Standard Chartered maintains $8 year-end target despite volatility, as $1.4B ETF inflows diverge from price action.
As of Monday morning, February 16, 2026, XRP price trades at $1.47, down 2.34% from the previous session. However, the XRP price surged more than 8% yesterday reaching an intraday high of around $1.66 before falling back to close at $1.509, leaving the daily chart with big one-candle sell signal.
The initial spike was triggered by news that Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse was appointed to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) Innovation Advisory Committee. However, the rally couldn’t sustain momentum as technical weakness and profit-taking quickly reversed the gains.
In this article, I am examining why XRP is falling after its brief surge on regulatory news, analyzing the XRP price chart based on my over a decade of experience as an analyst and trader, and presenting the newest XRP price predictions from major financial institutions.
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Brad Garlinghouse’s appointment to the CFTC’s Innovation Advisory Committee was initially seen as a bullish development for XRP’s regulatory outlook. This announcement came on the heels of a broader presentation where the CEO had positioned 2026 as the “institutional deployment phase” for XRP, following 2025’s validation period with ETF launches and tokenization Tokenization Tokenization represents the process of substituting a sensitive data element with a non-sensitive equivalent, i.e. token, which bears no extrinsic or exploitable meaning or value. In essence, the rights to the ownership of an asset are converted into a digital token. Tokenization can be used to own an entire unit of an asset. For example, one token that represents the ownership of a piece of real estate or to split ownership of a single unity of an asset such as 200,000 tokens, each one represen Tokenization represents the process of substituting a sensitive data element with a non-sensitive equivalent, i.e. token, which bears no extrinsic or exploitable meaning or value. In essence, the rights to the ownership of an asset are converted into a digital token. Tokenization can be used to own an entire unit of an asset. For example, one token that represents the ownership of a piece of real estate or to split ownership of a single unity of an asset such as 200,000 tokens, each one represen Read this Term pilots.
The regulatory appointment added credibility to Ripple’s institutional push, particularly given the company’s emphasis on dual-layer regulatory compliance with both NYDFS trust approval and an OCC federal charter for its RLUSD stablecoin. For XRP advocates, this engagement indicates a shift toward regulatory normalization that could bolster Ripple’s standing in US policy discussions.
However, as I highlighted in my January 26 analysis identifying three downside targets, positive news alone cannot overcome entrenched technical weakness when momentum indicators turn bearish and resistance levels remain intact.
According to my technical analysis, Sunday’s price action created a textbook bearish reversal pattern. The cryptocurrency briefly rose sharply to the $1.67 level but ultimately closed the day with a loss of over 2% at $1.47.
As shown on my chart, this created a candle with a very long upper wick and short body, whether we call it a bearish doji, bear engulfing, or falling pin bar, one thing is certain: the demand move was rejected by the bears, and the sharp price pullback suggests significant accumulation of sell orders near current resistance levels.
Resistance levels are currently located at $1.51-1.57, coinciding with local support and resistance zones from November 2024. This area has proven formidable, as Friday’s 18% intraday surge was completely erased within 24 hours.
As XRP continues to fall, according to my analysis, the first support level is $1.26, the flash crash low from October 10. The next support sits at $1.12, marking this year’s lows tested multiple times in January and early February. In an ultra-bearish scenario, I’m targeting barely above $0.53, representing a 100% Fibonacci extension based on the descending trend that has dominated price action since mid-2025.
In my view, for this strong sell signal in the form of Sunday’s bearish candle to be invalidated, we would need to see several developments. First and foremost, a return above the current resistance zone, and ideally above the $1.81 level, where the November and December lows were located, also tested in late January and coinciding with the 50-day exponential moving average.
The next resistance level is the round $2.00 psychological barrier, then the 200 EMA around $2.15, and finally the January peaks at $2.35. In my opinion, only then will the full selling pressure be lifted from XRP’s shoulders, and we can talk about an official return to an uptrend with chances of a bounce toward the July high above $3.60.
As I noted in my January 6 analysis when XRP crushed Bitcoin and Ethereum returns, the token remains capable of explosive moves, but only when technical conditions align with fundamental catalysts. Currently, those conditions remain absent.
XRP’s weakness cannot be understood in isolation from Bitcoin’s precarious technical position. Bitcoin currently trades around $68,700-$68,900 on February 16, 2026, after nearly breaking below the critical $60,000 support level in early February.
“$60,000 is the key level to watch, with strong technical significance near the 200-week moving average,” Maxime Seiler of STS Digital noted.
As he added about liquidation risks, “a break under $60,000 could trigger forced deleveraging and hedging flows, creating a cascade effect that drives price action. In that scenario, we would expect volatility to rise sharply as liquidations accelerate and market participants rush to protect downside exposure.”
The cryptocurrency market experienced over $2 billion in liquidations during February’s early selloff, amplifying volatility as overleveraged positions were force-closed automatically. Bitcoin’s drawdown has reached approximately 47.5% from peak to trough, while altcoins like XRP have suffered even steeper declines.
Despite the current technical weakness, Standard Chartered remains aggressively bullish on XRP’s medium-term prospects. Geoffrey Kendrick, the bank’s head of digital assets research, predicts XRP could reach $8 by the end of 2026, a 430% gain from current levels around $1.47.
The forecast factors in XRP’s institutional utility for cross-border payments, particularly as banking partners expand their use of Ripple’s technology. Standard Chartered notes that programs like Japan’s Financial Infrastructure Innovation Program, backed by Mizuho Bank and SMBC Nikko Securities, are fostering startups building on the XRP Ledger, cementing its role in the financial ecosystem.
According to my analysis, XRP’s immediate trajectory depends on two critical factors: whether it can defend the $1.26 support level (October flash crash low), and whether Bitcoin can hold above $60,000 to prevent a broader liquidation cascade.
XRP fell 2.34% to $1.47 on February 16, 2026, unable to sustain Saturday’s 8% rally to $1.66 triggered by Brad Garlinghouse’s CFTC appointment. According to my technical analysis, a bearish doji pattern with long upper wick signals rejection at $1.51-1.57 resistance, while broader crypto market weakness and Bitcoin’s proximity to the critical $60,000 level create persistent downward pressure.
Based on my technical analysis, XRP has support at $1.26 (October flash crash low), then $1.12 (2026 YTD lows). In an ultra-bearish scenario with Bitcoin breaking $60,000, I’m targeting $0.53 representing a 100% Fibonacci extension. However, $1.4 billion in ETF inflows suggests institutional buyers would likely step in before such extreme levels.
Standard Chartered’s Geoffrey Kendrick predicts $8 by end of 2026 (430% gain from current $1.47), $10-12 in 2027, and $12.50 by 2028. The forecast assumes $4-8 billion total ETF inflows, continued regulatory clarity, and expansion of Ripple’s cross-border payment adoption.
Recovery requires reclaiming $1.81 (50 EMA, November-December lows), then $2.00 psychological level, and finally $2.35 (January peaks) to invalidate the bearish structure. Bitcoin stabilizing above $70,000 would provide crucial support. Standard Chartered maintains conviction despite current weakness, suggesting institutional players expect eventual recovery.
