XRP stands between institutional validation and infrastructure use as ETFs steadily remove exchange supply.
Analysts say this asymmetric phase keeps retail pricing while institutions already require functional liquidity.
Technical charts show a macro breakout with consolidation zones forming below XRP’s recent all-time high.

XRP currently trades at around $1.62. Recently, it has declined by about 60% from its all-time high of $3.66. Besides, the cryptocurrency has faced downward pressure over the past week.

Trading volume remains robust at over $5.3 billion in 24 hours. Despite the pullback, two top crypto analysts have outlined bullish cases for upside ahead.

XRP Institutional Adoption Framework

Rob Cunningham from KUWL.show has presented a five-phase framework analyzing XRP as an infrastructure asset. 

XRP Price Regimes × Adoption Phases

This framework attempts to explain why XRP price moves, who is buying, and what breaks at each stage.

Think of this NOT as a price target model, but as a system-stress map.

💥 5 Major Phases to This Infrastructure Asset Transition Model… pic.twitter.com/c33ugriDo5

— Rob Cunningham | KUWL.show (@KuwlShow) February 2, 2026

The model examines how different buyer categories drive price action at each stage. Cunningham emphasizes this represents a system-stress map rather than simple price predictions.

The framework begins with speculative discovery, where retail traders and early funds dominate. Price movements correlate heavily with sentiment and legal developments. 

Volatility remains extreme relative to actual utility during this phase.

Phase two introduces institutional validation as asset managers and ETFs enter the market. Supply quietly exits exchanges while continuous inflows create muted pullbacks. 

According to the analysis, institutions remove supply rather than chase price.

Infrastructure Use Cases Drive Pricing

The third phase marks infrastructure adoption, where banks and payment rails require XRP for settlement. Demand becomes non-optional at this stage. Price movements shift from smooth candlesticks to gap-up patterns as liquidity tightens.

Cunningham notes that price becomes compensatory rather than speculative during infrastructure adoption. 

The asset must reach sufficient unit price to support required liquidity depth. This phase represents a fundamental shift in valuation methodology.

Later phases involve sovereign integration and civilizational infrastructure status. Central banks and treasuries would warehouse XRP as a settlement commodity. 

Exchange float collapses while volatility compresses despite high prices. The framework suggests these advanced stages make price policy-adjacent rather than market-driven.

Technical Analysis Points to $10 Target

Crypto analyst Patel has identified a major breakout from a four-year descending wedge pattern. The breach triggered a 600% rally from the $0.60 breakout zone. 

$XRP Down 60% From ATH – Is This The Best Buy Opportunity Before $10?#XRP Has Successfully Breached A 4-Year Descending Wedge Resistance, Confirming A Macro Trend Reversal With A 600%+ Impulse From The $0.60 Breakout Level. Price Is Currently Consolidating Within A… pic.twitter.com/qVJh6TmDU0

— Crypto Patel (@CryptoPatel) February 1, 2026

XRP currently consolidates in what Patel describes as a re-accumulation phase between $1.50 and $1.00.

The higher timeframe bullish structure remains intact according to Patel. Bullish bias holds above the $1.00 level. A weekly close below $1.30 would invalidate the upward thesis.

Patel has placed strategic limit orders in the $0.70 to $0.80 zone to capture potential liquidity sweeps. Price targets extend to $3.50, $5.00, $8.70, and ultimately above $10. 

The analyst emphasizes these projections represent technical analysis only.

Current Market Positioning Creates Asymmetry

Cunningham identifies the current environment as positioned between phases two and three. 

ETFs continue absorbing available supply while exchange reserves sit at multi-year lows. Institutions purchase faster than retail can replenish orderbooks.

This creates what the analyst calls the most asymmetric zone. Retail participants still set marginal prices while institutions already require deeper liquidity. 

Sovereign entities prepare infrastructure without yet deploying capital at scale.

The framework suggests such transitional phases typically prove short-lived. Tokenization initiatives and stablecoin transitions continue accelerating adoption timelines. 

Price data from CoinGecko shows XRP down 1.77% in 24 hours and 13.65% over the past week.

The post Why XRP Is Entering Its Most Asymmetric Price Zone Yet appeared first on Live Bitcoin News.

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Filed under: Bitcoin - @ February 2, 2026 3:15 pm