XRP Price Nears First “Golden Cross” in 2026: XRP USDT to $4?

Ben Graham · January 6

After what can only be described as disappointing Q4 2025, the question is: Will the XRP price melt faces in January? Looks like so. From the XRP USDT daily chart, there are hints of strength and traders are positioning themselves for a possible 2X to over $4 and fresh all-time highs.

As at press time, the XRP price is firm after ripping through $2, adding +10% and cementing its position in the top 10. XRP USDT is already the top performer in the top 30, outperforming some of the best meme coins to buy.

(Source: Coingecko)

Even with the XRP USD price surging, bulls appear to be getting started: A classic bullish signal called a “golden cross” looms on the daily chart. The signal forms when the 50-day moving average line breaks above the 200-day moving average.

At the moment, this is about to form, and traders take it as a bullish signal that the XRP price is heading to $3, or higher, perhaps in the next few days.

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What Is A “Golden Cross” and Why Are XRP Price Traders Upbeat?

A “golden cross” sounds dramatic, but it’s simply a chart pattern.

As mentioned earlier, it happens when a shorter-term moving average (here, the 50‑day EMA) moves toward and ideally breaks above a longer‑term one (the 200‑day EMA).

Think of it like a car’s speed over the last 50 days, building momentum, ready to ramp up and cruise. That tells traders that sellers are tiring.

From the XRP USDT daily chart, the 50-day EMA broke below the 200-day EMA, forming a “death cross”, a bearish signal, in early November 2025. The XRP price went on to shave -30% before bottoming up at nearly $1.75.

With XRP bulls building up momentum, parallel data points to strengthen. Institutions in the US continue to buy spot XRP ETFs. So far, they have accumulated over $1.29Bn as of January 5. The more they buy, the stronger their conviction that the XRP USDT price could be headed to $4.

(Source: SosoValue)

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Ripple XRP USDT Faces No Regulatory Pressure

Beyond institutions, Ripple, the for-profit company associated with XRP crypto, faces no pressure from regulators in the US.

Last year, the US SEC ended its lawsuit against the blockchain company. As 99Bitcoins reported, Ripple agreed to pay a $125M fine.

This settlement was the perfect clarity and helped open the door for XRP‑linked ETFs and broader institutional interest, which we covered in detail in our XRP price prediction guide.

With clear laws regarding crypto in the US, and Ripple expanding its offerings to include stablecoins, PWC, a top audit firm, recognized the for-profit firm.

In a post on X, an analyst said the audit firm said Ripple is an enabler, facilitating the creation of fast financial services infrastructure.

$XRP: PwC, a global leader in professional services, labels Ripple as a critical financial infrastructure. Recognizing Ripple's network for enabling real-time settlements, cross-border payments, and liquidity management, emphasizing its strategic value https://t.co/uz4zJxgFaK pic.twitter.com/QplM2CBvDY

— ChartNerd (@ChartNerdTA) January 5, 2026

This endorsement is massive for Ripple and could indirectly boost XRP USDT prices in the coming months as more payment providers explore Ripple’s services, including the use of XRP for cross-border transfers.

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