New York, Feb 19, 2026, 12:58 EST — Regular session.
- XRP fell about 5% to around $1.39, tracking softer trade in bitcoin and ether.
- Societe Generale’s SG-FORGE says its euro stablecoin is now live on the XRP Ledger, with Ripple’s custody support.
- Traders are weighing a split message from the Fed and the next U.S. inflation print.
XRP was down about 4.8% at $1.39 on Thursday, after trading between $1.38 and $1.46. Bitcoin slipped 1.2% to $66,261 and ether fell 2.9% to $1,915.
The move lands as investors reprice the path for U.S. interest rates. Minutes from the Federal Reserve’s late-January meeting showed policymakers divided, with “several” open to hiking again if inflation stays elevated. “They can’t even agree on whether the current rates are restrictive or neutral,” said David Russell, global head of market strategy at TradeStation. (Reuters)
Still, XRP has its own headline. Societe Generale’s digital-asset unit SG-FORGE said on Wednesday it launched its EUR CoinVertible stablecoin on the XRP Ledger, or XRPL, a “layer-1” blockchain — the base network that settles transactions. SG-FORGE said Ripple’s custody service is supporting the rollout, and it flagged use cases that include trading collateral. “The successful launch of EUR CoinVertible on the XRP Ledger is a new step,” SG-FORGE CEO Jean-Marc Stenger said, while Ripple’s Cassie Craddock said the company was “proud to have played a part in this journey.” (SG Forge)
On its website, SG-FORGE describes CoinVertible as a regulated “e-money token” under Europe’s MiCA regime — a stablecoin designed to hold a 1:1 value with a currency — and says it is 100% backed by cash, with reserves disclosed daily. It listed EUR CoinVertible at 69,835,400 euros in circulation in its latest update and said the product can be used across Ethereum, Solana and the XRP Ledger. (SG Forge)
U.S. data on Thursday added to the sense that the economy is not rolling over quickly. Initial jobless claims fell 23,000 to a seasonally adjusted 206,000 for the week ended Feb. 14, compared with economists’ expectations of 225,000, Labor Department data showed. (Reuters)
The mix has kept the U.S. dollar firm and risk appetite uneven, with oil prices also in focus on geopolitical tensions, according to a Reuters market note. (Reuters)
For XRP bulls, the bank-branded stablecoin headline is the sort of plumbing news that usually gets attention: regulated cash-on-chain, more rails, more potential settlement volume. But it does not automatically translate into sustained demand for XRP itself, and the token has traded like a macro proxy this week.
The risk case is plain. If inflation surprises on the high side and pushes yields up, the high-volatility end of the market tends to take the hit first, and altcoins can gap lower.
Traders will be watching whether the SG-FORGE token shows up quickly in collateral programs and payment flows, or stays mostly a limited rollout. Liquidity has been thin across parts of crypto, and small flows can set the tone.
The next immediate test is Friday’s U.S. personal consumption expenditures report — the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge — which investors will use to recalibrate rate bets again. (Reuters)
