Alright, full disclosure: I used to brush off XRP.
Back when I first got into crypto (somewhere around 2017, during the ICO craze), the entire buzz was about the Bitcoin price, Ethereum, and whatever token was mooning that week. XRP price USD? It felt… too clean. Too bank-friendly! Not what you expect from a “revolutionary” asset class, you know?
But recently, I’ve come around, not because of hype, but because I took the time to understand what Ripple and XRP are trying to do. And while it’s not flashy like memecoins or DeFi experiments, it’s doing something a lot of projects aren’t: solving a real problem with real institutions. Let’s dig into that.
Ripple vs XRP — Not the Same Thing (I Messed This Up at First Too)
Here’s something that confused me for years: Ripple is the company. XRP price is the token.
Consider Ripple as a tech startup that develops bank payment software. Part of that software is powered by XRP, which is particularly useful for swift cross-border money transfers.
Ripple is the motor, and XRP is the oil, if Ethereum is the platform and Ether is the fuel.
You get the point, even though it is not a perfect metaphor.
How XRP Works (And Why It’s Ridiculously Fast)
So, here’s where XRP surprised me.
The majority of cryptocurrencies, such as the Ethereum and Bitcoin price USD, depend on miners or validators to verify transactions. That takes time and fees. XRP doesn’t bother with any of that. It uses something called a consensus protocol—basically, trusted nodes agree super quickly on what’s valid and what’s not.
What is the result? You can send XRP in about 3–5 seconds, and the cost is a fraction of a penny.
To put that in perspective: try wiring money internationally through a bank. It can take days and cost $30 or more. XRP finishes the job before your coffee gets cold.
A Fixed Supply — And a Giant Wallet Controlled by Ripple
One of the things that makes XRP unique (and controversial) is its supply.
There’s no mining, no inflation. Ripple created 100 billion XRP tokens at launch. That’s it. No more will ever exist.
Ripple Labs, the company, still controls the majority, around 60 billion. To avoid panic-selling or sudden dumps, they’ve locked 55 billion XRP in escrow, releasing up to 1 billion per month if needed. They don’t always use that full amount, which is a good thing, but yeah… It’s still a little centralized.
Some folks find this alarming. Others argue that it’s more transparent than anonymous whales quietly manipulating markets behind the scenes. It depends on your perspective, honestly.
Is XRP Decentralized? Not Really. And That’s Kinda the Point
This is where things get spicy in crypto debates.
XRP isn’t fully decentralized. Ripple Labs plays a significant role in how things move forward. That’s exactly what turns off hardcore crypto purists. But at the same time, that’s what makes banks and financial institutions willing to work with them.
See, Ripple’s not trying to replace banks. They want to upgrade them.
With RippleNet, they’ve created a network where banks and payment providers can use XRP as a bridge currency. So instead of converting yen to dollars to pesos (with all the middlemen and fees), a bank can just go: yen → XRP → pesos. Done in seconds!
It’s cleaner, faster, and actually kind of brilliant—especially if you’ve ever had to deal with cross-border payments.
The SEC Lawsuit Drama — And Why It Mattered So Much
Yes, the SEC case is the unspoken issue.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against Ripple in December 2020, alleging that the company offered XRP as an unregistered security. This scared off a lot of exchanges (they delisted XRP), and the price took a beating.
To be honest, I thought that was it. Game over.
But Ripple didn’t fold. They fought back in court. And while the case is still being resolved in parts, Ripple scored a few significant wins. In July 2023, a judge ruled that XRP isn’t a security when traded on exchanges, which was a massive relief for holders.
Now? Some exchanges are relisting it. And investors are creeping back in.
A Quick Price Forecast — Grain of Salt Time
So, I came across a prediction from a SARIMAX (statistical) model saying that XRP could drop to $2.69 by August 6, 2025, give or take $0.41.
That kind of model looks at historical prices and trends, not news or sentiment. It’s not magic. I’d treat any price prediction—especially in crypto—with caution. We’ve all seen how fast things can flip based on one tweet, one hack, or one court ruling.
Still, it’s helpful to know where the math says we’re headed, even if the market does whatever it wants anyway.
My Take: XRP Might Be Boring, But That’s Exactly What Banks Like
I’ll be honest with you—XRP isn’t sexy. It’s not going to 100x overnight. No viral TikTok is hyping it. But that’s kind of the point.
Ripple is building financial plumbing. Infrastructure. The kind of stuff that doesn’t make headlines until it fails.
And while I don’t think XRP is the one coin to rule them all, I believe it has a solid use case, especially for banks that want to move money globally without getting wrecked by fees and wait times.
So… Should You Care About XRP?
XRP may seem like a capitulation to those who value highly decentralized, freedom-first cryptocurrency principles. But if you’re looking at utility, adoption, and actual use in the real world, it’s worth watching.
I’m not all-in on XRP. But I do hold a bit now. Not because I think it’s going to the moon, but because I think it’s useful, and that’s a rare thing in crypto.
Just keep your eyes on Ripple’s legal situation. If they keep winning cases and expanding partnerships, XRP might surprise a lot of people.
Final Words
If I had to sum up XRP in one sentence, it’d be this:
“It’s not the coin that breaks the system. It’s the one that makes it work better.”
And honestly? That might be more powerful than any hype coin out there.