Top XRP Analyst Says Bears Will Be Proven Wrong In May 2026, But Why

Persistent skepticism around XRP’s price trajectory is misreading the asset’s moment, according to a prominent crypto researcher — and a recently surfaced panel video makes the case for why doubters are likely to come up short.

SMQKE (@SMQKEDQG), a well-followed crypto researcher on X, recently shared footage from a Crypto Valley panel in Zurich in which Ripple’s Sales Director outlined the company’s growing infrastructure footprint.

The post reignited a broader debate about whether XRP bears are underestimating what is quietly being built beneath the price chart. XRP enthusiast Tony (@_Sab3r_6) amplified the call, posting that critics “will be proven wrong” as the utility case becomes harder to dismiss.

The Infrastructure Argument Bears Are Missing

The Zurich panel provided the substance behind that conviction. Tania Griffith, Sales Director at Ripple, explained during the discussion that banks and financial institutions are becoming increasingly comfortable using crypto and blockchain rails for payments — a shift that would have seemed remote just a few years ago.

Griffith noted that Ripple has moved from relying on a handful of exchanges with limited volume to building a global network of liquidity providers, stablecoins, and major financial infrastructure players. The result, she said, is straightforward: larger payments and better foreign exchange rates. The system now supports true 24/7, 365-day settlement — a capability traditional cross-border payment rails were never designed to deliver.

Ripple’s approach, as described at the panel, treats blockchain and crypto as complementary to existing financial infrastructure rather than a replacement. XRP sits in the liquidity layer of that architecture, facilitating the movement of value between currencies and jurisdictions at speed.

This development marks a pivotal distinction for XRP in the current market cycle. The bear case has largely rested on price action and regulatory uncertainty. The bull case increasingly rests on adoption metrics and infrastructure depth — two things, as the panel made clear, that continue to expand regardless of short-term chart noise.

As of this writing, XRP trades at around $2.11, holding steady after a week of consolidation.

Cover image from Grok, XRPUSD chart from Tradingview