Ripple CEO Garlinghouse believes 2026 will be the all-time best performing year for crypto markets

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse predicts that crypto markets will have their best-performing year of all time in 2026. Garlinghouse cited that regulatory changes and institutional investment in the asset class are driving factors for this statement and have not been priced into the market yet.

The CEO of Ripple stated in an interview with CNBC that he believes crypto markets will see new all-time highs in 2026. This statement comes after a barrage of negative price action battered major cryptocurrencies at the top of this week. Market data shows that BTC had over $1.8 billion in liquidations over the last 48 hours following news of turmoil in Japanese bond markets and anticipation of Donald Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF). Other major cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, Solana, and Ripple’s own XRP also reported big losses during the same period, wiping out significant gains made in the previous week.

Regardless, Brad Garlinghouse said he remains bullish about the future of the asset class in 2026 as he is also headed to speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The CEO believes that U.S. regulatory progress through bills like the GENIUS Act, along with a wave of recent institutional investment in cryptocurrencies, has not been adequately priced into markets yet. XRP currently sits at roughly $1.88 at the time of writing, down substantially from its January 5th high of nearly $2.40.

What analysts are saying about XRP

Ripple’s XRP saw monumental price growth at the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025, rising from $0.50 to over $3.80 over the course of roughly a month and a half. This catapulted the prominent digital asset to where it now stands as the 5th-largest cryptocurrency in the world by market cap.

This price action came towards the end of a long-standing battle between XRP’s parent company, Ripple, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after the company was accused of violating securities laws in December of 2020. Ripple secured several significant legal victories in the years that followed, and the case was eventually dropped in early August of 2025, as announced by the SEC.

Garlinghouse has risen to become one of the most prominent voices in cryptocurrency over the years, but his fame has not come without scrutiny. The crypto community had some tough words for the Ripple CEO after he announced his support on X for the controversial first draft of the CLARITY Act.

This bill ultimately serves the purpose of defining which agency (SEC or CFTC) regulates certain cryptocurrencies, along with legislation for consumer protection, capital raising, and other regulatory measures for cryptocurrency operation in the U.S. Prominent industry figures like Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Cardano CEO Charles Hoskinson opposed much of the first draft of this bill, with Hoskinson slamming Garlinghouse directly for his support of it.

The current state of the cryptocurrency market

Investors had high hopes for the digital asset market going into 2025 after a new wave of large-scale institutional investment and the election of now U.S. President Donald Trump in 2024. Trump campaigned as being the first pro-crypto president, promising to deliver a new era of crypto-friendly legislation after years of the asset class being scrutinized by U.S. Government financial entities like the SEC. The Trump Administration made significant efforts to deliver on these promises in 2025, working closely with industry leaders and passing significant legislation like the GENIUS Act for stablecoin regulation and innovation.

However, crypto suffered a rather lackluster year in 2025 in comparison to the blow-off top, parabolic market euphoria that investors have grown accustomed to in the last few bull markets. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana all reached new all-time highs last year, but not nearly to the degree that many expected. Positive market sentiment around regulatory progress and institutional adoption was largely stifled in 2025 under economic uncertainty caused by the Trump Administration’s tariff policies and widespread inflation concerns.

Going forward into 2026, the Fear & Greed Index has shifted from the mid-50s last week (neutral) to the low 30s (fear) at the time of writing. This showcases a lack of confidence by investors in the current state of the market and an uncertain future in 2026 for the asset class. Industry leaders like Garlinghouse remain optimistic, but economic instability has largely held crypto markets back as we move forward into the new year.