Crypto pundit UnknowDLT has revealed that Japan's financial authorities have provided regulatory clarity for XRP, officially classifying it as a financial instrument. This reclassification means XRP now holds the same legal status as traditional assets like stocks and bonds within the country with some of the world's strictest crypto regulations.
This development is seen as a major catalyst for adoption. Pundit XRP Update noted that Japan was one of Ripple's earliest strongholds, with the company partnering with SBI to launch On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) using XRP as a bridge asset for real-time cross-border payments. Adoption has accelerated, with SBI and Tobu Top Tours partnering to issue prepaid payment tokens on the XRP Ledger tied to a 30 trillion yen market. Furthermore, Japanese crypto firm Rakuten Wallet has listed XRP for its 44 million users, enabling purchases with loyalty points and spending at up to 5 million merchants nationwide.
Concurrently, other analysts are making bold long-term price predictions for XRP. Pundit Vandell highlighted that XRP has historically outperformed top hedge funds, citing a rise from roughly $0.0028 in 2014 to an all-time high of $3.64 in 2025—a return of roughly 129,900%. He declared that utility and adoption are "icing on the cake" and that the token will appreciate as long as the money supply increases, suggesting the "bigger move is yet to come." Vandell also stated that XRP could reach $1,000 over several years or decades, driven by its limited supply and sustained demand from retail and institutional investors.
Analyst Egrag Crypto provided a more near-term technical outlook, stating that a rally to between $9 and $13 is still in play. He argued that a recent descending triangle breakdown was a liquidity sweep inside a macro uptrend, not a trend failure, and that XRP remains inside a bullish macro channel he calls the "Bifrost Bridge."
Many pundits, including Vandell, believe the potential passage of the CLARITY Act in the U.S. could unlock trillions in institutional capital, leading to "historic" inflows into crypto. At the time of reporting, XRP was trading around $1.45.
