Why You Should be Paying Attention to Ripple and XRP

XRP’s rapid rise since the 2024 US Elections less than a month ago has stunned many people in space, up by over 370% since that day. 
 
It’s sailed past BNB and Solana over the past week, putting it back in third spot on Ethereum’s tail.
 
It didn’t just hit $1; it surpassed that first price target. On top of this, it’s managed to remain above it and is on the cusp of crossing $2, which it hasn’t done since December 2017. 
 
7 years. No, not the Lukas Graham song. I’m talking about 2,555 days of XRP holders patiently waiting to get this thing back to its former glory.

In June, I wrote about this altcoin managing to double its all-time high of ~$3.60 and hit $7 this cycle.

It’s a stretch, but it’s becoming increasingly plausible by the day, particularly with the return of President-Elect Donald Trump.

To avoid repeating much of the info covered in that June post, I will be reiterating the most important points in light of the highly anticipated elections.
 
Here are the reasons why you should be keeping an eye on XRP and Ripple (a.k.a. Ripple Labs).

Ripple’s flagship stablecoin

We’re just days away from seeing RLUSD, the first stablecoin released on XRP Ledger (XRPL), with a planned launch date of December 4, subject to the approval of the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS). 
 
Considering the negligible fee per transaction (of less than a penny), high scalability, and zero latency (when going via XRP payment channels, I expect this to become a hit, especially among XRP fans and financial institutions closely aligned with Ripple. 
 
Given Tether (USDT) and Circle’s USDC popularity in the space (notably USDT), I expect it to take time to gain traction. It’s highly unlikely that Coinbase will list Ripple’s stablecoin as the crypto exchange is invested in Circle. 

Ripple IPO on the horizon

Now that outgoing US SEC Chair Gary Gensler is on the cusp of f$#king off from this powerful position (he will resign on the day of DJT’s second inauguration, January 20th), there’s much optimism about the SEC v. Ripple Labs lawsuit coming to an end very soon. 
 
Once the case is closed, Ripple can move on to the next chapter: Following Coinbase’s lead to become the second crypto company to IPO on US stock exchanges.
 
A special thanks to (the aptly named) Jack the Rippler for sharing this video on X/Twitter.

“If we work with the system to solve this problem at scale, a problem measured in the trillions of dollars, then there’s a lot of opportunity to create value in XRP.”

Brad Garlinghouse (CEO of Ripple Labs)

When it IPOs, keep an eye on XRP’s price, as I expect to provide extra rocket fuel to get it past its ATH (if it hasn’t already done so). 

Accolades and a growing list of partnerships

 
Ripple is solidifying its spot as one of the most compliant and reliable companies in the space. 
 
Besides these collaborations, the company has received major awards, ranking 32nd out of Fortune Magazine’s Top 100 Best Small and Medium Workplaces for Millennials in 2024, getting 27th spot the previous year. Chainlink was the other blockchain company to feature in this list, finishing in an impressive 9th spot. 

Ripple is continuously forging new collaborations with enterprises, non-profits and other institutions. 
 
Two weeks ago, the company provided a press release about Unlocking Opportunity, the next stage of its growing partnership with Mercy Corps Ventures (MCV). This entity helps up-and-coming businesspeople in small-medium enterprises (SMEs) through using Ripple’s blockchain and fintech solutions. 
 
The abovementioned release of RLUSD adds to the suite of products and services available to Ripple’s (current and prospective) clients. 
 
On Ripple’s website, it boasts several major customers including: 
 
— Travelex
— BBVA
— SBI Remit and over 60 Japanese banks, representing 80% of the nation’s banks
— Siam Commercial Bank (SCB)
— IndusInd Bank 
— Itaú Unibanco
 
Besides private firms, some nations (albeit mostly small ones) are interested in using Ripple to manage their rollout (a trial to begin with) of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). These include Palau, Bhutan, Montenegro, Colombia and Hong Kong (SAR). 
 
 Ripple has also provided feedback to the Australian Government regarding its consultation paper on Payments System Modernisation, highlighting the benefits of using XRP and its ledger for stablecoins.

Favourable crypto legislation and policies in Washington DC

 
In the lead-up to the recent elections, many industry figures — such as Brian Armstrong (Coinbase CEO), Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, and Howard Lutnick (Chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald) — considered Republicans to offer much better treatment to Bitcoin, altcoins and distributed ledger technology overall (and all the companies affiliated with this sector and asset class). 
 
Now that Republicans have achieved a clean sweep, passing more favourable laws for this industry should be easier. 
 
N.B. I am focusing on who will provide the best outcomes for this industry and, more importantly, for us, who can help boost our crypto portfolios instead of making this about politics.

In a Fox News interview two weeks ago, Garlinghouse mentioned: 

“I think he (Trump) is gonna make crypto great again in the United States.” 

Additional thoughts

 
I know many have lost patience with this crypto over the years, especially when Bitcoin has quintupled its price (around $20K) since XRP’s parabolic rise to $3.60 in what feels like a lifetime ago. 
 
The rest of the market was pumping, and XRP was being heavily subdued, predominantly because of this SEC vs Ripple saga. 
 
Without trying to come across as a Debbie (rather, Donnie) Downer, while the token’s rapidly approaching its ATH, it’s gotta climb Everest if it wants to catch up to Bitcoin.

Despite this, I have massive respect for everyone who’s held it after all these years. 
 
Let’s hope BTC keeps pumping, ETH finally gets above $5K, and the rest of the market sets new highs in the coming months. 
 
Eventually, this bull market will run out of steam, but I still think we’ve got plenty of tailwinds to keep us going, at least for a few more months.
 
P.S. I’ve glossed over some of the details as I’ve tried to publish this article sooner than usual due to the time-sensitive nature of price movements in crypto. 

Disclaimers

• N.B. None of this is financial advice; I am not a financial advisor. You are ultimately responsible for crypto investments, let alone in any asset class.

• The opinions expressed within this piece are my own and might not reflect those behind any news outlet, person, organisation, or otherwise listed here.

• Please do your research before investing in any crypto assets, staking, NFTs or other products affiliated with this space.

• XRP accounts for 12–15% of my crypto portfolio.

Featured Image by optimism-studio at Freepik