XRP rose above $2 on Friday for the first time since mid-December, extending a strong start to 2026 as traders pointed to steady spot ETF inflows and an improvement in the US regulatory mood.
Data cited by SoSoValue showed US spot XRP ETFs took in $13.59 million on January 2, pushing total inflows since launch to $1.18 billion. The steady demand has helped tilt the near-term supply and demand dynamics in XRP’s favor, even as broader crypto benchmarks remain range-bound.
The move also comes as traders reassess the regulatory backdrop following the departure of SEC Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw, which some market participants saw as pioneering a more crypto-friendly policy stance.
Crenshaw had been among the most vocal skeptics of crypto spot ETFs and had opposed the SEC dropping its appeal in the Ripple case, according to market comments.
Speculation about upcoming legislation increased momentum. Traders pointed to a possible market structure bill on January 15, which has kept political expectations elevated into the first quarter and contributed to the token’s outperformance.
XRP’s strength stood out against mixed flows in other major crypto ETFs.
The same data set cited by analysts showed weaker demand for bitcoin funds over the period, reinforcing the view that XRP’s rally is driven more by token-specific catalysts than a broad risk-on movement.
XRP last traded just above $2, up about 8%, while bitcoin hovered just above $90,000 and ether traded around $3,000, both only modestly higher on the day.
