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Most people view XRP from a wrong perspective, as it suffers from weak performance: Founder of Black Swan Capitalist.
For years, the price performance of #Ripple has been a source of frustration for many investors.

While the cryptocurrency market overall has experienced cycles of hype-driven rallies, #XRP has often lagged behind, leading to repeated claims that it is underperforming or flawed. According to Firsan Al-Jarrah, founder of Black Swan Capitalist, this conclusion completely misses the point.

Key Points

The slow movement of #XRP 's price frustrates investors, but supporters emphasize that it was never designed for hype cycles.

Firsan Al-Jarrah states that XRP's progress is based on utility and settlement, not short-term speculation.

$XRP still moves influenced by digital currency liquidity and the dollar system, limiting its divergence in the short term.

The CEO of Canary Capital says XRP may decouple from Bitcoin as focus shifts to real-world practical applications.

"$XRP was not designed for pump-and-dump cycles"

Al-Jarrah argues that XRP is often evaluated using the same framework applied to speculative assets, where price momentum and sentiment dominate analysis.

In reality, XRP was designed for a completely different purpose, Al-Jarrah explains. Instead of thriving on market enthusiasm, it was built to serve as a settlement asset when traditional systems fail to transfer value efficiently.

From this perspective, price movement alone is an incomplete measure of progress. XRP's role is tied to practical utility, not short-term speculation, and this distinction explains why it doesn't always match the rocket-like moves seen elsewhere in the market.

Why does #XRPUSDT still move with the broader market?

Currently, XRP is still traded within the same liquidity structure driven by other cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin remains closely linked to debt markets, which respond to global liquidity, and liquidity is still largely controlled by the US dollar system. Al-Jarrah pointed out that as long as XRP's price remains within this framework, it will reflect these conditions.

Even the growth of stablecoins hasn't fundamentally changed this reality. Although stablecoins are digital, they still represent fiat currencies and rely on an underlying settlement layer to operate at scale.

The real driver is the demand for settlement

According to Al-Jarrah, the true decoupling from the market doesn't happen just because market sentiment improves or narratives change; it occurs when settlement becomes necessary, usually during periods of systemic stress. Only when traditional financial systems are under pressure does demand for alternative settlement mechanisms emerge.

This highlights the importance of XRP's design. The value of XRP is not based on beliefs or speculation but on demand driven by real settlement needs.

The bottom line is that XRP doesn't need widespread popularity or continuous media hype or excessive optimism to fulfill its role. Its critical moment comes when the system needs what it was designed for: efficient and neutral settlement at scale.

Investors who focus solely on charts might overlook this point, but for those who view market structure rather than sentiment, XRP could have a long-term strategy.

"XRP may decouple from Bitcoin this year"

Steven McClurg, CEO of Canary Capital, believes XRP could be among the few major cryptocurrencies that won't be significantly affected by Bitcoin's price movements this year.

In a podcast interview, McClurg expressed pessimism about Bitcoin, noting that it peaked in October 2025 at $126,200. Since then, Bitcoin's price has dropped by about 36%, and he expects a further decline of 20% to 30% over the next six to nine months.

While most cryptocurrencies tend to move in tandem with Bitcoin, McClurg believes this cycle will be different for projects with practical applications. He sees 2026 focusing more on tokenizing real assets and stablecoins rather than speculation.

He confirmed that #XRPLedger is well-positioned to benefit from this shift, stating that platforms linked to practical applications may decouple from Bitcoin's overall decline.

However, he doesn't expect large gains. He anticipates modest gains, not exceeding 10%, for a small set of assets like XRP, while Bitcoin's price may continue to decline. Critics, however, consider these predictions unrealistic.

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