Core Viewpoint - Standard Chartered has significantly reduced its end-of-year price target for XRP by 65%, revising it from $8 to $2.80 due to the recent downturn in the crypto market [1] Market Performance - The digital asset market has faced severe challenges, with Bitcoin experiencing a 28% decline over the past month, reaching a low of $60,000 before a slight recovery [2] - XRP has also struggled, briefly dropping to $1.16, its lowest price in 15 months, and is currently down approximately 28% over the last month [3] XRP's Recent Trends - XRP started 2026 positively, with a 25% increase in the first week, driven by ETF inflows and favorable regulatory conditions [4] - The total amount locked in XRP ETFs peaked at $1.6 billion but has since decreased by 40% to just over $1 billion as of February 13 [4] Broader Crypto Forecasts - Standard Chartered has also revised its year-end targets for other cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin from $150,000 to $100,000, Ethereum from $7,000 to $4,000, and Solana from $250 to $135 [5] - The bank anticipates that XRP will perform similarly to Ethereum, benefiting from the development of stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets [5] Legislative Developments - A potential catalyst for XRP's price recovery is the Clarity Act, a significant crypto market bill currently under consideration in the US Senate [6] - US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that the passage of the Clarity Act could aid in the recovery of the crypto market [6] - Progress on the Clarity Act had stalled due to disagreements among banking leaders and crypto executives, but recent discussions have been described as productive [7]

Group 1 - The total value locked (TVL) in the DeFi lending market has reached a record $130 billion, making it the largest sector in DeFi, surpassing liquid staking [1][2] - The increase in TVL is attributed to favorable policy shifts, tokenized real-world assets being used as collateral, growth in the stablecoin market, and the emergence of looping strategies that enhance yields [2] - Major DeFi lending protocols such as Aave, Morpho, and JustLend are driving significant growth in the sector, benefiting from transaction fees [2][3] Group 2 - Aave is the largest DeFi lending protocol with a TVL exceeding $68 billion, operating on a pool-based lending model [4] - Morpho is the second-largest protocol, with a TVL five times smaller than Aave's, featuring a matching system for lenders and borrowers [5] - JustLend has a TVL of over $5 billion and operates solely on the Tron blockchain, distinguishing it from Aave, which is deployed on 18 different blockchains [6]