XRP at $18,000? Why some experts believe it
Experts in cryptocurrency finance have released a study. It says XRP might reach an amazing $18,000. This prediction has caused both excitement and doubt. It deserves a closer look.
A report predicts XRP at $18,000. In June 2023, Valhill Capital shared a paper. It was before a judge ruled XRP was not a security. The paper is titled “A Comprehensive Approach to Determining the Fair Market Value of XRP.”
Financial experts created this paper. It gives five ways to guess XRP's future price. One model stands out because it is very hopeful. "XRP Valuation Model #4" suggests XRP could reach $18,036 per token.
This guess assumes Ripple will handle many global financial tasks. It looks at the next ten years.
The model uses a method called discounted cash flow (DCF). It uses big goals like: $104 trillion in global deals, 2% economic growth per year (2023-2032), and a 10% discount rate.
If this happens, the XRP ledger (XRPL) would replace systems like SWIFT. It would become the main system for global money transfers.
The model says the total value of deals is $915 trillion. This is spread over 50.7 billion XRP coins. This leads to the $18,036 estimate.
XRP's price has risen a lot since Donald Trump's election win. It is close to its highest price of $3.41. This has made investors very hopeful. They share predictions on social media, from $100 to $1,000 per token.
But, to reach these high values, things need to change a lot. As of February 28, 2025, no big US bank has fully used XRP. This would be for cross-border payments or internal tasks.
RippleNet is Ripple's payment network. It works with some big US banks like JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo. Only PNC Bank and Bank of America have real partnerships.
Some reports disagree. A video shows David Stryzewski, CEO of Sound Planning Group. He says Bank of America has used RippleNet and XRP for all internal deals for two years.
However, XRP Ledger data does not show enough activity for this. An institution of that size would have 1.2 to 1.5 million deals per day. Vittorio DiBenedetto, a Wells Fargo worker, said his bank does not use XRP. He called the reports "fake news."
XRP has grown in the last year. This is partly because many firms applied for XRP spot ETFs in February 2025. But, XRP's use is still much lower than Valhill Capital's paper predicts.
For XRP to reach $18,000 by 2030, RippleNet must become the main system for global money transfers. It would need to replace systems that have been around for decades.