XRP CNBC protection from January 2026 put the token on the heart of mainstream monetary media, and the story has solely picked up extra weight since. As of February 17, 2026, XRP is buying and selling at round $1.48, holding the #4 spot by market cap with a market capitalization of roughly $90.52 billion and a 24-hour buying and selling quantity of $2.92 billion. It’s up about 1.7% on the day — a modest transfer, however the broader XRP worth surge in 2026 that CNBC first spotlighted again in January remains to be very a lot the backdrop. Again then, Energy Lunch host Brian Sullivan said:
“The most well liked crypto commerce of the yr shouldn’t be Bitcoin, it’s not Ether, it’s XRP.”— Brian Sullivan, CNBC Energy Lunch
On the time, XRP had gained 24% for the reason that begin of the yr, far outpacing Bitcoin’s 5.5% and Ethereum’s 9.7%. That XRP CNBC breakout in 2026 additionally briefly pushed it previous BNB into third place by market cap earlier than the broader market cooled considerably into February.
ETF Inflows Drive XRP’s Early 2026 Momentum
Establishments Have been Shopping for Earlier than the Hype
The XRP CNBC protection didn’t seem out of skinny air, and the numbers behind it are additionally value taking a look at intently. Spot XRP ETFs launched in late 2025 had already pulled in $1.37 billion in cumulative inflows by January 2026 — the second-fastest progress price for any crypto ETF product after Bitcoin — and had not recorded a single day of internet outflows throughout that run. CNBC reporter Mackenzie Sigalos defined what had truly been taking place within the weeks earlier than the rally grew to become a headline:
“Through the doldrums of This fall, you truly noticed lots of people piling into these XRP ETFs, which is the precise reverse of what occurs with the spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs, the place individuals actually transfer in tandem with the value of the coin.”— Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC
So traders had been, proper now wanting again at it, shopping for the dip relatively than chasing momentum — a conduct that paid off when XRP ETF inflows stored accelerating into the brand new yr. That type of contrarian positioning can be a giant a part of why XRP remains to be being handled as a prime crypto performer even on the extra subdued costs seen in February.
Analysts Divided on What Comes Subsequent
Analyst Victor Olanrewaju from CCN had famous that the technical image supported additional upside:
“If momentum holds and consumers stay lively, XRP may break $2.49 and prolong towards $2.94.”— Victor Olanrewaju, CCN Analyst
That concentrate on now appears extra distant, given the place costs are on the time of writing. Commonplace Chartered additionally revised its 2026 worth goal for XRP down from $8 to $2.80, citing broader market cooling — a reminder that XRP worth surge in 2026 projections fluctuate extensively and carry actual uncertainty. Analyst Chad Steingraber had earlier projected that if XRP ETF inflows continued absorbing round 20 million tokens each day, ETFs may lock up as a lot as 4.8 billion XRP throughout the yr, a provide dynamic that partly formed the XRP CNBC prime crypto performer narrative from the beginning.
Different developments are additionally reinforcing institutional confidence. SBI Holdings just lately clarified it holds a 9% fairness stake in Ripple Labs, reaffirming long-term backing. Ripple additionally introduced a improvement roadmap for the XRP Ledger targeted on institutional DeFi options, together with on-chain lending and wealth administration instruments. XRP CNBC immediately protection continues to tie these fundamentals collectively as a part of an extended story — one which, at $1.48 and a $90 billion market cap, remains to be very a lot unfolding.
