XRP in 2025: Still Standing After the Storm
You’re still here. I’m still here. And somehow, so is XRP.
I’ve been holding this coin since 2017—through hype cycles, lawsuits, delistings, and every bad headline you can imagine. I watched the $589 “moon shot” crowd scream on Twitter, then vanish into the bear market mist. Now it’s 2025. XRP’s at $2.10. Not dead. Not mooning. Just… alive.
Back then, it felt like we’d either be rich or wrecked by now. Instead, we’re living in this weird in-between—where the tech is solid, the partners are real, and the lawsuit still isn’t over. The crypto equivalent of dating someone amazing… whose ex won’t stop calling.
Why XRP Exists (And Why It’s Not Like The Others)
Let’s get this out of the way: XRP is not Bitcoin. It’s not here to be digital gold. And it’s definitely not Ethereum—it’s not trying to run the world’s apps.
XRP’s mission is simple: move money across borders. Fast. Cheap. No nonsense.
Three-second transfers. Fees so low you almost forget to check. I’ve sent XRP abroad and seen the results firsthand. No clogged mempools. No surprise gas spikes. It just works.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin can take ten minutes or more. Ethereum? Great, until you try to move $100 and pay $30 to do it.
But here’s the catch—XRP’s price has never really matched its utility. It hit $3.84 back in 2018, when barely anyone was using it. Now it has real use cases and institutional traction… and it’s still hovering around $2.
Feels like watching a startup with strong fundamentals that the market just keeps ignoring.
2025 So Far: A Weird Mix of Optimism and Shrugs
Right now, XRP’s holding at $2.10. That’s down from the hype-fueled 2018 high, but honestly? That number was fake anyway.
Here’s what’s more important: $3 billion in daily volume. That’s real activity. A $122 billion market cap still puts it comfortably in the top tier. And while the Fear & Greed Index is sitting at 30, some of my best trades came from this exact level of market anxiety.
The bigger picture? Institutions are accumulating. Retail investors are divided—either clinging to the “bank coin” dream or writing XRP off as a lost cause.
No one’s lukewarm on this coin. You either see the long game or you bailed years ago.
The SEC Lawsuit: The Saga That Never Ends
December 2020. The SEC drops a bomb: XRP is allegedly a security. Cue panic.
Exchanges delisted it almost overnight. Price dropped from $0.60 to $0.20 in a matter of days. Most companies would’ve caved—cut a check and moved on.
Not Ripple.
They fought. For four years. Court filings, discovery requests, endless speculation about Gary Gensler’s motives. Meanwhile, the price just drifted.
Now? The case is on a 60-day pause. After all that, we get… a timeout. Classic.
But if Ripple pulls off a favorable ruling or settlement, XRP could explode. We’re talking full U.S. relisting, institutional FOMO, real regulatory clarity. That kind of event rewrites the entire price narrative.
If they lose? Well, that’s another story. Let’s not go there unless we have to.
What the “Experts” Predict
Analyst predictions are all over the place:
- Standard Chartered throws out $5.50
- Finder’s crypto panel? Around $3.06
- Conservative takes hover around $1.05
- Bulls say $5.81+ if everything breaks perfectly
So… it’ll either kind of go up, go up a lot, or maybe tank. Great.
But here’s the thing: XRP doesn’t follow standard crypto patterns. It’s tied to legal rulings, not RSI indicators. News—especially lawsuit updates—moves this coin more than any chart ever will.
What Could Actually Push XRP Higher
Here’s what would really change the game:
- SEC Victory or Settlement
This is the big one. A legal win could trigger relistings across U.S. exchanges and unleash a fresh wave of institutional demand. - Bank Adoption Grows
More banks using RippleNet’s ODL system means more real-world volume—and more demand for XRP as bridge liquidity. - Ripple’s RLUSD Stablecoin Launches
If Ripple’s upcoming stablecoin gains traction, it could strengthen XRP’s role in cross-border flows and boost utility. - CBDC Partnerships
If Ripple tech ends up powering central bank digital currencies, XRP could become a key part of global money movement. - XRPL DeFi Growth
If even a sliver of DeFi volume flows into the XRP Ledger ecosystem, that’s more tokens locked, more use, more demand.
And What Could Keep It Stuck in Limbo
But there are landmines too:
- Ongoing Legal Uncertainty
If the case drags into 2026, institutions will keep waiting. No one wants to risk buying a regulatory question mark. - Stablecoin Competition
USDC, USDT, and even PayPal’s stablecoin are making cross-border payments smoother. If they scale, XRP’s edge shrinks. - CBDC Rollouts Without Ripple
Governments might go solo. If they don’t need third-party tech like Ripple’s, XRP could be left out. - Macro Bear Markets
Doesn’t matter how solid the fundamentals are—if Bitcoin crashes again, everything goes with it. - Ripple Losing Focus
XRP is still heavily tied to Ripple. If they pivot, deprioritize, or stumble… the token pays the price.
Who’s Actually Using XRP?
Let’s move past the charts for a sec. Who’s putting this tech to work?
Banks like Santander and SBI? They’re not dabbling. They’re sending real money through RippleNet. Not pilots. Not demos. Live transfers.
Remittance companies in emerging markets? They’re using XRP to move cross-border cash without eating Western Union’s markup. People are saving real money. That matters.
Liquidity providers and market makers are leaning on XRP as a bridge asset. Swapping currencies without the slow, expensive SWIFT network.
And yeah, DeFi on XRPL is growing. You’ve got lending apps, basic DEXs, tokenized assets. Not huge (yet), but functional and live.
So no, XRP isn’t just for traders staring at candlesticks. It’s in use. Quietly. Every day.
The Honest Reality
XRP works.
Cross-border payments? It does that faster, cheaper, and cleaner than most legacy systems.
But the legal cloud has weighed it down for years. And competition isn’t waiting. Stablecoins, CBDCs, and even newer blockchains are all eyeing the same prize.
Price-wise? It’s been a slog. Long stretches of sideways action interrupted by sudden chaos. You need patience. And probably a therapist.
But if XRP gets clarity and adoption keeps climbing? There’s still serious upside.
Why vTrader Works (When Other Platforms Don’t)
When it comes to trading XRP, the platform makes all the difference—especially during high-volatility moments where seconds matter. After trying just about every exchange under the sun, vTrader.io consistently comes out on top.
It holds up under pressure. When XRP news drops—lawsuit updates, partnership announcements, SEC twists—the price can swing fast. While other platforms freeze or lag, vTrader executes. No delays, no missed trades.
The fees are fair. XRP doesn’t always move in huge waves, so every basis point counts. High fees can kill profitability. vTrader keeps them reasonable, letting traders stay nimble and efficient.
Customer support actually responds. That shouldn’t be rare—but in crypto, it is. When something goes sideways, vTrader doesn’t make you wait days for help. Real answers, real humans, fast.
And then there’s the interface. It’s clean, intuitive, and built for traders who don’t want to click through six tabs just to place a limit order. Everything’s where it should be—live price action, order book depth, even relevant news feeds.
For XRP traders who care about speed, reliability, and cost, vTrader’s one of the few platforms that actually shows up when it counts.

Steve Gregory is a lawyer in the United States who specializes in licensing for cryptocurrency companies and products. Steve began his career as an attorney in 2015 but made the switch to working in cryptocurrency full time shortly after joining the original team at Gemini Trust Company, an early cryptocurrency exchange based in New York City. Steve then joined CEX.io and was able to launch their regulated US-based cryptocurrency. Steve then went on to become the CEO at currency.com when he ran for four years and was able to lead currency.com to being fully acquired in 2025.