Ripple is calling 2026 its best year ever, projecting that the blockchain payments company will end the year with a record $900 million annualized product revenue run rate. The milestone lands against a sharply different market backdrop: XRP, the digital asset associated with Ripple's payments network, is on track for its worst year since 2022, having lost nearly 29% of its value so far this year.

Ripple President Monica Long described the period as the company's “best year ever,” citing both the revenue milestone and growing use of Ripple's tools by major financial firms. The company shared the figures around Swell, its annual conference now in its 10th year, in New York, where it also announced new regulatory approvals and partnership agreements.

In a post on X on Oct. 27, CEO Brad Garlinghouse wrote:

We're kicking off 10 years of @RippleSwell with a bang! 1/ Goes without saying, but it was an honor to open up our conference with @SecScottBessent . His leadership, alongside the current administration, has been instrumental in ensuring that responsible crypto can thrive in the… pic.twitter.com/9kvULoDY0n

— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) October 27, 2026

Customer Growth, New Products and Regulatory Approvals

Ripple said more than 1,700 institutions and businesses now use its infrastructure, and the number of customers using more than one Ripple product has tripled this year. Major customers and partners include Standard Chartered, DBS, HSBC, Robinhood and BNY — a roster spanning global banks, custody providers and retail brokerages.

The company said its products enabled more than $16 trillion in transactions in 2025, while its payments network is approaching $150 billion in total transaction volume. Its RLUSD stablecoin, which is pegged to the US dollar, has grown more than 88% this year, reaching a market value of $2.6 billion.

Much of the expansion came through acquisitions. Ripple spent more than $2.4 billion on deals last year, including prime brokerage Hidden Road — now rebranded as Ripple Prime — for $1.25 billion, treasury software provider GTreasury for $1 billion and payments firm Rail for $200 million. Garlinghouse said Ripple aims to bring together services typically offered by separate firms onto a single platform, using blockchain technology and digital assets such as XRP.

Regulatory progress arrived on Oct. 26, when the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the federal agency that charters and supervises US national banks, granted final approval for Ripple National Trust Bank. The charter allows the bank to manage RLUSD reserves and offer digital asset custody services, placing the unit under federal banking oversight. The same day, Ripple Treasury launched a 24/7 Returns feature, which lets eligible business customers earn returns on qualifying digital assets, including RLUSD, during nights, weekends and holidays.

Ripple is hosting this year's Swell conference from Oct. 27 to 29 at The Shed in Manhattan. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent opened the event alongside Garlinghouse. Garlinghouse said Bessent's leadership “has been instrumental in ensuring that responsible crypto can thrive in the US.” He also pointed to a new agreement with Robinhood and expanded work with BNY.

XRP Heads for Worst Year Since 2022

Data from CryptoRank shows XRP has lost 28.8% in 2026, following an 11.6% drop last year. The token rose 82.5% in 2023 and 235.7% in 2024, but this year it fell from a high of $2.40 to below $1 in August.

The wider crypto market has also struggled. Bitcoin dropped below $60,000 at one point this year after hitting a record near $126,000 in October 2025 — a fall of roughly half from that peak. It has since recovered above $80,000, but remains down about 8% for the year. Ethereum has fallen roughly 20%, and Solana about 17%.

XRP traded near $1.29 on Oct. 29, down about 3% in 24 hours and more than 50% over the past 12 months. If losses hold through December, the token would post its worst year since a 59.2% drop in 2022, when a broad downturn swept through crypto markets — and its first back-to-back losing years since 2018 and 2019.

Source: Blockonomi