Every XRP Investor Should Keep an Eye on This Number in 2026

Core Insights - The focus for XRP investors should shift from traditional financial metrics to the daily number of XRP payments, which reflects real-world usage and adoption of the cryptocurrency [2][7] - The average payment value can fluctuate significantly, making it an unreliable metric for assessing XRP's performance [5][6] Summary by Sections XRP Investment Metrics - Traditional metrics like price per token and trading volumes have remained steady in 2025, particularly after a boost during the November 2024 presidential election [1] - The introduction of spot-price XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has led to increased interest in cash inflows into leading ETFs like the Canary XRP ETF [1] Importance of Payment Transactions - The daily number of XRP payment transactions is emphasized as the most critical metric for long-term investors, as it indicates the cryptocurrency's utility in cross-border payments [4][7] - The total number of XRP transactions includes various types, but the focus should be on payment transactions specifically, which are a smaller subset [4] Payment Volume Insights - The daily payment volume for XRP can vary widely, ranging from $396 million to $17 billion, indicating that total value is not a reliable indicator of performance [6][7] - A sustained daily payment count above 2 million in 2026 is suggested as a benchmark for confirming XRP's mainstream adoption [7]