2026 is plausible.
Kim's endorsement is notable given his recent focus on Bitcoin, where he has made numerous bullish predictions, including a scenario for Bitcoin to reach $300,000 in early 2026. His shift to endorsing XRP has sparked discussion, though his "world's highest IQ" claim has been met with scrutiny and debate in Korean media regarding its verifiability.
SAUCE
HBAR
THETA
TFUEL
BTC
GEE
AAVE