In brief
- Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse says he's "very bullish" and expects new crypto market highs in 2026.
- The Ripple exec previously predicted that Bitcoin would trade at $180,000 at the end of the year.
- Ripple-linked XRP, which made a new all-time high in 2025, sits around 47% off its peak price as of Thursday.
Crypto is headed for new all-time highs in 2026—at least, that’s what Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse believes, even if he didn't get deep into specifics.
The Ripple frontman told CNBC that he’s “very bullish,” calling for new all-time crypto highs this year, though he did not single out any assets or provide a specific price target.
“I'll go on record as saying I think we'll see an all-time high,” said Garlinghouse.
In December, Garlinghouse provided a more specific forecast for attendees of Binance Blockchain Week, predicting that the top crypto asset—Bitcoin— would be trading at $180,000 or more by the end of 2026.
At that price, BTC would be trading around 43% above its current all-time high of $126,080, and more than 100% above its current trading price of $89,446.
In his December prediction, Garlinghouse noted that the passing of the CLARITY Act, which at the time he expected to be passed in the first half of 2026, would create more tailwinds for the entire industry.
The legislation—also known as the U.S. crypto market structure bill—has experienced a volatile last week, highlighted by American crypto exchange Coinbase pulling support for the bill as it seeks more of a “win-win” between the crypto industry and traditional banks.
Despite that, on Wednesday President Trump said he hopes to sign the bill “very soon.”
As for a prediction on XRP, the asset that powers Ripple’s payments services, Garlinghouse wouldn’t comment to CNBC—though he called for “continued, very positive momentum.”
“We are a very vested party in what goes on in the XRP ecosystem,” he told CNBC.
XRP broke through a seven-year drought and claimed a new all-time high price last year, ultimately reaching a fresh peak of $3.65 in July. Since that time, though, it’s fallen around 47%, recently changing hands around $1.92.
Predictors on Myriad’s prediction market don’t foresee positive momentum in the near-term for the asset, giving odds of a pump to $2.69 before a dump to $1.42 just 42% odds. In other words, predictors favor a drop in price prior to any surge upwards.
Ripple, the financial services firm linked to the asset, got the green light to expand its operations in the U.K. earlier this year after an eventful 2025 which saw the conclusion of its yearslong battle with the SEC, alongside four major acquisitions and massive valuation boost.