4.7%—that was XRP’s intraday swing the moment “2026” hit Crypto-Twitter late Sunday. Traders grabbed coffee, charts flickered red and green, and my Telegram lit up like Times Square on New Year’s Eve. This is moving fast, so let’s cut to the chase.
Here’s What Actually Happened
At roughly 07:14 UTC on Sunday, the pseudonymous chart-slinger @AltcoinBale blasted out: “
SEC v XRP final decision could be delayed until late 2026—brace yourselves.” You know how it goes: one tweet, two screenshots, instant wildfire. Within an hour, WhaleAlert flagged nearly $32 million in XRP shifting from Binance to cold wallets—panic or opportunistic accumulation, take your pick.
Then—almost as if he set an alarm—veteran crypto attorney John E. Deaton jumped in: “Absolutely not happening. The timeline maxes out at mid-2024.” He backed it up with docket numbers: the remedies briefing wraps April 29, 2024; Judge Torres historically rules inside six months. Deaton’s confidence was so blunt it bordered on a mic-drop.
Why the Delay Rumor Even Looked Plausible
Honestly, after watching the SEC drag out LBRY and BlockFi, 2026 didn’t sound completely insane. Plus, Ripple’s legal team just asked for a modest extension on one evidentiary deadline—traders conflated that with “see you in three years.” It was a classic cocktail of half-truth and weekend boredom.
Price Action: Blink and You Missed It
XRP dipped to $0.523 within 20 minutes, then snapped back to $0.548 after Deaton’s rebuttal hit. Perpetual futures funding flipped negative on Bybit for only one 8-hour window—then normalized. If you sneezed, you missed the scalp.
Now Here’s the Interesting Part
Did anyone actually profit from the fear? On-chain sleuth @Lookonchain flagged two wallets that dumped 5.6 million XRP right at the rumor top and re-bought lower—netting roughly $290k in under an hour. So, while retail argued over court calendars, someone paid their mortgage.
What the Calendar Really Looks Like
- March 13, 2024: SEC files opening remedies brief.
- April 12, 2024: Ripple replies.
- April 29, 2024: SEC gets last word.
- Q3 2024: Realistic final ruling window, if Torres sticks to form.
Quick tangent: Torres ruled on summary judgment in the Thornton case 145 days after final briefing. Apply that math here and you land in early September, not 2026. I can’t promise she’s tracking TradingView alerts, but the pattern is there.
Ripple’s Own Playbook Says “Hurry Up”
CEO Brad Garlinghouse has a rumored IPO window in 2025. They can’t dangle that carrot to institutional backers while an open-ended lawsuit hangs overhead. I’d bet my last Ledger Nano they’re pushing for closure, not delays.
Why This Matters for Your Portfolio
If you’re sitting on a stack of XRP hoping for a judicial moonshot, remember: clarity beats hype. A clean win or even a small settlement could unlock U.S. exchange relistings—think Coinbase, Kraken. That alone would dwarf yesterday’s mini panic.
But—and there’s always a but—the SEC could appeal, stringing things out another year. So, ladder those limit orders and keep alerts on the docket filings, not influencers’ hot takes.
So, 2026? Not a Chance… Probably
I can’t say Deaton’s 2024 forecast is carved in stone, but 2026 feels like click-bait at best, market manipulation at worst. We’ll know more after remedies briefs hit Pacermonitor in March. Until then, expect every micro-delay to spark another rumor—and another round of 4% candles.
This story is still developing. I’m refreshing the docket and, yes, I’ve got two alarms set. Stay nimble.
