XRP Loses Ground as RLUSD Surges Past $2 Billion
Ripple's stablecoin, RLUSD, has experienced explosive growth in the past year, reaching a market capitalization of $2.32 billion and surpassing cumulative trading volume of $9 billion. This represents a staggering 1,278% increase from the start of 2026.
Meanwhile, XRP has seen its value plummet by 27%, settling near $1.39. The network's transaction volume has increased, with 2.4 million daily transactions on the XRP Ledger, up 21% year over year. However, active accounts have declined by 40%, indicating a shift towards larger, institutional players.
Several major institutions have chosen to use RLUSD for settlement, rather than XRP. This includes JPMorgan, Mastercard, and BlackRock, among others. The decision is largely driven by the stability of RLUSD, which eliminates volatility risk and provides a more reliable means of settling transactions.