Preface

XRP (Ripple), after the SEC lawsuit was officially resolved, has once again stood at the center of discussion. This veteran crypto asset, which had risen and fallen under U.S. regulatory storms for years, is now facing a new wave of attention and value reassessment. The U.S. dollar price trend of XRP is currently one of the focal points watched by institutions, traders, and retail investors alike in the cryptocurrency market.

SEC Lawsuit Conclusion:

In March 2025, Ripple announced that it had reached a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), ending the lawsuit that began in 2020. Ripple ultimately only needed to pay a $50 million fine, much lower than the originally demanded $125 million. Additionally, the SEC officially withdrew its appeal on whether XRP is a security. This result defined XRP’s compliance status in the U.S. and became one of the most crucial turning points influencing its price.

ETF Applications and Institutional Capital:

Aside from the lawsuit being resolved, another major event boosting XRP’s price was that several asset management firms submitted XRP ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund) applications to the SEC in early 2025. Franklin Templeton, Grayscale, Bitwise, and 21Shares have all joined the scene. The first XRP ETF may be launched in the coming months. The existence of ETFs is not only a symbolic regulatory recognition, but also provides institutional investors with a compliant investment channel, allowing XRP to enter the asset allocation fields of pensions, hedge funds, and ETFs.

International Cross-Border Payment Use Cases:

Although XRP’s legal battle in the U.S. took up much media coverage, its global application efforts have never ceased. Over the past two years, Ripple Labs has actively expanded in the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. In the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and other locations, it has established multiple RippleNet regional settlement networks. According to Ripple’s 2024 annual report, its On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) system already accounted for 61% of the company’s total transaction volume. This system relies on XRP as a bridge asset to enable real-time cross-border fund settlement, unlike traditional systems such as SWIFT that operate on T+2 days.

(Source: bittime)

Stablecoin RLUSD and Synergy with XRP:

At the end of 2024, Ripple released RLUSD, a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin deployed on both the XRP Ledger (XRPL) and Ethereum. It is already circulating on platforms like Bitso, Uphold, and MoonPay. The launch of RLUSD shows that Ripple is no longer just about payment settlement, but is attempting to build a full Web3 financial infrastructure. In this ecosystem, XRP is not just a bridge — it could become a consensus asset for capital flow between chains. The widespread adoption of RLUSD will further strengthen the underlying demand for XRP, which will provide long-term support for its price.

Policy and Geopolitical Risks:

Even though XRP’s intrinsic fundamentals are strengthening, external risks cannot be ignored. These include:

• Uncertainty from U.S. policy shifts before the presidential election

• The relationship between traditional market interest rate trends and crypto asset price movements

• The acceptance and promotion speed of Ripple’s network in emerging markets

• Whether Bitcoin ETFs will dilute market attention on XRP

These factors may affect XRP’s price performance, so whether holding mid-term or trading short-term, one must closely monitor macroeconomic data and changes in market sentiment.

Summary

XRP is currently still at the beginning — not the end — of a price revaluation. As regulatory uncertainty fades, application deployment continues, and catalysts like ETFs and RLUSD begin to roll out, XRP’s potential under USD valuation logic is gradually being released. For investors, this is a long-term game that requires strategic vision and emotional management. Whether you’re aiming for $3, $5, or even higher, the most critical thing is whether you can patiently wait before the price fully reflects its value.