News: Yoshitaka Kitao, CEO of SBI Holdings, a major Japanese financial institution and Ripple’s largest external shareholder, has stated that he believes XRP “will be very expensive.” This statement comes alongside SBI’s continued investment in XRP, including the launch of a 10 billion yen (approximately $64 million) blockchain bond in February 2026 that pays returns in XRP. SBI is also involved in rolling out Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin and supporting startups building on the XRP Ledger. Kitao believes a favorable ruling in Ripple’s legal case against US regulators could trigger a significant price increase for XRP.
AI Analysis: The CEO’s comments, backed by SBI’s substantial financial commitment to XRP, suggest strong confidence in the cryptocurrency’s future potential, particularly if the legal situation with US regulators resolves favorably.