13th April 2025 – (New York) XRP has emerged as the leading major cryptocurrency in the last 90 days, a significant feat acknowledged by Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse. This surge in XRP’s value closely aligns with Ripple’s agreement to pay $50 million to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as part of a settlement. The legal saga between Ripple and the SEC dates back to December 2020 when the SEC filed a lawsuit alleging XRP was sold as an unregistered security. This lawsuit became a focal point within the crypto industry.
A pivotal ruling in 2023 provided Ripple with a partial victory, affirming the legality of institutional XRP sales but deeming XRP sales on public exchanges as violations of securities laws.
Initially, Ripple had set aside $125 million in escrow for potential penalties. However, Garlinghouse revealed plans to retrieve most of this reserve, citing it as evidence that the former SEC leadership, under Gary Gensler, had erred in their legal stance. He expressed gratitude for the regulatory shift under the new SEC leadership and the White House.
Similar to other crypto entities like Coinbase, Gemini, and Uniswap, Ripple benefitted from supporting President Donald Trump. Reports indicate the company contributed significantly to Trump’s campaign and allocated millions in XRP tokens for his inauguration.
The Trump administration’s SEC swiftly dropped multiple lawsuits and investigations against crypto firms, a move perceived by some as fostering transparent regulatory frameworks but criticised by others as a form of crypto-crony capitalism.
Looking ahead, with regulatory uncertainties easing, Ripple aims to expand its operations. Notably, the company recently finalised its largest acquisition by purchasing prime broker Hidden Road for $1.25 billion.
Garlinghouse highlighted that such expansion was unfeasible in the past due to what was perceived as a hostile regulatory climate under former SEC chair Gary Gensler. The acquisition of Hidden Road is anticipated to facilitate the entry of larger institutions into the crypto market, offering a secure prime brokering service for transactions.
With the recent launch of a stablecoin under a New York trust license, Ripple is diversifying its product range. Garlinghouse expressed optimism regarding regulatory clarity in stablecoin legislation and market structure bills, anticipating federal legislation on stablecoins to progress sooner than later.
In terms of Bitcoin price predictions, Garlinghouse suggested a target of $200,000 by year-end, slightly exceeding his previous forecast of $175,000. He attributed this bullish outlook to the evolving U.S. regulatory approach, emphasising a transformation from regulatory hostility to support.
XRP’s upward trajectory has been notable, particularly following Donald Trump’s reelection. A joint report by Ripple and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) forecasts substantial growth in real-world asset tokenisation, potentially benefiting XRP. As XRP hovers around the $2 mark, breaking a descending trendline is essential for a sustained uptrend. Political influences and macroeconomic uncertainties, including US tariffs, continue to impact XRP’s market dynamics.
XRP has experienced notable price movements in 2025. At the beginning of the year, XRP was trading at $2.08, reaching an all-time high of $3.399 on January 16, reflecting a growth of approximately 57.94% between January 1 and 17. However, since January 18, XRP has been on a downward trend, declining by around 37.36% and moving within a descending trendline, hindering further upward momentum.
In April, XRP exhibited volatility in its price movements. On April 1, XRP was valued near $2.09, surging to $2.2322 on April 2 before dropping to $2.0229 by the end of the day. Subsequently, from April 3 to 5, there was a 5.92% rebound, followed by a 16.16% correction from April 6 to 8. Despite strong buying pressure on April 9, the recovery was not sufficient to fully offset the previous decline. As of the latest data, XRP is priced at $2.06, just above the crucial $2 support level, with a 1.7% increase in the past 24 hours. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for XRP on the daily chart has risen to 46.12 from a low of 32.12 on April 8, indicating growing buying interest and a potential shift in momentum favouring the bulls. To sustain an upward trend, XRP needs to surpass the descending trendline that has constrained its price rallies since January. Moreover, market data reveals that short liquidations, amounting to $336,810, surpass long liquidations at $241,800, suggesting that traders betting against XRP are facing exits. Concurrently, open interest in XRP derivatives has increased by 1.4% to $3.08 billion, indicating a rise in capital inflow into the market.
