With the SEC officially dropping its appeal against Ripple, speculation around XRP has gone into overdrive. For the first time in years, the token enjoys true regulatory clarity – and that changes everything.
XRP is no longer weighed down by legal ambiguity. Combined with its strong performance, growing development activity, and warm ties between Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and U.S. President Donald Trump, it’s no wonder that investor sentiment is bullish. But how high can XRP really go? Is a $10 price tag fantasy or a future possibility? Let’s break it down.
Table of Contents
Resilience That Set It Apart
Throughout most of 2024, XRP traded in a tight range between $0.40 and $0.60. Then came Trump’s election win – and the floodgates opened. The token more than quadrupled in value, fueled by hopes of regulatory relief, crypto-friendly tax policy, and institutional tailwinds.
While many other coins – Ethereum and Solana included – gave up most of their post-election gains, XRP held firm. Despite ongoing trade tensions and macroeconomic pressure, it remained above $2, dipping briefly only during short-lived flash crashes.
Where Things Stand
XRP is currently trading around $2.40, down about 10% over the past month. While it’s significantly below the early January peak near $3.30, it still remains one of the strongest performers among major assets.
With a market cap of approximately $140 billion, XRP is near its historical highs – well above the peaks seen during the 2018 and 2021 bull runs.
Reclaiming $3 – Just a Matter of Time?
A return to $3 would require a modest 25% jump. Given the current fundamentals and the broader crypto landscape, that’s not far-fetched.
The only real barrier is market sentiment. The Fear & Greed Index has struggled to break above 50 for over a month, reflecting a cautious and risk-off mood among investors. Should macro fears ease – particularly around the trade war – XRP could be one of the first large-cap tokens to capitalize.
Can XRP Set a New All-Time High?
To reclaim its all-time high of $3.84, set back in January 2018, XRP would need to surge about 60% from current levels. That would push the market cap past $200 billion – a number never before reached by the token, but not far off its recent January levels.
With legal clarity now in place, the stage is set for new developments. ETF approval, institutional investment, and further government support could all provide the necessary fuel.
According to betting platforms like Polymarket, there’s currently a 40% probability that XRP will hit a new all-time high before the year ends – and a 30% chance that it will happen by June.
Could XRP Surpass Ethereum?
Today, XRP has more than half of Ethereum’s market cap, and the XRP/ETH ratio has hit a five-year high. While XRP is up 272% year-over-year, Ethereum is down 43%, currently trading below $2,000.
If Ethereum’s market cap remains stagnant, XRP would need to hit just $4.08 to overtake it – only 6% above its all-time high. Should that happen, the hype alone could propel XRP even further.
That said, any broad market rally would likely lift Ethereum too, making the flippening a harder goal to reach unless XRP significantly outpaces ETH in both newsflow and adoption.
Can XRP Reach $10?
A $10 XRP would put its market cap at around $582 billion – more than 4x its current value, and more than double Ethereum’s current market cap.
That’s a massive leap. Without a major catalyst like widespread institutional adoption, integration into global payment rails, or a U.S.-approved XRP ETF, such a target isn’t realistic in the short or medium term.
But it’s not completely impossible. XRP has the legal clarity, the political connections, and cheap transactions. And a $582 billion market cap would still be just a third of Bitcoin’s current valuation.
In absolute terms, the path to $10 exists – it’s just a long one, likely requiring several dominoes to fall in XRP’s favor.
What’s the Most Realistic Scenario?
Right now, markets are still weighed down by uncertainty – especially around global trade tensions and geopolitical instability. Until that clears up, we should not expect significant moves.
However, the legal clarity opens a lot of new doors. If ETF approval arrives and Trump continues to back Ripple’s effort, XRP could enter a new era of mainstream credibility and adoption.
The road to $10 is long, but the path to $3 – or even a new all-time high – feels within reach.
