XRP has landed in 5th place by market capitalization, with a value of $114.53BN at press time, losing its position to BNB (Binance Coin), the native crypto of the Binance exchange ecosystem. This platform is known as the leading online crypto exchange around, where you can track crypto prices, invest, keep up with the news, and more, whether you’re a newbie or a pro in digital assets. Now, the many updates in 2025 kept XRP news today at the forefront of crypto coverage: it added permissioned decentralized exchanges (DEXs), token escrows, batch transactions, and security patches for payments and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) by the middle of the year. Moving forward to today, XRP delights in one of its biggest achievements scored in 2025: the approval of U.S. spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs). And if we ask market experts about its future performance, XRP’s price is poised to steadily grow – some believe it will reach a value between $3 and $7 a decade from now, regardless of the +$1 it shed since it sold for $3.55 in July 2025. As expected, this yearly high coincided with the stream of upgrades and releases.

With market-flooding ETF launches and surging institutional interest, XRP’s bull thesis remains strong. This year has positioned it for broader adoption and potential long-term growth, so if you want to engage with it, keep a close eye on institutional activity over the next 1-3 months – these are the biggest forces.

ETF, best first-day trading volume, and banks’ attention

Analysts are bullish on XRP’s future, so it pays to look beyond the volatility spike around the launch of the first related ETF, Canary Funds. It is the best ETF release so far this year, overtaking the rest with its $58MN in day-one trading volume; however, a common market pattern occurred. Traders bought ahead of the launch, driven by early news-generated optimism, only to quickly sell when the awaited ETF dropped, taking profits. They bought the rumor and sold the news. But its real value proposition lies in its adoption in banking. A wave of institutions began flirting with the idea of XRP, so when they act on it by integrating Ripple’s technology, the coin’s price should naturally rise due to higher demand. The main supposition is that banks can only use Ripple’s services by buying XRP, whereas retail doesn’t.

This milestone, combined with Ripple’s cross-border payment solutions and institutional adoption, has turned XRP into one of the most closely watched digital assets in the market today.

ETH launches drive XRP adoption

XRP ETFs’ debuts have driven a lot of market excitement – Canary Capital’s $58MN inflow helped the fund’s performance exceed all predictions and overthrow Bitwise’s SOL ETF in trading volume, signaling significant demand. A fight that resulted in a settlement between the SEC and Ripple Labs preceded this milestone, made the issuance and approval of ETFs possible, and raised barriers for institutions to engage with XRP. In a striking discrepancy, investors withdrew $867MN from spot BTC ETFs in just one day, marking the second-largest withdrawal since its launch. Ethereum products also lost $260MN, indicating that institutional investors are flocking to alternatives to the top two cryptos, with XRP emerging as a high-potential asset.

XRP ETFs offer both retail and institutional investors a regulated way to gain exposure to the asset without having to directly buy the token on exchanges or hold custody of it. This double accessibility drives the capital inflow mentioned, enhances XRP’s credibility, and helps it strengthen its role as a bridge between traditional finance and decentralized networks.

XRP, more than a token

As a token, XRP relies on a decentralized ledger, the XRP Ledger (XRPL). This is designed for efficiency, scalability, and speed, enabling XRP to settle transactions in 3-5 seconds, unlike Ethereum and Bitcoin, which take significantly longer. XRP’s transactions settle at a fraction of a cent. These tech characteristics make it a strong contender for cross-border payments and allow financial institutions and banks to transfer funds worldwide without having to pre-fund accounts in foreign currencies.

RippleNet is the network XRP revolves around, serving as a settlement currency as it connects institutions worldwide. More than 300 financial institutions and banks have joined RippleNet, and adoption is only expected to increase. XRP has a truly bold ambition in this regard: to replace SWIFT, the all-time bridge between companies and merchants globally that facilitates cross-border transfers.
Is XRP really going to make SWIFT redundant? It’s too soon to say. But it is certainly an interesting aspiration worth consideration.

Beyond a crypto company

Ripple Labs already ranks among the biggest crypto companies worldwide, though its officials aim for more than global power. The company has gone the extra mile to close the gap between traditional finance (TradFi) and Web3, buying companies (mainly TradFi-oriented firms) to leverage their resources and market presence, and to develop a self-sufficient payment infrastructure, expanding XRP’s use and pushing it into the mainstream. Company CEO Garlinghouse stated that the acquired assets belonged to the traditional finance space, thereby fueling confidence in crypto use for everyday transactions and contract settlements.

The firm just finished a $4BN buying spree, in April of 2025 purchasing a prime brokerage firm, followed by a treasury management software enterprise later in the fall. The company aims to expand its service portfolio beyond payments alone. And it’s on its way; as MoreMarkets CEO has earlier stated, Ripple is already a power, sitting at the table with governments and global banks and making big-pocket procurements.

The 20-day fast-track mechanism

One of the most intriguing developments for XRP ETFs is the SEC’s fast-track mechanism, which has reduced the time for ETF approval from months to just 20 days. According to regulatory analysts, U.S.-based spot ETFs no longer need the SEC’s explicit approval, which is where the time reduction comes from. 

This is how firms like Canary Capital launched ETFs during the U.S. government shutdown, when regulators weren’t even available to process filings, let alone greenlight them.

Looking ahead

If you’re still here, you’re likely interested in what XRP and its governors have to offer in the future. There are several key factors to watch over the next few months, such as:

• New ETF launches from Franklin Templeton, ProShares, and Grayscale, and the capital inflow they bring;
• Changes in SEC’s guidance or regulatory clarification
• The use of XRP in cross-border settlements.

Stay close and tread carefully if you want to break into crypto; it’s still a volatile and speculative place.