Ripple's XRP may be poised for an upswing, according to one expert, who cites a key technical signal that has just flipped to a positive outlook.
A notable shift in the market sentiment surrounding XRP has emerged, with the digital asset's SuperTrend indicator flipping to a bullish signal on April 18, marking its first such occurrence in three months. This development, highlighted by on-chain analyst Ali, suggests that the prolonged period of selling pressure that began in mid-January may be subsiding. As a result, XRP's daily chart is now exhibiting a buy signal, which could potentially pave the way for a significant reversal in the asset's trend.
XRP's performance in the first quarter of 2026 was lackluster, with the asset declining by approximately 27% and plummeting from $2.4 in January to a low of $1.16. This downturn marked its worst quarterly showing in eight years. At the time of writing, XRP was trading at $1.44, having slipped by around 3% over the preceding 24 hours, according to data from CoinGecko. The asset remains more than 60% below its all-time high of $3.6, which was achieved last July.
In recent weeks, XRP has struggled to break through the $1.55 resistance level, which has consistently capped its gains. However, analyst Ali notes that a sustained breach above this threshold could potentially unlock upside potential towards $1.9, representing a gain of roughly 30% from current levels.
In a separate development, wrapped XRP (wXRP) was launched on the Solana blockchain on April 17, enabling XRP holders to participate in a range of activities, including trading, yield generation, and liquidity provision, without having to sell their assets. This integration bridges XRP into Solana's high-speed DeFi ecosystem, facilitating interactions with various applications such as Jupiter, Titan, and Phantom.
The introduction of wXRP, which is fully collateralized 1:1 with XRP held in custody, is designed to maintain peg stability while expanding the utility of XRP beyond its native ledger. According to Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, this expansion is a response to rising demand and the company's ongoing efforts to establish a presence in multi-chain ecosystems.
In addition to these developments, XRP has recently benefited from two significant partnerships in Asia. Rakuten, a major e-commerce and fintech player in Japan, has integrated XRP into its ecosystem, providing access to an estimated 44 million users across five million stores. Separately, Kyobo Life Insurance in South Korea has partnered with Ripple to leverage blockchain technology for the digitization of government bond settlement, further advancing the asset's use cases in two of Asia's largest economies.