Glassnode data shows that XRP's exchange balances hit their lowest level since 2018 in late December, sparking the usual wave of accumulation phase speculation and “tight supply = moon” commentary. While the eight-year low encompasses the entire exchange ecosystem, CryptoQuant data for Binance offers a recent window into whether these troughs actually precede rallies. Binance's […]
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Asia laid the groundwork for non-USD stablecoins in 2025, as regulators and crypto firms pushed local-currency stablecoin initiatives.
Solana’s bid to move beyond memecoins will depend on whether its upgrades can deliver predictable execution for serious onchain finance.
Crypto analyst Chris Millas has highlighted an unusually persistent slump in Strategy shares, breaking with past drawdown patterns even as the firm continued accumulating bitcoin.
El Salvador's focus on Bitcoin and AI could position it as a tech leader, potentially reshaping global economic dynamics and innovation trends.
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Talk of XRP reaching $100 began gaining momentum this cycle, following the resolution of the legal battle involving Ripple and the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Interestingly, the attention in recent months has been toward XRP’s role in global finance and how this might have an effect on its price action. That trend has led to different interpretations of how the XRP price can trade at $100 in the near future. A notable interpretation was recently articulated by analysts at Bayberry Capital, who proposed on the social media platform X that $100 should be seen as a liquidity event number, not a price target tied to timing. Why XRP At $100 Is A Liquidity Event Bayberry Capital’s outlook on XRP price shooting up to $100 is based on how markets reprice assets once their function becomes essential. According to the private digital asset investment firm, infrastructure assets do not typically rise in smooth, incremental moves. They tend to be re-rated when the market recognizes that their utility has changed from optional to necessary. Related Reading: XRP Price To Rally 690% To $15 In Unexpected ‘Measured Move’ Most digital assets rely on attention and continuous inflows of new buyers. However, XRP was designed differently as a liquidity instrument built to move value efficiently across systems. When demand is dictated by settlement and transactional use, price dynamics change. In that setting, value can be pulled upward by usage itself, not just by sentiment. A liquidity event is a moment when an asset’s ability to be converted, transferred, or absorbed by the market changes materially and permanently. From this perspective, $100 is a natural price level for XRP to be at that point. Another element of the view by Bayberry Capital is the absence of a deadline for this to happen. The liquidity event where the XRP price is priced at $100 is not defined by a specific year. Instead, it depends on direction. If global finance keeps moving toward faster settlement and digital liquidity rails, assets built for that purpose will undoubtedly be repriced accordingly. How This View Connects To Other $100 XRP Predictions Bayberry Capital’s commentary exists alongside a broader set of long-term views that started after XRP’s legal clarity, its push to new all-time highs in mid-2025, and the different partnerships and acquisitions made by Ripple to increase the utility of XRP. Related Reading: XRP Sees 80% Spike In Major Metric, Why This Matters For Price Appreciation Since then, several analysts and commentators have discussed scenarios where XRP could eventually trade at $100, with the proposed factors often tied to use in global settlement and institutional demand. Figures such as Zach Rector, crypto commentator 24hrscrypto, world’s highest IQ claimant Young Hoon Kim, and BarriC have all been linked to $100 XRP price scenarios over the coming years. These views are always debated by critics, particularly on market cap considerations, but they share a common assumption that XRP would need to function as a global payments infrastructure in order for this to happen. Featured image from Peakpx, chart from Tradingview.com
Digital asset treasuries, altcoin ETFs and bitcoin’s famed year‑end seasonality were meant to supercharge prices. What came instead was the worst drawdown since 2022's crypto winter.
Terra Luna Classic (LUNC) surprised the crypto market on New Year’s Eve with a sharp rally of nearly 20% in just 24 hours. LUNC token price climbed to around $0.000045, with its market cap hitting close to $250 million. The sudden move left many traders asking what triggered the rally and whether it has real …
The UK has officially started one of its biggest crackdowns on crypto tax evasion. As of January 1, 2026, the government began enforcing the OECD’s Cryptoasset Reporting Framework (CARF), rules to prevent crypto tax evasion and improve transparency in the market. Failing to obey the rule will result in a hefty fine and strict legal …
If you followed Bitcoin ETFs day to day in 2025, you probably developed the same habit everyone did: you checked the print at night, read one sentence about “risk-on” or “risk-off,” then tried to map a clean story onto a messy market. The problem is that daily flows are noisy by design. They're the residue […]
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According to Farside Investors data, US investors put close to $32 billion into US crypto exchange-traded funds in 2025 even as markets lost steam late in the year. Related Reading: Crypto Headed For A $10 Trillion Future? Hoskinson Says RWA Is The Key Spot Bitcoin ETFs drew the biggest share, with $21.4 billion in net inflows. That is smaller than the $35 billion that poured into Bitcoin ETFs in 2024. Blackrock Dominates Flows BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF, IBIT, accounted for most of the activity. Reports show IBIT took in about $24.7 billion. That makes its inflows roughly five times larger than the nearest rival, Fidelity’s FBTC. Market watchers noted IBIT ranked near the top among all ETF flows, placing behind only a few broad index funds and a big treasury bond fund. If IBIT’s number is removed, the wider spot Bitcoin ETF group actually finished the year with about $3 billion in combined outflows. Grayscale’s Bitcoin product lost nearly $4 billion on the year. Bitcoin’s price was lower than at the start of 2025; it began the year around $93,500. Ethereum Interest Strong But Cooling Based on reports, interest in Ethereum ETFs was real, but the momentum looks uneven. BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust, ETHA, sits at nearly $12.6 billion in inflows. Fidelity’s FETH follows at $2.6 billion, while Grayscale’s Ethereum Mini Trust ETF holds about $1.5 billion. Still, public on-chain data showed little renewed demand for spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs in the last month of the year, suggesting flows may slow into 2026. Ether ETFs benefited from being new and giving investors a regulated way to own ETH, but recent days have seen quieter buying. Spot Ether ETFs, which only became widely tradable after their July 2024 launch, gathered $9.6 billion in their first full year. Spot Solana ETFs, launched in late October, added $765 million through year end. Altcoin ETFs Show Curiosity, Not Frenzy Litecoin and XRP ETFs also began trading in the latter half of the year, giving investors more choices for regulated altcoin exposure. The sums are small compared with Bitcoin and Ether. Solana’s $765 million is an example of early interest that has not yet turned into a large, steady stream of assets. These products are being tested by the market. Related Reading: Gold And Stocks Ran Ahead, But Bitcoin May Close The Gap In 2026 Global Flows Tell A Different Story Industry trackers reported that crypto ETFs listed worldwide experienced $2.95 billion in net outflows in November, and there was about $179 billion invested in crypto ETFs globally at the end of that month. Regulators and exchanges moved faster this year under new SEC leadership that was more open to approvals, which in turn helped institutional adoption in the US. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Tether closed out 2025 with an 8,888 BTC purchase, increasing its disclosed Bitcoin holdings to more than 96,000 BTC.
Anthony Scaramucci says a friendlier US policy mix: rate cuts, looser financial conditions, and a renewed push for crypto legislation could set up 2026 as a better tape for “quality” altcoins, even after what he described as an unexpectedly bruising 2025 for the sector. In a Dec. 31 interview with Altcoin Daily, the SkyBridge Capital founder framed 2025 as a year where positioning and sentiment broke down under selling pressure he said he didn’t anticipate. “There’s probably $4.6 billion of whale selling this year into the ETF demand,” Scaramucci said, arguing that the deleveraging event around Oct. 10 amplified the move. “There was a massive amount of deleveraging. It impacted some of the market makers. It forced a liquidity crisis,” he added, describing a 30% drop as “garden variety” for bitcoin, but still a surprise for traders leaning bullish. Scaramucci said he now sees the setup improving precisely because sentiment turned so negative. “We were tilted to the bulls, we’re now decidedly very bearish,” he said, claiming his internal “bull meter” sits around 13 or 14 out of 100. The flip side, he argued, is that incremental good news, less large-holder selling, steadier ETF inflows, or regulatory progress, could matter more than usual. Related Reading: Crypto Hacks Swipe Nearly $3 Billion In 2025 Despite Fewer Attacks – Report A central part of Scaramucci’s thesis was that the market still expects US market-structure legislation to pass, and that the timeline matters. “I do think it is detrimental because I do think there is still a market expectation that it’s going to pass. I do think you need that clarity,” he said of the Clarity Act. Without it, he argued, serious tokenization efforts remain constrained by legal uncertainty: “Who’s going to spend the kind of money that you need to switch over the financial system if you’re not guaranteed that you’re going to be able to use it.” He also tied the policy fight to a broader economic claim: “There’s between, depending on how you measure it, there’s three and a half to $4 trillion dollars worth of transaction verification expenses in the global economy per year… If you could get that down, let’s say you cut it in half, you could unleash a $2 trillion capital spend in other areas of the economy or just better wages for people.” Related Reading: RWA Tops Crypto Narratives In 2025: CoinGecko Reports 185% Growth Pressed on odds of passage before the midterms, Scaramucci said it should be “north of 50%,” arguing Democrats have learned there is “no anti-crypto voter,” while crypto-aligned spending can be decisive in tight races. Scaramucci’s Top-3 Altcoins And Bitcoin Prediction Asked for his current top-three altcoins, Scaramucci named Solana first, followed by Avalanche and Telegram-linked TON. “My three top coins then would be Solana, it would be Avalanche and believe it or not… it would be the Telegram token known as Ton,” he said, while acknowledging he has been early or wrong on timing. He said he first bought TON at $7.50, averaging near $4.00, while saying it was trading around $1.50 at the time of the interview, but still sees it as a token that could be used across Telegram’s network as it grows. On why Solana sits at No. 1, Scaramucci kept it simple and comparative: “Cheap, low cost, very fast, easy to use, easy to develop on,” he said, adding he’s “not an Ethereum negative person” and expects “a multicoin world.” Macro is the other pillar. Scaramucci expects “two to four interest rate cuts” next year and argued a president facing midterms will want growth optics. “He’s going to flood the zone with capital. He’s going to drop interest rates. He’s going to try to perk up the economy,” Scaramucci said. “That bodes well for the stock market… for the altcoin market… and… for crypto.” For bitcoin, he stuck with his $150,000 call—“I’m off by a year, I think”—and said he recently “bought more Bitcoin” for his family, betting that ETF flows and easier policy can overpower the hangover from 2025’s whale-driven selling. At press time, the total crypto market cap stood at $2.94 trillion. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
The crypto market welcomed 2026 with an unusual and dramatic event. CZ’s dog Broccoli(714) memecoin built on BNB Chain has seen a nearly 1200% gain today. What initially appeared to be a surprise rally quickly turned into suspected hacking volatility. In the midst of this chaotic situation, a savvy trader made a $1 million profit. …
A trader claimed to have made $1 million by timing a long-short trade after spotting abnormal activity by a market maker account on Binance, while the exchange denied any security breach.
Following the 2012 halving, Bitcoin surged to end the following year at a new high; and a similar pattern played out in 2016 and again in 2020.
BlackRock has further separated itself from competitors in the crypto ETF market in 2025, with its Bitcoin and Ether funds, IBIT and ETHA, accounting for the majority of net inflows.
From Ross Ulbricht’s pardon to Ripple’s SEC victory, here’s a list of crypto’s most celebrated turnarounds this year and what they mean for the year ahead.
Coinbase’s head of research said the forces that drove crypto in 2025, such as regulation, ETFs, stablecoins and tokenization, will only get stronger in the coming year.
Robinhood's giveaway strategy may enhance user engagement and brand loyalty, potentially boosting its market position and user base growth.
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Tether's growing Bitcoin reserves highlight its strategic shift towards crypto-backed stability, potentially influencing market dynamics and trust.
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As Ethereum (ETH) is set to end the year on a disappointing note, some market observers have shared an optimistic outlook for the altcoin’s start-of-year performance, suggesting that an early 2026 breakout remains possible. Related Reading: Crypto Hacks Swipe Nearly $3 Billion In 2025 Despite Fewer Attacks – Report Ethereum Holds ‘Equilibrium Level’ Ethereum is attempting to end the year above a crucial area following its recent sideways action. Notably, the cryptocurrency has been in a downtrend for the past three months, currently recording a 27.8% decline from its Q4 opening of $4,145. ETH has been trading sideways over the past several weeks, hovering within the $2,800-$3,000 price range. During this period, the King of Altcoins has failed to hold above the upper boundary on the weekly timeframe despite multiple attempts to break out. Amid this performance, market watcher Crypto Batman recently noted Ethereum is trading around the mid-zone of a multi-year bullish channel, which he named “the equilibrium level.” This zone has historically acted as both a strong support and resistance point for Ethereum, he explained, making it the crucial area to hold as we approach the monthly and yearly closes. Despite the recent price action, Crypto Batman suggested that “given how ETH rallied from $1,500 to $4,600, this current move looks like nothing more than a bullish retest to that equilibrium, likely forming the next higher low.” Similarly, analyst Cas Abbé affirmed that the leading altcoin’s structure remains “incredibly bullish” even with the recent volatility, highlighting ETH’s uptrend line on the higher timeframes. According to the post, the cryptocurrency has not only held its ascending trendline over the past eight months but also bounced after each retest, suggesting that a rebound could be possible if this level continues to hold on the higher timeframes. ETH Breakout In Early 2026? Crypto Jelle also shared a bullish outlook for Ethereum, affirming that the altcoin looks strong on the macro chart. “If price can push towards $4k from here, I doubt bears can hold it down again,” the analyst wrote on X, adding that “It might finally be time for ETH to shine again next year.” Market observer Trader Tardigrade underscored a giant Inverse Head and Shoulders pattern on ETH’s weekly chart. Per the post, the cryptocurrency has been forming this bullish pattern for the past two years, with the neckline currently located around the $4,950-$5,000 mark. Notably, the left shoulder and head developed during the Q3-Q4 2024 and Q2-Q3 2025 rallies. Meanwhile, the Q4 2025 correction has started to form the pattern’s right shoulder, which signals that the altcoin could rise to the neckline area in the next few months, and potentially aim for higher levels if the pattern continues to develop. In the shorter timeframe, Man of Bitcoin noted that Ethereum could see a breakout in the first week of 2026. The analyst pointed out a one-month symmetrical triangle formation on ETH’s chart, where the price has been “getting squeezed between both trendlines.” Related Reading: Solana Bearish Formation Hints At Major Correction Until Mid-2026 – Here’s The Target While the altcoin continues to compress between these levels, a break from the pattern becomes more likely, leading the market watcher to suggest a 15%-20% breakout toward the $3,400 resistance. As of this writing, ETH is trading at $2,977, a 1.2% increase in the weekly timeframe. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
Session’s Chris McCabe and Alex Linton tell Cointelegraph that AI-integrated devices could bypass messaging encryption, creating privacy and security issues.
A cryptocurrency analyst has explained how XRP could be at risk of a drop toward $0.80 based on the data of some on-chain indicators. XRP Has Seen Bearish Developments In On-Chain Data In a new thread on X, analyst Ali Martinez has talked about why XRP may be at risk of seeing a decline to the $0.80 level. “First, network activity has cooled sharply,” noted Martinez. There are many ways to gauge network activity, but the analyst has used the Active Addresses on-chain indicator. Related Reading: Bitcoin Coinbase Premium At Rare Discount As US Demand Weakens This metric keeps track of the total number of addresses that are taking part in some kind of transaction activity on the blockchain every day. A chart shared by the analyst earlier showed a drawdown in this metric for XRP. Generally, a decline in the metric is a sign of a drop in interest around the asset. “Daily active addresses have fallen to roughly 38,500, pointing to fading participation and interest,” said Martinez. Another on-chain indicator has also shown a development recently: the supply held by the whales. Whales refer to the big-money investors of the market who carry significant amounts in their wallets. As the below chart shows, these investors participated in selling of about 40 million tokens recently. Due to the massive size of their holdings, whales are considered to be influential entities on the network, so their behavior could be relevant for the cryptocurrency. As these massive hands have been selling on the XRP blockchain recently, it’s possible that the coin could feel a bearish effect. If nothing else, the trend reflects that the asset’s key investors are showing weaker confidence. Finally, the analyst has shared a chart for the cryptocurrency’s UTXO Realized Price Distribution (URPD). This indicator basically tells us about the amount of supply that investors last purchased at the various price levels that the coin has visited in its history. From the chart, it’s visible that a notable amount of supply has its cost basis at the $1.77 level, which isn’t too far below the current XRP spot price. It’s possible that if the asset retests this level, these investors who purchased there could show some kind of reaction. When the market mood is bullish, this reaction tends to be dominated by buying. Given the current sentiment in the digital asset sector, however, the support may not be sufficient. “If selling pressure continues, XRP risks losing the $1.77 support,” explained Martinez. “A breakdown there opens the door to the next major support zone near $0.80.” Related Reading: Bitcoin Retail Optimism Returns To End 2025—What Usually Follows? This support zone near $0.80 is currently the largest demand zone beyond the $1.77 level. XRP Price At the time of writing, XRP is floating around $1.86, unchanged from one week ago. Featured image from Dall-E, chart from TradingView.com
Amir Zaidi’s return signals a strengthening of crypto oversight as the agency prepares for new digital asset laws.
Only three CBDCs have been successfully launched around the world so far, in Nigeria, the Bahamas and Jamaica, although many jurisdictions are considering it.
According to market intelligence firm Santiment, Bitcoin is trailing both gold and the S&P 500 after a sharp pullback in November. Gold has climbed 9% since early November, the S&P 500 is up 1%, and Bitcoin is down about 20%, trading near $88,000 as of Wednesday. Based on reports, that gap has left crypto quieter while other markets show modest rebounds. Related Reading: Crypto Headed For A $10 Trillion Future? Hoskinson Says RWA Is The Key Whale Accumulation Signals Santiment’s data points to a split in behavior among holders. Small wallets were busy buying in the second half of 2025, while large wallets largely held steady and sold after pushing up to October’s all-time high. Large holders are often treated as market movers, so their cautious posture has kept pressure on prices. Historically, a shift where big holders start buying while retail eases off has marked real trend shifts, but that condition is not fully obvious yet. ???? The correlation between Bitcoin & crypto compared to other major sectors is still lagging behind. Since November began, price performances are: ???? Gold: +9% ???? S&P 500: +1% ???? Bitcoin: -20% ???? Heading to 2026, there will remain an opportunity for crypto to play “catch up”. pic.twitter.com/FW8JaQboTV — Santiment (@santimentfeed) December 30, 2025 On-Chain Data Mixed Reports note some signs of stabilization. Long-term Bitcoin holders trimmed holdings from 14.8 million coins in mid-July to 14.3 million by December, then paused further selling. Active Bitcoin addresses rose 5.51% in the last 24 hours, yet transactions fell almost 30% over the same window. That mismatch suggests more people are watching the market, while fewer are committing funds. The raw numbers show interest, but not a clear shift back to broad trading activity. Market Voices Weigh In Garrett Jin, who once ran exchange BitForex, said traders are already reallocating capital, arguing that money moves from one market to another when opportunities appear. Capital is the same and as always, it is wise to sell high and buy low, Jin wrote, according to posts on social channels. Another analyst, CyrilXBT, described the current setup as late-cycle positioning before a possible rotation: when liquidity turns, gold could cool, Bitcoin might lead, and other tokens could follow. Bitcoin right now continues to look just like the 2016-2017 period, just before a parabolic move. These two setups continue to flash in our mind due to the extreme similarities and bullish signals are even holding & flashing here too.$BTC‘s looking ready to absolutely GO ????… pic.twitter.com/H1hInYwix8 — JAVON⚡️MARKS (@JavonTM1) December 30, 2025 Price Calls And Technical Views Technical commentators remain split. Javon Marks has pointed to parabolic patterns in Bitcoin’s chart that echo the 2016–2017 build-up and continues to forecast a rally toward $125K. Based on CoinCodex data, a more modest move is expected first: the platform forecasts BTC could reach $91,500 by January 30, 2026, a rise of 3.68% from current levels. Related Reading: Crypto Policy In The Hot Seat As US Lawmaker Calls SEC Hearing CoinCodex lists sentiment as bearish and the Fear & Greed Index at 23 (Extreme Fear). The site also notes Bitcoin had 15/30 green days and 2.11% volatility over the past 30 days, with the last update on Dec 31, 2025. Short-term traders should focus on whether large wallets resume buying in volume, and whether transactions pick up alongside rising active addresses. If whales start accumulating again while long-term holders stop reducing positions, that combination would give a stronger signal than either metric alone. In the meantime, reports point to stabilization rather than a confirmed reversal, leaving room for a catch-up move in 2026 if liquidity and sentiment turn. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
US Representative Warren Davidson said the stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act may backfire on Americans by stripping them of their financial freedom and privacy.
Ethereum remains trapped below the critical $3,000 level as price action compresses into an increasingly narrow range. Despite several recovery attempts, bulls have failed to regain control, leaving ETH vulnerable to renewed downside pressure. Market sentiment reflects this weakness, with a growing number of analysts leaning toward a bearish outlook for 2026 as momentum indicators continue to fade and risk appetite remains subdued across the broader crypto market. Related Reading: Bitcoin Supply In Profit Sets The Stage For Bullish Cross In Q1 2026 Amid this fragile technical backdrop, new on-chain data highlights a notable shift in Ethereum’s liquidity structure. According to a CryptoQuant report by analyst Arab Chain, Ethereum reserves on Binance surged to approximately 4.17 million ETH in December. This increase coincided with massive inflows totaling nearly 8.5 million ETH over the month, marking one of the most significant exchange inflow events since 2023. Such a sharp rise in exchange-held ETH suggests a change in investor behavior. Historically, large inflows to centralized exchanges indicate preparation for increased trading activity, hedging, or potential selling pressure, rather than long-term accumulation. While inflows alone do not guarantee immediate downside, they often precede periods of higher volatility, especially when the price is already struggling to reclaim key resistance levels. Exchange Liquidity Rises as Volatility Risks Build The CryptoQuant report emphasizes that the sharp increase in Ethereum reserves on Binance—the world’s largest exchange by trading volume—indicates a significant increase in tradable supply. When ETH moves from cold storage or long-term wallets onto centralized exchanges, it typically reflects a shift toward active positioning. Historically, this behavior has been a key input for assessing short- to medium-term supply–demand dynamics, as higher exchange balances increase the amount of ETH readily available for trading, hedging, or liquidation. However, the report stresses that rising exchange reserves do not automatically translate into immediate selling pressure. In many cases, large inflows are associated with risk management strategies rather than outright distribution. Institutional participants often move assets to exchanges to deploy them as collateral, rebalance exposure, or hedge downside risk through derivatives markets, particularly during periods of macro uncertainty and compressed price action. Still, the scale of December’s inflows stands out. Nearly 8.5 million ETH flowed into Binance over the month, marking the highest net inflows since 2023, with daily net inflows peaking above 162,000 ETH. Such volumes suggest the involvement of large players and point to a potential transition into a more volatile market phase. With Binance commanding a dominant share of Ethereum derivatives trading, this concentration of ETH on the exchange raises the probability of sharp price moves. Whether driven by spot selling or leveraged positioning, elevated exchange liquidity increases the market’s sensitivity to shifts in sentiment, making the current consolidation phase increasingly fragile. Related Reading: XRP Slides To $1.80 While Binance Reserves Continue To Decline Ethereum Price Compresses As Momentum Fades Ethereum price action on the 4-hour chart reflects a market stuck in compression just below the $3,000 psychological level. After a sharp decline earlier in the month, ETH attempted several rebounds but consistently failed to reclaim higher ground, resulting in a tight range between roughly $2,900 and $3,100. This structure signals indecision rather than accumulation, with both buyers and sellers lacking conviction. Technically, Ethereum remains capped below its short- and medium-term moving averages. The 50-period and 100-period averages are acting as dynamic resistance, repeatedly rejecting upside attempts. Meanwhile, the 200-period moving average continues to slope downward, reinforcing the broader bearish trend. As long as ETH trades below these levels, rallies are likely to remain corrective rather than trend-changing. Related Reading: Chainlink Shows Strong Accumulation Signal: LINK Exchange Liquidity Dries Up Trading activity has steadily declined during the consolidation phase, indicating reduced participation and growing apathy. The absence of strong volume expansion on upside moves suggests that buyers are not aggressively stepping in, even near key support. Structurally, the $2,900–$2,950 zone is acting as short-term support, preventing deeper drawdowns for now. However, the longer ETH remains compressed below $3,000, the greater the risk of a volatility expansion. A decisive break above $3,100 would be required to shift momentum to the bullish side. Until then, Ethereum remains vulnerable to renewed downside pressure if broader market sentiment deteriorates. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com
A prominent XRP commentator is pushing back on a familiar critique of Ripple’s business model, arguing that skeptics have the causality backwards when they claim the company sells XRP merely to amass traditional assets. In a post on X on Wednesday, CryptoInsightUK founder Will Taylor said the “haters” are “so close to being right,” but miss what he framed as the single step that changes the entire equation. What ‘Haters’ Get Wrong About XRP Taylor’s central claim is that Ripple’s token sales are not designed to swap out a volatile crypto asset for safer, conventional holdings. Instead, he described the sales as a means of funding infrastructure and integrations that ultimately increase the token’s long-term utility and value. “Haters say Ripple sell XRP so they can buy real-world companies and assets, because that’s how Ripple ‘makes money’,” Taylor wrote. “In my opinion, that completely misunderstands the business model and more importantly, the direction of causality. Yes, Ripple monetises some XRP. But not to replace XRP with traditional assets.” In Taylor’s telling, the misunderstanding starts with treating XRP like operating cash rather than a strategic, asymmetric asset. He argued that a large holder of an asset with outsized upside potential would not logically liquidate it simply to “stack normal companies,” especially if that asset could become worth more than the firm’s balance sheet at scale. Related Reading: XRP Becomes Most Bought Digital Asset, Bitcoin And Ethereum Bleed $500 Million “If you hold roughly 40% of an asset that, at scale, could be worth more than your entire balance sheet, you don’t treat it like operating cash,” he wrote. “You don’t say: ‘Let’s sell the most asymmetric asset we own just to stack normal companies.’ That would be insane.” From there, Taylor reframed Ripple’s acquisitions, integrations, and buildout efforts not as a pivot away from XRP but as “multipliers” that increase the odds XRP becomes a viable global settlement instrument. Traditional assets, he argued, are inputs to expand distribution, compliance, and liquidity: conditions that would make a bridge asset more useful at institutional scale. “When Ripple acquires or integrates with firms like Hidden Road, stablecoin infrastructure, or tokenised treasury rails, those assets are not the end goal,” Taylor wrote. “They are multipliers. Those companies are not replacing XRP. They are building the pipes that require XRP to function efficiently.” Related Reading: XRP Still Has A Path To $28 This Cycle, Analyst Says Taylor positioned this as a flywheel: XRP sits at the “strategic core” on the balance sheet, Ripple builds a full stack around payments and liquidity, institutions adopt because the rails are complete, and the token becomes a neutral settlement layer whose demand compounds over time. Under that framework, he said, short-term monetization is better understood as capital deployment in service of a long-term network effect rather than straightforward dilution. “That’s not dilution. That’s capital deployment,” Taylor wrote, adding that if Ripple simply wanted to be “a profitable TradFi-style company,” it would not “obsess over neutral settlement,” keep XRP “architecturally central,” or push it into “regulated institutional rails.” The distinction matters because it changes how observers interpret Ripple’s incentives. In Taylor’s model, the objective is not to sell the token in order to accumulate off-chain assets; it is to use off-chain assets—licenses, liquidity venues, compliance infrastructure, and institutional integrations—to increase XRP’s necessity as a settlement tool. “The endgame is not: ‘Sell XRP to buy assets,’” he wrote. “The endgame is: ‘Use assets to make XRP unavoidable.’” At press time, XRP traded at $1.8773. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com