There's growing speculation about where the crypto landscape might head as we close out this year and push into 2026. Several major catalysts are in play—think ETFs gaining more traction, the ISO 20022 standard reshaping cross-border payments, tokenization picking up steam across traditional finance, and even the Bank of Japan potentially hiking rates.

One point keeps surfacing in these conversations: XRP stands out as perhaps the only major asset with regulatory clarity solid enough to function during a systemic financial shock. While other projects wrestle with compliance uncertainty, that clearcut legal status could prove decisive when markets face real stress tests. It's not just about price action—it's about infrastructure resilience when traditional systems falter.