XRP has lost roughly 43% of its value over the past year even as Ripple, the company that built the token’s infrastructure, continues to report commercial progress. The divergence is prompting fresh questions about whether XRP still has a viable role in cross-border finance — or as an investment.
Johnny Rice, a contributing writer for The Motley Fool, argues that Ripple’s business momentum and XRP’s price are increasingly decoupled. Banks and large clients typically use Ripple’s messaging and settlement technologies, Rice notes, and those systems do not require XRP to operate. That weakens the long-assumed link between Ripple’s corporate wins and demand for the cryptocurrency.
A more direct challenge for XRP comes from RLUSD, a stablecoin launched by Ripple. Unlike XRP, RLUSD is pegged to the U.S. dollar, which removes the price volatility that most banks seek to avoid. Ripple’s clients can use RLUSD as a “bridge asset” to move funds quickly and cheaply across borders without exposure to crypto-market swings. Rice writes that this makes RLUSD a more attractive option for risk-averse financial institutions.
Market data underscores the problem. XRP traded near $1.34 in recent sessions, with a market capitalization around $83 billion and daily volumes in the billions of dollars, according to the report. Despite those figures, price volatility and the availability of a stablecoin alternative have weighed on investor sentiment.
Rice makes a clear distinction between Ripple the company and XRP the asset. He says Ripple may have a durable future providing institutional payments services. But he adds that the company’s commercial success does not automatically translate into growth for XRP holders. With RLUSD now on offer, Rice contends, the investment case for XRP is weaker than it once was.
The article does not include direct comments from Ripple or bank customers, and it notes that institutional uptake can hinge on regulatory and operational preferences. It also points out that The Motley Fool holds a recommendation on XRP, a disclosure included with the analysis.
For investors, the takeaway is to treat Ripple’s corporate trajectory and the cryptocurrency’s outlook as separate questions. Banks may adopt Ripple’s technology without using XRP. That possibility reduces one of the main drivers that proponents have cited for long-term appreciation of the token.
Johnny Rice wrote the original analysis. He discloses no personal position in the stocks mentioned; The Motley Fool says it holds and recommends XRP.
You can read the original article here: https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/05/30/is-there-a-future-for-the-cryptocurrency-xrp/
