Mastercard Strengthens Ripple Ties as XRP ETF Undergoes Key Adjustments
Mastercard is expanding its connection to the Ripple ecosystem just as XRP ETF flows show renewed activity. While the token remains far from its previous peaks, the mix of institutional infrastructure and fresh capital movement has put XRP back on traders’ radar this week.
The XRP Ledger Foundation announced Mastercard as a sponsor for the XRP Ledger Hackathon, a 36-hour event scheduled for October 24-25 preceding Ripple Swell 2026 (October 27-29). The Foundation described the payments leader’s participation as “thrilled,” highlighting the decade-old XRP network as “ideally suited for payment use cases.”
This development follows Mastercard’s March initiative to include Ripple alongside Binance, PayPal, Circle, and other firms in an expanded blockchain-payments partnership program.
Meanwhile, 21Shares has modified its XRP ETF’s pricing methodology for the underlying asset, a technical yet significant change coinciding with renewed ETF inflow momentum following a difficult period.
Can XRP Reach $1.50 This Week?
XRP’s intraday trading has ranged from $1.38 to $1.46, with the current price around $1.45 near the upper end of that range. Trading volume has increased alongside this movement, mirroring August 2026 ETF activity that recorded $56.86 million in net inflows.
Beyond ETFs, trading volume has reached its strongest level since January. The $1.40 level now serves as immediate support, while resistance is concentrated in the mid-$1.40s near recent highs.
A decisive break above $1.46 could pave the way toward $1.60 and beyond, particularly if the CLARITY Act passes its September 15 cloture vote and establishes XRP as a CFTC-regulated commodity. Alternatively, consolidation between $1.30 and $1.46 may occur as the market processes whale movements and ETF flow data.
The bearish scenario envisions XRP falling below $1.34, risking a retest of the $1.00 psychological support level that held in mid-August. Approximately 60% of supply is reportedly underwater relative to the $1.48 realized price, an overhang to monitor before pursuing further gains.
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Bitcoin Hyper Aims for Early Mover Advantage as Ripple Token Tests Critical Levels
XRP holders benefiting from this rebound have earned their gains; the recovery from $1.00 to $1.45 is significant. However, with a roughly $90 billion market cap, doubling would require an additional $90 billion in fresh capital—a more challenging feat than most presale-stage assets face.
Standard Chartered’s reduction of its 2026 price target from $8 to $2.80 highlights how institutional expectations have been revised downward. The disparity between JPMorgan’s initial $8 billion inflow projection and the approximately $1.5 billion actually realized exemplifies the asymmetry driving capital toward earlier-stage opportunities.
Enter Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER), a Bitcoin Layer 2 solution integrating Solana Virtual Machine, marketed as faster than Solana while maintaining Bitcoin’s base-layer security.
The presale has accumulated $33 million so far at a token price of $0.01368, offering a substantial 35% APY staking reward. Its Decentralized Canonical Bridge seeks to address Bitcoin’s longstanding programmability limitations without compromising trust assumptions.
Research Bitcoin Hyper before the presale period ends.