XRP is definitely one of the best-known names in the crypto space. This popularity is partly dew to its long track record in the market, being one of the oldest and most successful digital currencies in existence, and partly from the years-long legal feud between Ripple, its parent company, and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Looking at its historical performance and present market standing, it’s only natural for traders and investors to keep a close eye on the latest XRP price prediction data and wonder what might happen next with this highly talked-about asset.
Intro to XRP
Ripple, the company that created XRP, started its journey back in 2004 and underwent several transformations and rebranding efforts until turning into the cross-border payment network it is today. So, in a way, XRP’s origins predate Bitcoin and the crypto phenomenon, which began a few years later, in 2009.
In 2012, Ripple launched the XRP Ledger (XRPL), a decentralized blockchain meant to facilitate fast and affordable financial transactions for clients from all across the globe. The network can settle payments in just three to five seconds, with fees as little as $0.01 or even lower, and has a throughput of approximately 1,500+ tps. This makes the XRPL significantly more performant than first-generation blockchain platforms such as Bitcoin.
With the launch of the XRP Ledger, Ripple also introduced XRP, the blockchain’s native token, which acts as a bridge currency, enabling almost-instant exchanges between different currencies on Ripple Net, and as a liquidity solution, eliminating the need for pre-funded nostro/vostro accounts.
By design, the coin has a limited supply of 100 billion tokens, all of which were pre-mined from the very beginning, and distributed among XRP founders (20%), the Ripple company (77,8%), and user airdrops (0.2%). Another interesting aspect about XRP is its burning mechanism, a process that permanently destroys a small portion of each fee incurred for processing transactions on the XRPL Ledger.
Therefore, XRP gets its strength and value from having real-world utility, unlike many other blockchain-based projects that have no clear purpose. More than a simple digital coin, XRP is a core component of Ripple’s infrastructure, fueling the global payments solution it offers.
In December 2020, the SEC filed a legal complaint against Ripple, stating that the company failed to register its XRP tokens as securities before selling them, which represents a violation of federal securities laws. The dispute lasted for almost five years and concluded in August 2025 when both parties dropped their appeals. The court finally ruled that institutional XRP sales were indeed unregistered securities, but sales on exchanges could not be classified as such, bringing much-needed clarity to XRP’s regulatory status.
Where is XRP now?
Unsurprisingly, the legal battle with the SEC took its toll on XRP. Various exchanges decided to delist the token, resulting in a significant price drop. Fortunately, following the court’s decision and the withdrawal of both appeals, XRP managed to restore its reputation and resume its evolution.
One could say that with this, Ripple entered a new chapter in its development, one marked by partnerships with central banks, more focus on the tokenization of real-world assets, decentralized finance (DeFi) integrations, and technical upgrades such as the implementation of a native automated market maker (AMM), sidechains, and new smart contract-like features.
This helped XRP regain market traction and rise in value. At press time, the token traded at $3.025881, with a market cap of $180.72B USD, experiencing a 40% increase over the past three months and gains of over 400% in the past year. The daily trading volume was around $5.59B, with the asset ranking 3rd in the crypto hierarchy, right after giants Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Where to next?
XRP has long made it into the spotlight, ensuring its place in the crypto market, but where could the asset go from here? Most analysts agree that its potential and role in the fintech space go well beyond that of a random digital currency. Being instrumental to the functioning of Ripple’s global payment system, which serves over 90 markets and covers more than 55 currencies, XRP boasts a strong long-term value proposition, which might become even more compelling in the years to come.
For that to happen, the Ripple network might have to expand its services and capabilities, with XRP at the forefront. With more organizations and companies utilizing XRP for cross-border payments, demand for the asset would naturally grow, and so would its value. Ongoing institutional adoption, a broader network reach, and deeper integration into the global remittance market could propel XRP to new heights.
The outlook for XRP is largely optimistic, with most analysts expecting the token to maintain an upward trajectory in the foreseeable future. Some forecasts see XRP rising above $5 by 2030, taking into account factors like growing adoption and the possible inclusion of XRP in exchange-traded fund products (ETFs) in the US market. Several asset managers have already submitted the necessary filings in this respect, and now the decision rests with the SEC on whether to approve these applications.
Now that the Ripple vs SEC case is over, XRP finally has a clear path for growth. It’s understandable that institutional clients weren’t exactly eager to use Ripple’s services when its regulatory classification was unclear, so with that out of the way, there’s nothing stopping them from jumping on board.
However, not all predictions are as bullish. Some experts present a more bearish narrative where stablecoins overshadow XRP’s potential as a bridge currency, particularly in areas with little foreign exchange activity.
Final thoughts
In the crypto realm, where things change faster than one can keep up with, it's impossible to predict exactly how things will unfold, so XRP’s evolution remains as much of a mystery as that of any digital currency. But even though the future remains uncertain, despite the positive predictions, the one thing we can say with absolute certainty is that for now, XRP remains firmly in the game and continues to demonstrate resilience and relevance.
