Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has turned a central-bank logistics story into a broader argument for crypto settlement rails, while XRP’s technical setup shows traders watching for a potential move toward $2. Garlinghouse criticized the Central Bank of the Netherlands after a CNBC report revealed it took six months to move 86 metric tons of gold worth $11 billion from vaults in the U.S. and Canada to London.
He highlighted that roughly 70% of the gold never physically left the ground — it was sold in New York and repurchased in London. Garlinghouse also referenced Germany’s four-year gold repatriation saga from 2013, arguing that a decade later the underlying settlement infrastructure has barely changed since the 1940s. He contrasted that stagnation with the crypto market’s growth from $1.5 billion to $2.7 trillion over the same window.
At around $1.42, XRP is holding above near-term support in the $1.32–$1.38 zone, which has been tested multiple times. Immediate resistance sits near $1.43–$1.45, while the more important ceiling is at $1.68–$1.72. A clean move above $1.45 could open a path toward $1.68–$1.72 and eventually $2.00 or higher. The base case has XRP consolidating between roughly $1.35 and $1.45, while a failure to hold $1.32 would shift focus toward $1.25–$1.27.
Institutional demand is adding a separate catalyst. U.S. spot XRP ETFs attracted $110.49 million during the week ending August 28, their strongest weekly inflow of 2026. To retest the August high near $1.70, XRP first needs to reclaim the $1.50–$1.55 resistance zone, according to market watchers.
