With only seven days until Christmas, Shiba Inu, XRP, and Cardano are the best choices for savvy investors looking for high growth potential in 2026.
As expectations for a cryptocurrency bull market in 2026 continue to grow, especially if U.S. regulators eventually introduce clear digital asset legislation, the weeks leading up to Christmas provide investors with a strategic buying window.
Since Sunday, the price of Bitcoin has remained below $90,000. Over the past 24 hours, the price of Bitcoin has held around $87,000.
A noteworthy trend is that since the summer, Bitcoin's market dominance has gradually declined. Historically, this trend often signals that capital will shift to other cryptocurrencies. Against this backdrop, assets like Shiba Inu, XRP, and Cardano have emerged as the most noteworthy crypto projects at present.
Shiba Inu (SHIB): From meme origins to a highly practical network
Shiba Inu ($SHIB) debuted in August 2020 and has since grown into the second-largest meme-based cryptocurrency, with a market cap exceeding 4.4 billion USD.
With the support of a large community and an expanding ecosystem, SHIB increasingly resembles a mid-cap blue-chip cryptocurrency company rather than a purely speculative internet meme coin. As of writing, its trading price is close to 0.0000075 USD.
If the price of Shiba Inu can decisively break through the stubborn resistance level of 0.000022 USD, it is expected to advance towards 0.00003 USD before Christmas. If the upward momentum remains strong, Shiba Inu may even reach around 0.00005 USD by the end of the year.
What sets Shiba Inu apart from many other meme projects is its focus on practical application features. Its Ethereum Layer 2 solution, Shibarium, aims to reduce transaction costs and improve scalability. Privacy features and upcoming upgrades further solidify Shiba Inu's transformation from an internet novelty project into a more robust crypto ecosystem.
XRP (Ripple): Redefining cross-border payments
Ripple's XRP ($XRP) continues to play a key role in international payments, offering near-instant settlement speeds and extremely low transaction fees. The XRP Ledger (XRPL) aims to modernize global payment infrastructure and challenge traditional payment systems like SWIFT, which are often slow and costly.
XRP's value has gained institutional recognition, mentioned in reports by organizations such as the United Nations Capital Development Fund and the White House. Coupled with Ripple's expanding partnerships with fintech companies, XRP has firmly established itself as the third-largest non-stablecoin cryptocurrency in the world, with a market cap exceeding 113 billion USD.
After the protracted legal dispute between Ripple and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ended, the price of Ripple (XRP) surged to its first historical high in seven years, reaching 3.65 USD. Since that peak, the price has retraced about 49%, currently sitting around 1.88 USD.
The launch of five spot XRP ETFs in the US has brought in more institutional funds, although the market seems to have already absorbed most of the impact. Looking ahead, the approval of more ETFs and clearer cryptocurrency regulatory frameworks may become important catalysts. In favorable conditions, XRP's price is expected to return to historical highs in early 2026.
Cardano (ADA): Academically built smart contracts
Cardano ($ADA) was founded in 2015 by Charles Hoskinson, one of the co-founders of Ethereum, and officially launched in 2017.
The network is built on a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, which is based on peer-reviewed academic research. This rigorous, research-first development philosophy sets Cardano apart in the blockchain industry.
ADA's current market capitalization is approximately 13.3 billion USD, and to compete with Solana as the leading Ethereum alternative, its market cap needs to grow about fourfold.
From a technical perspective, ADA's relative strength index (RSI) is close to 33 and trending downward, indicating strong selling pressure. However, as traders buy back to take advantage of relative discounts, the selling pressure may bottom out and rebound over the weekend. The token has dropped 4% in the past 24 hours, with a price falling to around 0.36 USD. If the weekend's rise can drive sustained price increases over the next two weeks, retesting the historical high of 3.09 USD before the end of the year is not impossible.
Chart patterns also support a bullish outlook. ADA has formed a bullish flag pattern since October, while another similar pattern formed in mid-summer is still incomplete. However, resistance near 1.15 USD may hinder its rise before a larger breakout occurs.
