Can XRP Overtake Bitcoin?

2 months ago 22

Dominic Basulto, The Motley Fool

Tue, Apr 8, 2025, 7:37 AM 5 min read

Ever since it launched successful 2009, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) has stood unsocial arsenic the world's astir invaluable cryptocurrency. More than 15 years later, it inactive accounts for a whopping 60% of the worth of the cryptocurrency market.

However, the tech manufacture is filled with stories of manufacture leaders that erstwhile reigned supreme, but aboriginal gave crushed to smaller, much nimble competitors. The 1 rival that's been getting a batch of buzz precocious is XRP (CRYPTO: XRP), the cryptocurrency formerly known arsenic Ripple.

In presumption of marketplace cap, it seems inconceivable that XRP could ever overtake Bitcoin. Despite being the world's fourth-largest cryptocurrency, with a $100 cardinal marketplace cap, XRP is perfectly dwarfed by Bitcoin, which inactive trades astatine a hefty $1.5 trillion valuation.

Let's bash immoderate elemental mathematics here. XRP would request to skyrocket successful worth by a aggregate of 15x to person immoderate accidental of overtaking Bitcoin. And, astatine the aforesaid clip that XRP is skyrocketing successful value, Bitcoin would fundamentally request to commercialized flat, truthful that XRP tin drawback up.

That's simply not probable, fixed that Bitcoin traditionally leads the marketplace higher oregon lower. We're seeing this close present with the existent tariff turbulence. So, XRP would request immoderate benignant of bonzer catalyst to assistance it accelerate successful worth faster than Bitcoin.

So what could beryllium immoderate of the catalysts to marque that maturation happen? Some person suggested that the imminent motorboat of caller spot ETFs mightiness pull caller capitalist inflows, sending the terms of XRP soaring. Others person suggested that the caller motorboat of a caller stablecoin by Ripple, the institution down the XRP token, mightiness beryllium capable to nonstop XRP skyrocketing to caller levels.

Let's displacement the statement a bit, and specify "overtake" to mean turning successful superior marketplace show implicit time. This is simply a overmuch much apt scenario, fixed that XRP was connected an implicit teardrop until recently. When XRP deed a caller 52-week precocious of $3.39 successful January, it was up a mind-boggling 600%. For overmuch of 2025, XRP was the top-performing cryptocurrency.

But conscionable however sustainable is this show by XRP? After all, XRP's meteoric emergence has mostly been linked to the pro-crypto optimism surrounding the Trump administration. All of XRP's gains occurred aft the predetermination of President Donald Trump successful November. For months up of the election, XRP was trading for a paltry $0.50 and going perfectly obscurity fast.

There person been immoderate large wins already for Ripple and XRP arsenic a effect of the Trump White House's crypto policies. For one, the SEC has dropped a long-running suit against Ripple that alleged that XRP was a security, alternatively than a commodity. The Trump White House was besides cautious to see XRP arsenic portion of its caller U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile, portion inviting Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse to events specified arsenic the White House Crypto Summit successful March.