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XRP (XRP) settled its SEC case for $125M and spiked 11% on renewed institutional confidence.
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Ripple closed a $1.25B acquisition of Hidden Road to create the first crypto-owned global prime brokerage.
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At least nine asset managers filed spot XRP ETF applications with analysts estimating $5B to $7B in inflows by 2026.
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XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) is gaining real traction with institutions in late 2025. We’re seeing a genuine shift here — from retail-driven hype to actual enterprise adoption. Ripple’s been busy: acquisitions, payment pilots, and the RLUSD stablecoin launch. All of it’s changing how banks and funds think about digital assets.
The drivers are clear enough. Legal clarity after a four-year battle, product integration that actually works and early ETF buzz. As XRP’s infrastructure builds out, analysts are paying attention. They’re asking what’s really powering this shift, and if it can last.
Late 2025 has brought something different for XRP. Banks and funds started showing up in numbers we hadn’t seen before. Major acquisitions, legal settlements, and real movement in price.
The SEC settlement in August marked the beginning of the turnaround. Ripple agreed to settle for $125 million, and XRP spiked 11% that day. Institutional investors finally had clarity (a path forward for using XRP in payments and custody without regulatory landmines).
Ripple’s been assembling the pieces for an institutional-grade platform. Q4 brought the big one: a $1.25 billion acquisition of Hidden Road, the prime broker. They rebranded it Ripple Prime, becoming the first crypto-owned global prime brokerage (it offers clearing, financing, and OTC trading for FX, crypto, and more).
The numbers tell the story. Since closing that deal, Ripple Prime’s activity tripled. XRP and other assets are now getting exposure to the kind of institutional money that used to stay far away from crypto.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Ripple’s weaving its own products into the Prime platform. Clients can hold RLUSD (Ripple’s dollar-backed stablecoin) as collateral on trading desks now. Some derivatives traders are already keeping RLUSD balances. Ripple Prime delivers what institutional traders actually need: efficiency, liquidity, safety. If it works, XRP’s liquidity and stability should benefit.
Payment pilots are moving from concept to reality. On November 5, Ripple partnered with Mastercard, WebBank, and Gemini for on-chain settlement of Gemini credit card payments via RLUSD. The setup moves daily card transactions onto the XRP Ledger. Traditional batch settlements take one to three days, but this supports instant transfers through a regulated stablecoin.
Monica Long, Ripple’s President, called it a “meaningful step” toward mainstream regulated stablecoin payments. She’s calling XRP Ledger the “backbone” for these institutional rails. It’s a bold claim, but the partnerships back it up.
That same week, Ripple kept moving as it closed the Palisade acquisition (a wallet-as-a-service custody startup). RLUSD also hit a new milestone with its market cap topping $1 billion, and Ripple raised $500 million from Fortress and Citadel affiliates at a $40 billion valuation.
Legal and regulatory developments supercharged what was already building. After Ripple settled its SEC case for $125 million prices responded immediately. XRP went from around $2.90 to $3.27 (11% surge in a day). Analysts pointed to the removal of the regulatory uncertainty as the reason for the spike.
Then Wall Street showed up. Dozens of spot XRP ETF applications were filed. By late 2025, nine asset managers had proposals sitting with the SEC. Bloomberg estimates that these ETFs could channel $5-$7 billion into XRP by 2026. This could play out the same way Bitcoin ETFs did.
The combination of clear regulations and pending ETFs has created real momentum. Once those ETFs get approved, major financial institutions will have the confidence to actually use XRP, and not just talk about it.
Views are split pretty hard on what’s next. On one hand, you’ve got Ripple Prime’s liquidity growing fast. If spot ETFs launch successfully, XRP could easily push toward $3.80-$5 by 2026.
But there’s another side. Wall Street’s interest in Ripple is real, but their direct use of XRP is still limited. Institutions can’t just buy XRP from Ripple (they source it from exchanges), and broad adoption faces real hurdles. If ETF approvals drag out or corporate clients stay cautious, XRP could stall, and could to the support at $2. General crypto volatility and regulatory shifts (like changes in Fed policy) also remain potential headwinds.
What’s sparking optimism is that XRP’s role in finance is changing. If Ripple delivers on Prime, stablecoins, and ETFs, XRP’s market reach expands significantly. If they stumble, we’re looking at extended consolidation. Either way, late 2025 tells a clear story: XRP is moving from speculative hype to actual utility and institutions are finally taking notice.
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