$15 XRP? Ripple CTO Emeritus Responds to Critic With Surprise Take

$XRP‘s price valuation remains the subject of discussion in social media circles, with many predicting what its price could be in the days ahead. An X user had tweeted, “$15 $XRP,” to which $XRP critic “Scams are bad” replied in the negative.

Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz joined the discussion, replying, “Yes if he’s buying.” This he gave as a jab to the critic while still highlighting the possibility of $XRP reaching this price target on immense buying from retail and institutional investors.

At a current price of $1.44, $XRP might need to rise about 941% to reach a $15 price target.

In prior X discussions about the $XRP price, Schwartz used the analogy of his early Ethereum sale, where he sold 40,000 $ETH at $1.05 each, a decision that he regrets. Schwartz stated he might not be in the best position to make price predictions, given this, but anything remains likely in the crypto space.

In one of the X conversations, Schwartz responded that “if anyone thought $XRP was going to be $1.50 in 2025, they wouldn’t have sold it for a penny in 2017. I sold 40,000 $ETH at $1.05 because I thought the rise was over.” This he said in response to an $XRP user who was wondering if $XRP‘s rise is not over.

$XRP price prediction

At the start of 2026, asset manager 21Shares issued a prediction for the year, estimating potential valuation ranges for $XRP based on varying adoption, macroeconomic and market-structure outcomes.

In a base case, $XRP is predicted to reach $2.45 in the case that regulatory stability boosts steady ETF flows and utility. In a bull case scenario, $XRP might reach $2.69, supported by institutional RWA scaling and supply exhaustion.

In a bear case, which is currently playing out, $XRP might reach $1.60 (the current price is below here at present), citing stagnant adoption and capital rotation.

According to 21Shares, $XRP’s long-term value might depend on tokenized infrastructure and sustained investor demand. If it can continue to capture these flows and grow, 2026 could be promising for $XRP.

On the other hand, Standard Chartered analyst Geoffrey Kendrick lowered $XRP‘s price target by the end of 2026 to $2.8 from a previous $8.