XRP Price Analysis (January 2026): Ripple Dips to $2.07 as Regulatory Clouds Gather

Update 25 September 2026: The Senate Banking Committee session this analysis was waiting for never took place: the committee postponed its markup on 14 January 2026 after Coinbase withdrew its support for the draft. On 15 September 2026 a procedural Senate vote on the CLARITY Act fell well short of the 60 votes needed. XRP did not break out above $2.15. It traded at about $1.39 on 1 March and at about $1.57 on 25 September 2026, according to CoinGecko data. The January analysis follows as a dated snapshot.

If you want to buy XRP today, our crypto exchange comparison shows where.

What happened to XRP and the CLARITY Act after January 12?

Two days after this analysis, the markup scheduled for 15 January was called off. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said his company could not support the draft as written, citing its rules on tokenized equities, DeFi and stablecoin rewards. The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced its own part of the framework, which gives the CFTC authority over digital commodity markets, on 29 January 2026. The combined bill then stalled for months over stablecoin rewards and ethics rules for officials' crypto holdings.

The decisive test came on 15 September 2026: a cloture vote on the motion to proceed failed, so the bill did not reach floor debate. Our report on what the failed CLARITY Act means for investors explains which rules now apply instead, and XRP fell 9% on the day of the vote.

The support zone of $1.80 to $1.90 named below broke in late January. According to CoinGecko daily data, XRP briefly traded just under $1.00 on 17 August 2026 before recovering. Current levels are in our XRP price prediction.

The January 12, 2026 analysis

The cryptocurrency market was entering a high-stakes week, and XRP was caught right in the crossfire. On Monday, January 12, 2026, the Ripple token had slipped about 1% and traded near the $2.07 mark. While Bitcoin and Ethereum remained relatively flat, XRP reacted sharply to political drama and looming legislation in Washington.

XRP Price Analysis: Testing the Downtrend Resistance

The XRP/USD daily chart showed a technical battleground. After the strong rally of 2025, XRP had been consolidating within a large descending wedge.

XRP/USD 1D, 12 January 2026, TradingView

• Resistance Breakout: The price was hugging a long-term descending trendline (yellow). A clean daily close above $2.15 would have signalled a breakout towards $2.40 and $2.80. It did not happen.
• Support Zones: On the downside, a strong horizontal support zone sat between $1.80 and $1.90, the must-hold area for bulls if macro pressure intensified.
• Stochastic RSI: The momentum indicator showed a crossover in neutral territory, suggesting that the next move would be dictated by the news cycle rather than by technical exhaustion.

Regulatory Storm: The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act

The main driver of the volatility was political. On January 15, the US Senate Banking Committee was scheduled to take up its version of the market structure legislation built on H.R. 3633, the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025. As the update above shows, that session was postponed a day before.

The bill matters a great deal for Ripple. It aims to define the boundaries between the SEC and the CFTC and to end years of regulation by enforcement. The outcome was expected to decide whether institutional liquidity would flow back into XRP.

The Powell Probe and the US Dollar

Adding to the risk-off mood were reports that the Justice Department was investigating Fed Chair Jerome Powell over his testimony to Congress. The US Dollar Index (DXY) fell 0.4%.

A weaker dollar usually helps crypto, but uncertainty about the leadership of the Fed rattled markets ahead of the inflation report due the next day. When the plumbing of the financial system is in question, even fundamentally strong assets tend to see temporary outflows as traders retreat to cash.

Ripple's Global Wins vs. Local Woes

It was not all gloom for Ripple. The week before, the company's UK unit had secured fresh approvals from the FCA, reinforcing its status as a regulated payments firm. Until the US clarified its stance on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, however, XRP was likely to keep trading as a pure risk gauge. In hindsight, that was the most accurate sentence of the analysis.

FAQ

Did the Senate Banking Committee vote on the CLARITY Act in January 2026?

No. The markup planned for 15 January 2026 was postponed on 14 January after Coinbase withdrew its support for the draft.

Is the CLARITY Act law?

No. On 15 September 2026 a procedural vote in the Senate fell well short of the 60 votes needed to open floor debate.

What is the XRP price today?

On 25 September 2026 XRP traded at about $1.57, according to CoinGecko.