New York, Jan 12, 2026, 12:51 (EST) — Regular session
- XRP slipped roughly 1% to near $2.07, trading in a narrow range amid ongoing macro uncertainty hitting riskier assets.
- On Jan. 15, U.S. lawmakers will debate the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, a crucial moment for crypto regulation.
- Last week, Ripple’s U.K. unit secured new approvals from the FCA, delivering a rare immediate boost for the token.
XRP dipped roughly 1% to near $2.07 on Monday, as traders digested new political uncertainty tied to the Federal Reserve and braced for a U.S. Senate crypto bill session scheduled for later this week.
This move is significant because crypto is once again acting like a pure risk gauge. When policy headlines jolt rates and the dollar, smaller tokens can see sharp swings—even if there’s no XRP-specific news out there.
Another factor: Washington might finally set firmer boundaries on which regulator handles what in crypto — a core plumbing issue that often determines if big players jump in or hold back. The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee has scheduled a Jan. 15 meeting on H.R. 3633, the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025.
XRP fluctuated between about $2.03 and $2.10 throughout the day. Bitcoin and ether showed little movement, so XRP’s action seemed driven more by headline risk than by any broad rally in crypto.
The U.S. dollar dropped after the Justice Department threatened to indict Fed Chair Jerome Powell over his Congressional testimony, sending the dollar index down 0.4%. The move rattled markets just ahead of Tuesday’s U.S. consumer price inflation report. “This just ended the dollar’s New Year bounce,” Marc Chandler, chief market strategist at Bannockburn Global Forex, told Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/dollar-reels-criminal-probe-into-fed-chair-powell-2026-01-12/
Former Fed chairs Janet Yellen, Ben Bernanke, and Alan Greenspan criticized the reported criminal inquiry into Powell, calling it an “unprecedented” effort to erode central bank independence, Reuters reported. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/past-three-fed-chairs-decry-unprecedented-assault-by-trump-powell-2026-01-12/
Ripple is zeroing in on regulated payment rails as the clearest corporate angle for XRP. On Jan. 9, the company announced it had obtained an Electronic Money Institution licence and Cryptoasset Registration from the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority, framing the move as a boost for expanding its cross-border payments network. “Finance is undergoing a fundamental shift,” Ripple President Monica Long said in a statement. https://ripple.com/ripple-press/ripple-receives-fca-permissions-to-scale-ripple-payments-in-the-uk/
The FCA’s register lists Ripple Markets UK Ltd as an authorised electronic money institution since Jan. 9. Holding an EMI licence lets a company issue electronic money and offer payment services, a key factor for institutions seeking regulated partners.
Investors remain mindful of the legal history. The SEC wrapped up its lawsuit against Ripple in August 2025, imposing a $125 million fine and finally closing the case that had shadowed XRP for years, Reuters reported.
In the short term, XRP is trading more on headlines than fundamentals. Breaking above today’s highs would bring $2.10 back into play, while slipping below $2 could reveal whether buying the dip is genuine or just routine behavior.
The downside is clear. Should Fed tensions escalate or inflation numbers come in hotter than anticipated, traders might pull back sharply—XRP and similar tokens usually take the initial hit. The crypto bill could stall as well, prolonging the familiar uncertainty the market has wrestled with for years.
Coming up, Tuesday brings U.S. inflation figures, followed by Thursday’s Senate session on the CLARITY Act. For XRP, the key question is whether the chatter from Washington dies down or escalates enough to impact liquidity.
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