Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse’s Bold Bitcoin Price Prediction for 2026: Here’s the Number

Ripple's chief executive just threw a high-stakes prediction into the crypto arena. Brad Garlinghouse isn't whispering—he's forecasting a specific, eye-watering price target for Bitcoin by 2026.

The Prediction in Plain Sight

The number itself carries weight, bypassing vague optimism for a concrete figure. It's a bet that places Bitcoin's trajectory squarely in the realm of mainstream financial assets, challenging traditional portfolio models. The forecast hinges on continued institutional adoption and regulatory clarity—two factors that have historically acted as both catalyst and brake.

Market Mechanics at Play

Garlinghouse's outlook implies a belief that current headwinds—be they macroeconomic or sector-specific—will subside. It assumes the network's underlying fundamentals, from hash rate to developer activity, will continue their upward march. The prediction also quietly nods to Bitcoin's evolving role, not just as digital gold, but as a foundational layer for a new financial system—one that might just make some legacy banking fees look like a cynical joke.

Why This Forecast Sticks

Unlike hollow hype, this comes from a player with skin in the game. It forces the market to look beyond next quarter's volatility. Whether it hits the mark or misses, the prediction itself becomes a data point, shaping sentiment and inviting both fierce debate and fresh capital. The clock starts now.

‘The current moment represents a risk-off period after an excited risk-on phase’ – Garlinghouse

The discussion highlighted that the crypto market entered October with a sharp pullback, more than $20 billion in leveraged Bitcoin positions wiped out, and funding rates turned negative across major derivatives platforms. The king coin is also 30% down from its record high and has dropped nearly 8% earlier in the week before recovering above $90,000. 

Data shows that traders are rotating into stablecoins rather than aggressively buying dips, which is an increasingly important market signal. According to him, the macro tailwinds into 2026 are the strongest he has seen in years. 

Garlinghouse also pointed to the regulatory clarity in the world’s largest economy. He highlighted that the US holds 22% of the world’s GDP. He also emphasized that the industry is shifting from speculation to real-world applications. 

He said new, easier-to-use applications are helping crypto solve practical problems rather than just serving as speculation vehicles.

Additionally, Lily Liu described the recent pullback as a normal correction after a liquidity-driven rally. She said irrational moves upward typically lead to corrections. Binance CEO Richard Teng acknowledged the recent volatility but emphasized that the broader trend remains overwhelmingly positive.

“Volatility isn’t unique to crypto—it’s across asset classes […] But institutions are coming in a big way. We’ve seen institutional onboarding double last year, and double again this year,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin is steady with a minimal rise of 0.62%, now trading at $93,465.

Ripple’s Garlinghouse predicts more ETF inflows in 2026

Garlinghouse pointed to the growing adoption of crypto ETFs. Currently, only 1% to 2% of the total ETF market consists of crypto products. Garlinghouse expects this percentage to grow over the next year. He said institutions are starting small but will gradually increase their involvement. “I will bet anybody here that a year from now that will be more than 1 or 2%. There is going to continue to be inflows,” he added.

He also stated that over $700 million has flowed into XRP ETFs within the past 2 to 3 weeks. According to him, “this is just pent-up demand from institutional investors from investors who want access because they don’t want to custody themselves.”

XRP ETFs have amassed inflows of $874 million since XRPC’s inception. This made the spot XRP ETFs the best-performing funds from the entire crypto fleet.

On the other hand, at the beginning of the week, Bitcoin ETFs gained $8.48 million. In contrast, the ethereum funds experienced net outflows of more than $79 million, and the SOL-focused products were drained by $13.55 million in withdrawals. 

According to Lily Liu, “There is always a bright spot. Some ETFs are seeing inflows every single day. Not all parts of the market behave the same,” she stated.

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