$1,000 in XRP or Ethereum: Which Could Be Worth More by 2028? - 24/7 Wall St.

According to Standard Chartered's 2028 projections, investing $1,000 in XRP could grow to about $13,180, while the same investment in Ethereum might reach around $9,950. However, these targets were set before the latest market selloff, which has seen both cryptocurrencies decline significantly.

XRP currently 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.

Investment Breakdown

At current prices, $1,000 buys about 1,046 XRP or approximately 0.55 Ethereum. These quantities remain constant, so each investment's value in 2028 depends entirely on each coin's future price performance.

Market size represents a significant factor in this comparison. 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 globally.

Supply dilution also affects XRP more than Ethereum. 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.

Standard Chartered's Projections

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.

ETF Performance Challenges

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, 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, which would be 193% above current prices, seems increasingly out of reach.

Ethereum faces similar ETF challenges with cumulative net inflows of about $11.52 billion as of November 13, though net assets have decreased from $15.36 billion on October 21 to $10.85 billion. The largest single-day outflow reached $184.5 million on November 9.

Path to 2028 Targets

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.

XRP must climb considerably during 2027 and 2028 to reach its 2028 projection of $12.60, which would be 1,218% above its current price. The first signs of progress will come at year-end, with XRP needing to reach $2.80 and Ethereum $4,000 to stay on track for their 2028 targets.

Before that, each coin must first recover its 200-day average: $1.26 for XRP and $2,145 for Ethereum. Ethereum's upgrade roadmap offers some reassurance, with some goals previously set for 2030 now being discussed for 2028.