XRP price fell below $1 for the first time since 2024 after sliding nearly 50% in 2026. The move has pushed the token through a level traders watch closely, and it leaves holders facing a sharper loss than the broader crypto decline around it.
Ripple's $62 billion valuation
$62 billion is Ripple's valuation after this year's 45% decline, a reminder that the selloff has not been limited to the token alone. For holders, the break below $1 changes the reference point for every rebound attempt, because the market now has to recover a round number it had already lost once before.
26% is how far Bitcoin has fallen since 2026 began, while Ethereum is down around 35%. XRP's drop is deeper, and that gap matters because it shows the token has weakened even relative to a broad crypto slide rather than simply moving in lockstep with the sector.
Ripple's 2024 rally
2024 was the year Ripple ranked among the best-performing crypto assets, and 2025 brought new all-time highs. That backdrop makes the current price break more severe for investors who entered during the rally: the market has moved from expansion to retracement, and the distance back to those peaks is now larger than the loss implied by a single $1 level.
2021 was when Ripple began scaling up multi-million dollar developer incentives, hackathons, and accelerator programs, part of a longer push to widen its product ecosystem. Ripple has also concluded an SEC investigation, received authorization under Europe's Markets in Crypto-Assets regulatory framework, launched XRP-backed ETFs, and introduced a stablecoin platform with institutional appeal.
SWIFT and Ripple
seconds is the speed Ripple says it can process cross-border transactions, with complete transparency and minimal fees, while SWIFT transactions can take days and require multiple intermediaries and higher fees. That is the core bull case: a faster settlement rail, more product breadth, and a cleaner regulatory backdrop, even as the market has pared back enthusiasm for blockchain projects and demand has looked weak.
If Ripple's ecosystem strategy keeps converting those advantages into usage, the $1 break can read as a valuation reset rather than a structural verdict. If it does not, XRP investors are left with a token that has already given back nearly 50% this year and now has to rebuild confidence one cent at a time.
