Banking Giant StanChart Outlines XRP’s Path to $12.50

• StanChart sets bold XRP target: $12.50 by end of Trump’s second term
• Target seems highly ambitious, banking on best-case regulatory outcomes
• Forecast potentially underplays impact of XRPL’s developer, value hurdles

A new report from Standard Chartered Bank predicts Ripple’s XRP token could reach as high as $12.50 by 2028, a target linked in the forecast, before the end of US President Donald Trump’s presidency. In a report out Tuesday, the bank laid out its bullish roadmap, including a step-by-step rise in XRP’s price over the next few years.

The bank sees XRP hitting $5.50 by the end of 2025, climbing to $8 during 2026, and reaching $10.40 sometime in 2027, before the final target of $12.50 by late 2028 or early 2029. Standard Chartered says these projections show confidence in XRP’s potential, tying it to market dynamics and technology progress.

What’s Driving the Bank’s Bullish XRP Outlook?

A key reason behind Standard Chartered’s optimistic view is what it sees as rising demand for better ways to handle cross-border and cross-currency payments. The bank notes XRP has a unique position here, allowing for faster and cheaper transactions than older banking methods, thanks to Ripple’s public blockchain, the XRP Ledger (XRPL). 

Standard Chartered expects this move toward blockchain-based finance to pick up speed, boosting XRP. Ripple’s work in the tokenization field is also seen as supporting price growth. 

Related: The Trump Effect Part 2? XRP Eyes US Gov Disclosure After 33% Prior Surge

The bank also points to XRP’s price jump since President Trump’s election last November as a sign of market optimism, with investors hoping the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) might formally drop its appeal against Ripple. Finally, the possibility of XRP-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs) getting approved adds to the positive mood.

Coin Edition Analysis: Weighing Optimism Against XRPL Hurdles

While Standard Chartered highlights these potentially strong drivers, its $12.50 XRP target looks highly ambitious. The forecast appears heavily reliant on best-case scenarios for regulatory relief (like the SEC appeal ending favorably and quick ETF approvals) and widespread XRPL adoption, factors that remain uncertain.

Crucially, the report acknowledges, but perhaps underweights, significant internal challenges like XRPL’s relatively small developer community and known difficulties in capturing network value compared to Bitcoin – hurdles that could seriously temper growth even if external conditions turn positive.

Challenges Acknowledged, But Downplayed? 

The bank’s report does mention these potential roadblocks. Specifically, it flags the limited number of developers building on the XRP Ledger and what it calls a limited ability to capture value network-wide. 

It concedes these limitations could slow XRP’s climb, especially next to Bitcoin. However, Standard Chartered ultimately suggests these issues are outweighed by positive forces like the broader shift towards blockchain in finance and Ripple’s tokenization efforts.

XRP Current Price Check: As of this report (April 9, 2025), XRP was trading around $1.77, showing a slight dip of 0.90% in the past 24 hours and a larger drop of 7% over the last week. It holds a market cap of roughly $103 billion with 58 billion tokens in circulation, keeping it among the largest cryptocurrencies.