An XRP Ledger ecosystem developer behind the meme coin DROP is drawing attention after predicting a sharp shift in XRP’s relative value versus bitcoin this year, framing it as the start of a new “price discovery” phase for the token. Bird, who posts under @Bird_XRPL, wrote on X yesterday that “5,000 XRP will be worth 1 Bitcoin in 2026,” then clarified his math with a specific price path in mind. “I said I think 5,000 XRP will be worth 1 Bitcoin,” he added. “For example 5,000 * $27 (XRP) = $135K (BTC).” While the post reads like a headline-grabbing forecast, the structure of Bird’s claim is a ratio trade: XRP outperforming BTC enough that 5,000 XRP could purchase one bitcoin. By anchoring the example to $27 XRP and a $135,000 BTC, Bird effectively argued that the market’s next leg higher could involve a meaningful repricing of XRP’s utility narrative rather than a simple beta move to bitcoin. Related Reading: Get Ready For An XRP Price Explosion Once This Happens; Analyst XRP Entering ‘Price Discovery’ Phase The call arrived alongside a series of posts linking XRP’s setup to broader risk-asset conditions and upcoming US macro catalysts. Bird argued that “above $2.70 $XRP opens the path to all time highs and beyond,” presenting that level as a technical inflection point. “Take a breath. Stay present. Remember this moment,” he wrote. “This is the end of a 7–8 year suppression and the beginning of true price discovery.” Bird’s longer thesis, posted on Jan. 11, focused less on short-term trading and more on a personal allocation framework that treats XRP as a long-duration hold. “XRP should be considered as part of your life saving plans,” he wrote, contrasting bank deposit yields with inflation drag. Related Reading: Ripple Builds ‘Next Amazon’ With XRP At The Center, Says Crypto CEO “Most people keep their money in banks earning around 4–6% a year and feel comfortable doing so, but they rarely factor in inflation. Over time, the buying power of the US dollar and the British pound for example has fallen so much, meaning your money often grows on paper while quietly losing value in the real world.” He then positioned XRP as an alternative store of value tied to expanding usage rather than fiat purchasing power. “That’s where XRP comes in. XRP has spent years suppressed by legal uncertainty, yet during that time the technology continued to mature. Now we have clarity, and we can clearly see what’s being built,” Bird wrote, pointing to “cross border payments, institutional adoption, stablecoins like RLUSD, and real world assets being tokenised on chain.” Bird framed the trade-off as custody and counterparty risk versus upside participation. “That’s why I personally treat XRP as a long term savings vehicle rather than a short term trade,” he wrote. “You can self custody it, store it on a cold wallet, and remove reliance on banks altogether.” Bird also tied the timing of his forecast to what he described as a convergence of market structure and policy headlines. “It’s a massive week for XRP,” he wrote, citing CPI and PPI as volatility events and highlighting that the US market structure bill is scheduled to drop on Thursday. “The charts are aligning. The macro is aligned. If this pushes in our favour and we clear $2.70+, an all time high can come very fast for XRP people!” At press time, XRP traded at $2.06. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
