XRP may follow Cardano-style surge, but skeptics dispute outlook

An active voice within the XRP community, Digital Outlook, is now betting that XRP gains will actually outperform Cardano’s massive 2020–2021 rally.

Using Cardano’s ADA as a case study, he pointed out that a $3,900 bet on the asset grew to more than $310,000 in just a year, and claimed XRP is primed to beat those numbers. He remarked, “I believe what’s coming for XRP is going to make that look small.”

In reality, Cardano’s upside was even bigger than he suggested. In April 2020, a $3,900 stake could have bought 203,900 ADA at $0.01913 each. Those holdings would have been worth closer to $632,000 in September 2021, when the token price surged to $3.10. However, since then, the token has pulled back from its highs and is now sitting at around $0.2675.

Digital Outlook trusts XRP utility will boost its market value

Digital Outlook is betting on XRP’s higher returns, convinced its wide range of real-world uses will drive its value higher. The view was summed up as: “Market cap is the FRUIT. Utility is the ROOT. And the roots on this thing run deep.”

However, some analysts disagree with this view. X commenter Fatty Catfish noted that, despite its massive market cap, XRP’s “on-chain” utility is much smaller, ranking far down the list in developer activity and trading volume.

He argued that the token lacks any real internal value, claiming Ripple Labs essentially offloads its running costs to XRP holders while keeping the actual profits for the company.

Additionally, Web3 intelligence platform TokenTool Hub noted that although utility is very important in pricing, valuation is influenced by capital flows, demand growth, and time. Another X user also shared that XRP and Cardano can’t be compared in terms of performance because they work in separate supply scales, with XRP exceeding Cardano by 64 billion tokens. Similarly, other commenters asserted that the tokens have very different use cases and market dynamics.

Walter Clark on X also discussed the frustration long-term holders experience, saying he’s been waiting years for an XRP rally that has never materialized. He insisted his patience is wearing thin.

XRP would need to grow 7,800% to meet the Digital Outlook forecast

With XRP at $1.45, a $3,900 stake buys you 2,690 coins. For that stack to be worth $310,000, each coin would need to be worth at least $115. To get there, XRP would need to climb 7,800%, a massive target that some market watchers doubt believe is out of reach for the foreseeable future.

Earlier this month, some influencers and analysts theorized XRP could reach $245 and $350 in 2026. At the time, Crypto YouTuber Zach Humphries went public to challenge those viral forecasts, essentially saying they’re totally disconnected from reality and could hurt retail buyers.

If XRP climbed to $245, its market cap would balloon to $15 trillion—six times the combined market cap of the entire crypto market. Humphries also dismissed the idea of a $350 token, saying the token would have to reach $21 trillion, which is practically impossible at the moment.

Around the same time, King Vale criticized unrealistic price predictions made on X, citing missed forecasts for XRP in 2025. His remarks have particular bearing in the forecasts made by Jake Claver, Chad Steingraber, Crypto Sensie, Time Traveler, JackTheRippler, Remi Relief, and Sistine Research.

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