2025 was a landmark year for Ripple and its cryptocurrency, XRP. The company formed important new partnerships and expanded through acquisitions. After a long legal fight, the case between Ripple and the SEC finally concluded, and XRP’s price surged during the summer months.
The market hasn’t performed well recently, and the value of XRP has been decreasing. Adding to this, significant investors have been selling off large amounts of XRP, suggesting the price is likely to continue falling.
The Legal Saga and the Major Acquisitions
Ripple had a slow start to the year, staying out of the headlines. But things changed dramatically in March when CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was no longer pursuing its appeal against the company, which caused a surge of excitement among XRP supporters.
The lawsuit continued through several stages before wrapping up this summer. Ultimately, the court ordered Ripple to pay around $125 million in penalties for breaking securities laws. While the Securities and Exchange Commission originally asked for nearly $2 billion in fines and repayments, Ripple ended up paying less than 7% of that amount.
Most analysts and experts considered the ruling a significant win for Ripple. Some even believed it was a turning point for the entire industry, signaling a change in the SEC’s approach to cryptocurrency following Gary Gensler’s departure as Chairman.
This year has been incredibly successful for us, and it’s about more than just our recent legal victory. Back in April, we acquired Hidden Road, a prime brokerage, for $1.25 billion – a really significant deal in the crypto industry. We’ve since rebranded it as Ripple Prime, and we’re now focused on offering specialized services to institutional clients.
The company also completed several other significant transactions. These included buying Rail for $200 million and Palisade, as well as acquiring GTreasury, a treasury management system provider, for $1 billion.
Rumors circulated that Ripple wanted to buy Circle, the creator of the USDC stablecoin, for over $5 billion. However, Circle allegedly turned down the offer.
Earlier this month, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced that the company has received preliminary approval to establish Ripple National Trust Bank, a move that would be overseen by the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. This news generated significant enthusiasm within the XRP community, with some users reporting that Bank of America has acknowledged the development.
The ETFs and RLUSD’s Progress
Late in the year, a significant development happened in the cryptocurrency market. In mid-November, Canary Capital launched the first U.S. ETF that directly holds XRP, giving investors full exposure to the token. The ETF performed well, and soon after, other companies like Bitwise, Grayscale, Franklin Templeton, and 21Shares introduced similar products. So far, these ETFs have collectively attracted approximately $1.14 billion in investments, according to SoSoValue.
Ripple’s stablecoin, RLUSD – launched in late 2024 and valued at one U.S. dollar – has seen significant growth in 2025. Over the past few months, it has received support from many exchanges, large banks, and other prominent organizations.
As a researcher following developments in digital assets, I’ve been tracking Ripple’s recent progress. In July, they chose BNY Mellon – one of the oldest banks in the US – to securely hold their RLUSD stablecoin. Simultaneously, we saw increased regulatory clarity: Dubai’s financial authority approved RLUSD for use within the Dubai International Financial Center, and Abu Dhabi’s regulatory body officially recognized it as a valid fiat-backed token.
RLUSD’s value has recently exceeded $1.3 billion, placing it among the top 12 stablecoins and the top 77 cryptocurrencies overall.
XRP’s Rise and Fall
Ripple’s token had a strong start to the year, climbing above $3 in January. After some ups and downs in the following months, it saw another significant increase during the summer.
XRP reached its highest price ever in July, briefly hitting around $3.65 as the overall cryptocurrency market surged. However, the following months saw a significant price drop. Currently, XRP is trading at approximately $1.87 (according to CoinGecko), which is a 48% decrease from its July high.
The price is likely to fall further soon, due to the current downturn in the market and recent large-scale selling. Towards the end of the year, major investors (often called ‘whales’) sold off a significant amount of tokens – around 1.4 billion in under a month. They continued selling, dumping another 510 million tokens in just one week, and then an additional 40 million around the Christmas holiday.
These actions suggest a loss of faith in the asset, potentially causing widespread fear and leading others to sell their holdings. It also makes people wonder if major investors have information that isn’t publicly available, which might be why they’re all selling at once.
Read More
- Gold Rate Forecast
- Ripple Swoops in on Bitcoin’s Heels: 2030 Gold Rush
- BTC Plummets: Fed Cuts Ignored in Crypto’s Absurdist Farce! 🤡💸
- 📉DOW DOES THE FLAMINGO: 200-Point Faceplant on Red-Hot PPI Flambé!
- When Bitcoin Takes a Tumble, Who’s Laughing Now? 🤷♀️
- BitMEX’s Great Crypto Pruning: 48 Contracts to Bite the Dust 🌡️🔥
- XRP’s Little Dip: Oh, the Drama! 🎭
- US Bill Proposes 21st-Century Privateers to Take on Cybercrime – Seriously
- Get Ready for Ether’s Dramatic Ascent-More Than Just a Craving for Fame! 🚀💥
- Bullish Stock Soars 218% – Wall Street Finally Gets It (Or Is This a Joke?) 🐄💸
2025-12-29 21:55