XRP hits $3.34 with legal wins, pro-crypto policies, and bullish charts, is a price target of $25 on the horizon as Ripple solidifies its position?
The crypto market is on fire and XRP is leading the charge. XRP, the native token of the XRP Ledger, has gone up 5% in the last 24 hours. Price is at $3.34, up 35% in a week. XRP’s market cap is now $192 billion, surpassing USDT’s $138 billion and getting close to Goldman Sachs’ $193.5 billion valuation.
Factors Driving XRP’s Surge
XRP is up due to several strong tailwinds. JPMorgan has reported on the likely impact of a spot ETF on the XRP price. Billions of dollars will flow into XRP when the ETF comes out and demand will go up even more. News suggests Trump is going to approve an American Crypto Reserve holding Ripple’s XRP. This will be announced as a Trump Executive Order this week.
Ripple’s CEO Brad Garlinghouse has said it’s inevitable that an ETF will come out and several companies (Bitwise and WisdomTree have already filed) will offer it.
Today, Bloomberg analyst James Seyffart posted on X a list of the current digital asset ETF filings. Notable, is the many separate filings for XRP ETFs by Bitwise, Canary and more.
With the SEC now supportive of crypto, multiple crypto ETFs have been applied for. Source: X
It was also announced today that the U.S. SEC is revamping its crypto regulation strategy following the departure of Chairman Gary Gensler. Acting Chair Mark Uyeda announced a new crypto task force to create a clear regulatory framework for crypto assets.
Led by Commissioner Hester Peirce, a crypto advocate, the task force will collaborate with industry stakeholders, Congress, and the CFTC to resolve jurisdictional conflicts and regulatory ambiguities. The SEC aims to move away from its enforcement-heavy approach, which has caused confusion and stifled innovation. Peirce highlighted the importance of broad collaboration to protect investors, support innovation, and foster market integrity.
This means it is likely that XRP ETFs will be approved by the SEC.
Trump’s crypto policies have XRP futures at all time highs. Open interest (OI)—a measure of market sentiment—was at an all time high of $7.6 billion on Jan 18 before settling at $7.1 billion.
OI is up 90% since Jan 9, same time XRP is up 47%. High OI means strong market momentum and investor confidence. Similar to November-December 2024 when XRP went up 170%.
Plus, favorable political developments for XRP. With the new US administration, President-elect Trump’s pro-crypto stance has given the market optimism. Expected appointment of Paul Atkins as SEC head, a known crypto friendly person, has given hope for regulatory clarity. This is big for the XRP ecosystem as Ripple’s legal battle with the SEC continues.
XRP’s Legal Battle and Regulatory Developments
Ripple’s legal battle with the SEC started in 2020. The SEC sued Ripple for unregistered securities offerings through XRP sales. In July 2023, a federal court ruled that XRP is not a security when sold on exchanges but institutional sales were unregistered securities. The SEC appealed this in late 2024 and the case is still ongoing. Ripple’s CLO Stuart Alderoty has criticized the SEC for the slow process and it may change with the new administration.
Despite all the legal issues Ripple is still moving forward. In 2023 it acquired Swiss crypto custody firm Metaco for $250 million. It also got approval from Singapore’s Monetary Authority to offer digital payment token services and is expanding in the Asia-Pacific region. And in October 2024, it launched RLUSD, a US dollar-pegged stablecoin.
XRP Eyes $4.0 Milestone Amid Bullish Market Signals
XRP is hitting the headlines and is looking to break $4.0. Technicals are bullish. 10 day SMA is at $3.22, 100 day SMA is at $3.21, the market is stable. RSI is 60.11, not overbought yet, signaling more upside.
XRP/USD daily chart. Source: Trading View
In the last few months, XRP has gone up 449.19%. Lai Jr. predicts this trend will continue and XRP will go above $10. He thinks that by the end of January, XRP will be between $4-$8 and by March between $10-$34 depending on the outcome of the SEC case and overall market.
Recent Ali chart signs show XRP has broken out of a bullish flag. This is a bullish sign and confirms the current uptrend. The breakout means buyer momentum is getting stronger and can lead to more price surges.
Source: X
XRP’s immediate challenge lies in surpassing the Fibonacci extension levels at $3.80 and $4.00. Successfully navigating these hurdles could firmly position XRP to achieve even higher valuations, with targets set as high as $4.40.
XRP Price Prediction: Can XRP hit $25 as SEC battle rages on?
The possibility of XRP reaching $25 is being talked about as the SEC battle with Ripple continues. Pro-XRP advocate John Deaton broke down the case and the potential outcomes. Deaton says the SEC has no basis to appeal the court’s decision. He noted Judge Analisa Torres already ruled against the SEC’s claim that XRP sales to retail investors were unregistered securities.
Deaton is confident Ripple will win if the case gets to the Second Circuit Court. He also said a Supreme Court hearing will only delay things further. Ripple has a lot of support, over 75,000 XRP holders are backing the company in this fight. Meanwhile, some SEC officials including the acting director and Commissioner Paul Atkins are criticizing the agency’s approach. Deaton said if 3 out of 5 SEC commissioners vote to dismiss the case, it’s all over.
The SEC just argued in the Second Circuit Appeals Court that the previous decision was wrong and wants it overturned. But XRP is performing strongly. Against Bitcoin, XRP has rallied nearly 270% since November. On the weekly XRP/BTC chart, a golden cross is forming where the 23-day moving average is about to cross the 200-day moving average from below.
The news that the SEC is now moving to a pro-crypto organization means the Ripple lawsuit is likely to be dropped or resolved quietly.
XRP/BTC chart a golden cross chart: Trading View
This is a bullish pattern and often means more price up. XRP is currently at 0.00003 BTC, the highest since 2021. The all-time high of 0.00024 BTC set in 2017 is a long way off, but if XRP reached that price it would be over $25 per token.
XRP reaching $25 depends on many things including the global economy and the Ripple case. In the past 2 months, XRP has gone from $0.50 to $3.40, a 700% increase. $25 would require a market cap of over $1 trillion which is a big ask – but, under President Trump, we think XRP is going to the moon.