Ripple's Success Not Translating to XRP's Value
Ripple, a blockchain company, has seen significant growth since its launch in 2012. Its valuation was pegged at $50 billion during an employee share buyback in March 2026, surpassing Coinbase's market cap at the time. Despite this success, Ripple's cryptocurrency XRP hasn't shared in the same level of success.
XRP is used as a bridge currency on Ripple's payments network and has several use cases beyond cross-border payments. However, its adoption by financial institutions remains limited, with only a handful using it, including SBI Remit and Travelex Bank.
The XRP Ledger (XRPL) provides a platform for decentralized finance (DeFi) applications and the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs), but lags behind other blockchains in both areas. The total value locked (TVL) into DeFi protocols on the XRPL is less than $50 million, compared to Ethereum's $50 billion.
The article concludes that XRP is a hold for now, with limited progress in its role as a cross-border payments solution and better options available for investing in cryptocurrencies tied to DeFi or RWAs. The author notes that XRP could go on another run but believes it would require an unrealistic forecast of reaching $850 billion.