The Crypto Desk desk. Editor: Sam Daodu.
According to Standard Chartered’s 2028 projections, investing $1,000 in XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) could grow to about $13,180, while the same investment in Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) might reach around $9,950. However, these targets were set before the latest market selloff. So which could ultimately be worth more by 2028, $1,000 in XRP or Ethereum?
XRP trades at about $0.96, down 17.3% over the past week and 48.2% this year. Ethereum is priced around $1,809, down 19.2% over the past week and 39.3% year to date. XRP is 74% below its all-time high of $3.65 from July 2025, while Ethereum is 63% off its peak of $4,946 from August 2025. Looking at XRP or Ethereum over the next five years covers a longer horizon.
$1,000 Buys About 1,046 XRP or 0.55 Ethereum
At these prices, $1,000 buys about 1,046 XRP or about 0.55 Ethereum. These quantities remain constant, so each investment’s value in 2028 depends entirely on each coin’s price.
Market size is one significant factor. Ethereum has a market value of about $221 billion, making it the second-largest crypto asset, while XRP’s market value is around $60.7 billion, placing it sixth.
Supply dilution also affects XRP more than Ethereum. Dilution happens when new tokens enter circulation over time, so the same price adds up to a larger total market value. About 63.5 billion XRP are in circulation out of a total cap of 100 billion, giving XRP a fully diluted value of about $95.6 billion.
In contrast, Ethereum’s circulating supply matches its total supply at 122.2 million coins. As XRP’s price rises, it may need more buying power to absorb the remaining supply, raising questions about whether XRP can surpass Ethereum in market value by 2030.
Standard Chartered’s Targets Put the XRP Stake at $13,180 and the Ethereum Stake at $9,950
Geoffrey Kendrick, who led Standard Chartered’s digital assets research when the targets were set, put XRP at $2.80 by year-end, $7 for 2027, $12.60 for 2028, $19.60 for 2029 and $28 for 2030 in a February revision. Those targets were revised downward amid ETF outflows and broader economic pressure.
For Ethereum, the bank reaffirmed on June 4 a forecast of $4,000 by year-end, followed by $10,000 at the end of 2027, $18,000 at the end of 2028 and $40,000 by 2030. Both sets of predictions were made months ago, before the selloff that followed the October 21 highs, and may have changed since.
At the 2028 targets of $12.60 for XRP and $18,000 for Ethereum, the investments would be worth about $13,180 and $9,950, which puts XRP ahead on paper. A look at 1,000 XRP or 1 Ethereum by 2028 ran a similar comparison with fixed coin counts.
XRP Needs Its ETF Buyers Back Before It Can Chase $12.60
For XRP to reach its projected price of $12.60, it needs to attract buyers back into the market. As of November 13, cumulative inflows to spot XRP ETFs totaled $1.79 billion, according to SoSoValue, but net assets have dropped from $1.57 billion on October 21 to $1.15 billion, with $10.4 million in outflows on November 9 alone.
XRP is also trading below its 50-day moving average of $1.31, 37% below, and its 200-day average of $1.26, 32% below. The year-end target of $2.80, 193% above, seems out of reach, which means XRP must climb considerably during 2027 and 2028 to reach its 2028 projection.
Ethereum Needs Its ETF Outflows to Stop
Ethereum, by contrast, has a much larger base, with cumulative net inflows of about $11.52 billion into its ETFs as of November 13. However, its net assets have also decreased, dropping from $15.36 billion on October 21 to $10.85 billion. The largest single-day outflow, $184.5 million, came on November 9, followed by a mere $2.4 million inflow on November 13.
While Ethereum also trades below its 50-day average of $2,396 (32% above) and its 200-day average of $2,145 (19% above), its upgrade roadmap offers some reassurance. Hosts on a November 5 crypto podcast said some goals previously set for 2030 are now being discussed for 2028, the same year as the ambitious $18,000 target, a link explored in how much one Ethereum could be worth by 2030.
Which $1,000 in XRP or Ethereum Could Be Worth More by 2028?
While Standard Chartered’s projections suggest XRP could reach a higher value by 2028, Ethereum has stronger fundamentals and a more solid foundation. With a well-established ETF market and a fully circulating supply, Ethereum seems better positioned for growth. Conversely, XRP needs to regain its buyers, recover from a likely year-end target miss, and post big gains in both 2027 and 2028 to hit its projected $12.60, 1,218% above its price.
The first signs of progress will come at year-end. If XRP finishes significantly below $2.80 and Ethereum below $4,000, both coins may struggle to meet their 2028 targets, shrinking the projected $13,180 and $9,950. Before that, each coin must first recover its 200-day average: $1.26 for XRP and $2,145 for Ethereum.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Sam Daodu is a crypto analyst and the editor of 24/7 Wall St.'s Crypto Desk, where he covers Bitcoin, XRP, Ethereum, Solana and the altcoins investors search for most. His work focuses on price levels, spot ETF flows, on-chain data and the regulatory decisions that move crypto markets, written so a first-time buyer and a seasoned trader can both use it.
Sam has written about crypto professionally since 2019 and has published more than 2,000 articles. Before joining 24/7 Wall St., he wrote for crypto media outlets and Web3 companies and ghostwrote for crypto founders and token launches. His analysis is syndicated on Yahoo Finance, MSN and AOL and has been cited by other crypto news sites. He also founded MacLabs Marketing, a content and personal branding agency for crypto founders and executives.
When he isn't reading charts, Sam is usually at the gym or watching One Piece, a series he maintains has better tokenomics than most altcoins.
