There are other macro- and crypto-specific catalysts that could help XRP later this year and in 2026.
It’s been a strong run for several cryptocurrencies in 2025, few more so than XRP (CRYPTO: XRP), the third largest cryptocurrency in the world with a market cap of about $190 billion (as of July 28).
XRP is known for its strong network, which is capable of processing up to 1,500 transactions per second, making it highly scalable and ideal for cross-border payments. Since settling a long-standing lawsuit with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), XRP has taken off this year, up over 35% and much more since Donald Trump won the presidential election last year.
While investors have likely grabbed the low-hanging fruit, there are other potential catalysts that could be bullish for XRP later this year. Here are three.
Getting past the SEC lawsuit was a big deal for XRP for several reasons, and ending the regulatory uncertainty could pave the way for a spot-XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF). Spot-crypto ETFs attempt to mirror the price of whichever cryptocurrency they are tracking by actually buying the cryptocurrencies themselves, and then assigning shares to a certain amount of that cryptocurrency.
Spot-crypto ETFs have launched for other large cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum and proven to be bullish, increasing liquidity and institutional interest. Most investors believe that spot-crypto ETFs are only a matter of time for some of the larger altcoins like XRP and could happen as soon as this year. As of this writing, Polymarket placed the odds of an XRP spot ETF getting approved in 2025 at 85%, lower than highs seen this year, but still a very good chance.
The SEC has been a bit back and forth on approving spot crypto ETFs. On one hand, it seems more than open to the idea but is not rushing to approve them like other crypto initiatives. Bloomberg senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas recently said on X:
I think [the SEC] want[s] to put out their generic listing standards first [for spot-crypto ETFs], which is probably coming soon. Get comments. Implement. in time October due dates. That’s my theory anyway.
The crypto sector has largely moved in unison, heavily influenced by Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency. Bitcoin has long been viewed as a bellwether for the industry. This year, however, Bitcoin has begun to break away from the pack, moving higher all year as many cryptocurrencies stalled or even declined.
