A Coinbase and EY-Parthenon survey of 351 institutional investors—96% of them managing over $1 billion in assets—found that 25% plan to add XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) to their portfolios in 2026. That’s on top of the 18% that already hold it. The survey is one of the most detailed snapshots of where institutional money is heading in crypto this year, and XRP came out as one of the two most popular altcoins alongside Solana.
But the XRP price is hovering around $1.35-$1.40 after falling 43% year-to-date. Ripple has seen new waves of adoption, XRP ETFs have pulled in billions, and the SEC classified XRP as a digital commodity, but none of it has been enough to push the price past $1.50.
So what would it take for institutional adoption to finally start moving the XRP price?
What 351 Institutions Said About XRP
The survey covered asset managers, hedge funds, private banks, venture capital firms, and family offices across 20 countries—with 60% based in the United States and 20% in Europe. As of January 2026, 18% of those institutions already held XRP, making it one of the two most commonly held altcoins alongside Solana. Another 25% then said they plan to add XRP to their allocations before the end of the year. This shows roughly 43% of the institutions surveyed either hold XRP or intend to by December.
73% of the institutions plan to increase their overall crypto allocations in 2026, and 74% expect crypto prices to rise over the next 12 months. 68% said they would likely buy single-asset altcoin ETFs tracking tokens like XRP and Solana. And the single biggest reason institutions gave for increasing exposure was regulatory clarity, as 65% cited it as the number one factor.
Ripple’s own survey of over 1,000 finance leaders, published around the same time, came back with similar numbers. 72% of respondents said firms that don’t offer digital asset solutions risk falling behind competitively, and 74% pointed to stablecoins as a tool for improving cash-flow efficiency. Both surveys say the same thing from different angles—institutional appetite for XRP is growing even with prices down 43% on the year.
The intent is there, but intent from a survey and actual money moving into XRP are two very different things.
How Much Institutional Money Has Actually Reached XRP
Institutional money has started showing up for XRP, but it’s concentrated in a handful of names. Goldman Sachs disclosed a $153.8 million position across four spot XRP ETFs in its Q4 2025 filing, making it the largest institutional XRP holder in the United States by a wide margin.
The top 30 institutional holders combined hold roughly $211 million, with Millennium Management at $23 million, Citadel Advisors at $4.5 million, and names like Jane Street and Flow Traders also on the list. In total, 83 institutions have filed regulatory disclosures showing XRP ETF positions.
Bloomberg Intelligence analysts James Seyffart and Eric Balchunas estimate that retail investors account for around 84% of XRP ETF assets, with institutions making up just 16%. That’s the opposite of what happened with Bitcoin ETFs, where institutional money became the majority within the first year. And during that period, BTC went from $40,000 to $126,000. XRP hasn’t had that kind of institutional rotation yet, and until it does, ETF inflows alone won’t move the XRP price.
XRP ETFs were pulling in $200 million per week at launch in late 2025. By early March 2026, that figure dropped to $636,000 in a single week, and March has logged over $31 million in net outflows with only four positive inflow days. Goldman’s Q1 2026 filing is due in May and will reveal whether the bank held through XRP’s 43% YTD decline or trimmed the position.
The filing could change how the market reads institutional interest in XRP. For now, institutions have started buying, but the actual money flowing in is still a fraction of what the Coinbase survey’s 25% figure implies.
What Needs to Change for Institutional Money to Move the XRP Price
The Coinbase survey confirmed that institutional appetite for XRP exists but the survey respondents themselves pointed to what’s holding them back. 65% said regulatory clarity is the single biggest factor behind their decision to increase crypto exposure. Until the CLARITY Act passes and removes that last barrier, the 25% figure stays as intent on paper rather than money flowing into XRP.
XRP’s ETF investor base is still overwhelmingly retail, and that ratio needs to flip before institutional demand starts moving the price the way it did for Bitcoin. If the CLARITY Act clears committee and Goldman’s May 13F confirms the bank held through the drawdown, those two signals together could be what shifts the balance. Until then, the demand is confirmed but the capital is still waiting for permission to move.
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