XRP’s 2026 surge: Can daily online payments redefine global finance?
XRP was created to speed up cross-border payments at minimal cost. By 2025, the network processed between 900,000 and 1 million online payments daily. Now, in 2026, it stands at a turning point in global finance.
The number of daily online payments on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) has become a key measure of real-world use. In late 2025, forecasts suggested daily online payments would rise from 1.5–1.8 million, with July 2025 already hitting around 1.8 million per day. A spike to over 2 million online payments in 2026 could mark a shift from speculation to practical financial use.
A previous surge occurred on December 31, 2023, when a temporary fee-free window led to 6 million online payments worth $275 million in a single day. However, this spike was largely driven by hackers exploiting the system. Unlike that event, a steady increase in 2026 would reflect genuine adoption rather than manipulation.
Yet reaching 2 million daily online payments alone won’t confirm XRP’s mainstream status. For that, broader institutional adoption, consistent use of On-Demand Liquidity (ODL), clearer regulations, and partnerships with banks would also be needed.
If XRP’s daily online payments double in 2026, it would signal growing reliance on the network for real online payments. The shift would move XRP closer to becoming a core part of global financial systems. Still, full mainstream acceptance depends on more than online payment numbers alone.
