XRP Price Shows Stronger January 2026 Structure as Solana Faces Key Retest

As January 2026 begins, XRP price and Solana price are emerging from prolonged corrective phases with noticeably different recovery structures. While both assets have rebounded, XRP currently displays a cleaner and more stable technical setup, supported by long-term price defense and growing institutional relevance. Solana, on the other hand, is navigating a more fragile post-breakout phase as buyers attempt to validate recent gains after a sharp rejection at major resistance.

XRP price has shown resilience after a decisive defense of the $1.80 long-term support zone. This level halted the previous downtrend and invalidated a series of lower lows, forcing sellers to retreat. The recovery was not merely reactive; XRP broke above its falling regression channel, signaling a structural trend shift rather than a short-term bounce. At the time of writing, XRP is trading around the $2.02–$2.16 range, holding above the psychologically important $2.00 level. This consolidation suggests demand absorption rather than distribution, reinforcing the bullish recovery narrative.

Fundamentally, XRP is benefiting from increased institutional visibility. Ripple’s expanding ecosystem, including treasury-focused developments and the acquisition of Solvexia by Ripple-backed GTreasury, has strengthened confidence in XRP and RLUSD infrastructure. This alignment between technical structure and institutional adoption supports upside targets near $2.35 and $2.60, provided $2.00 remains intact. A loss of this level, however, would reopen downside risk toward $1.80.

Solana price has already broken out of a descending channel that constrained price action throughout late 2025, confirming a broader trend shift. However, rejection near $143 shifted focus from expansion to validation. SOL is currently trading near $135 and appears vulnerable to a pullback toward the $127–$130 zone, which previously acted as resistance. A controlled retest and successful defense of this area would indicate acceptance of the breakout and open the path toward $167 and potentially $200.

Supporting this outlook, Solana’s ecosystem continues to evolve, with treasury initiatives moving on-chain and yield-focused strategies encouraging accumulation. Still, failure to hold above $127 would invalidate the breakout and increase the probability of a deeper retrace toward $120.

Overall, XRP price enters January 2026 with a more consistent and structurally sound recovery profile. Solana offers higher upside potential, but only if buyers successfully defend post-breakout support. Until then, XRP maintains a clearer path to sustained outperformance.