New York, Jan 27, 2026, 13:49 EST — Regular session
- XRP slipped roughly 1.5% over the last 24 hours, bouncing between $1.87 and $1.92.
- Ripple and Riyad Bank’s Jeel inked an MoU to pilot blockchain payments and custody solutions in Saudi Arabia
- New U.S. filings for XRP investment products popped up just as traders brace for the Fed’s Jan. 28 decision
XRP dropped roughly 1.5% on Tuesday, settling near $1.88. Trading held tight within a $1.87-$1.92 range over the last 24 hours, while volumes remained steady. 1
The token, which Ripple frequently promotes as a payments-centric crypto asset, reacts sharply to signals of real-world use and changes in market risk appetite. XRP doesn’t follow stock market hours; it trades nonstop. Its price swings tend to mirror wider crypto sentiment more than any single daily “close.”
Ripple has teamed up with Jeel, the innovation and technology division of Saudi lender Riyad Bank, signing a memorandum of understanding to investigate blockchain use in cross-border payments, custody, and tokenisation. Jeel CEO George Harrak emphasized their goal to “responsibly” test next-gen infrastructure within their sandbox. Meanwhile, Ripple’s Middle East and Africa managing director Reece Merrick described Saudi Arabia as a “forward-thinking” center for digital transformation. 2
A regulatory sandbox is a controlled space where companies test new financial technologies prior to full-scale rollout. Tokenisation simply refers to turning assets or claims into digital tokens recorded on a blockchain. 3
U.S.-listed investment products linked to XRP drew attention as well. Grayscale XRP Trust ETF revealed in an SEC filing that its index provider updated the crypto trading venues used to set the benchmark rate behind the fund’s index price. Binance, Gate, and HashKey were added, while Bitfinex was dropped following a scheduled review. 4
Separately, 21Shares submitted a prospectus supplement for its XRP ETF, including a quarterly report. The filing showed the trust held XRP valued at roughly $280.0 million as of Sept. 30, 2025, up from about $209.5 million at the close of 2024.
Bitcoin held steady near $88,000, while ether stayed close to $3,000 as traders eyed upcoming U.S. policy moves. Volatility eased following a turbulent run for risk assets. 5
“Crypto markets seem poised to stay in consolidation until monetary policy becomes clearer,” said Vikram Subburaj, CEO of India exchange Giottus. 6
Attention zeroes in this week as the Federal Reserve wraps up its Jan. 27-28 meeting Wednesday. The policy announcement lands at 2:00 p.m. ET, with Chair Jerome Powell set to speak half an hour later at 2:30 p.m., according to the Fed’s schedule. 7
The near-term outlook for XRP looks complicated. The Saudi announcement is just a non-binding MoU, and sandbox efforts could drag on. Plus, if rate guidance turns toward tighter-for-longer, appetite for volatile assets could fade fast.
Wednesday’s Fed statement and Powell’s briefing loom as the next major catalyst. All eyes will be on the pace at which officials expect borrowing costs to decline from current levels.
