2025 XRP Summary: Reached a 7-year high, Ripple and SEC lawsuit settled

Source: CryptoNewsNet Original Title: The Year in XRP 2025: New Highs After 7 Years as Ripple’s SEC Case Finally Ends Original Link:

Cryptocurrency Prices and Industry Development

The greatest achievements in cryptocurrency are often closely related to asset price increases, but Ripple’s success in 2025 goes far beyond XRP price fluctuations—this Ripple-related asset has entered the top five cryptocurrencies by market cap.

On the contrary, the most important headlines for this financial services company are unrelated to trading screens. Notably, it includes the end of a multi-year lawsuit with the SEC, major acquisitions driving future growth, and the launch of the billion-dollar stablecoin product RLUSD.

Below is our review of the biggest highlights for XRP and Ripple in 2025.

Ripple and SEC Lawsuit Concludes

After more than four years, the legal dispute between Ripple Labs Inc. and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officially ended in August.

This milestone case investigated whether the sale of XRP violated securities laws, dating back to December 2020. Some rulings in 2023 supported Ripple Labs, but appeals and counterclaims extended the lawsuit into 2025.

However, with a new government in power and a more favorable regulatory environment, both parties chose to seek a joint negotiated resolution in early 2025.

This negotiated solution was subsequently rejected by U.S. district judges and courts, ultimately leading both sides to withdraw their respective appeals—completely ending the dispute and establishing Ripple’s favorable 2023 ruling as a precedent for future classification of crypto assets.

XRP Sets New All-Time High

Before 2025, the last time XRP traded above $3 was in 2018.

Seven years later, about a month before the conclusion of Ripple Labs’ long-running legal dispute with the SEC, XRP related to Ripple hit a historic high of $3.65 according to CoinGecko data, far surpassing the previous high of $3.40 in 2018.

At that time, XRP became the third-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, behind Bitcoin and Ethereum. As regulatory scrutiny eased, analysts told media that investors “believe in Ripple’s vision of a regulated, institutional-grade blockchain.”

Although its rapid rise pushed the token into a price range not seen since 2018, an investment firm still set a higher year-end target of $5.50 for XRP in the summer.

However, this target now seems unlikely to be achieved, despite the accelerating tokenization trend emphasized by the firm potentially acting as a catalyst for XRP’s price.

As of December 15, XRP, the fourth-largest asset by market cap, was trading at $1.90, down about 48% from its July all-time high.

XRP Joins ETF Camp

Following the approval and success of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, investors and fund issuers are eager to bring altcoin ETFs—such as XRP, Solana, and Dogecoin—to market.

Therefore, applications for altcoin ETFs flooded the SEC, with expert opinions predicting that approval in 2025 was “almost certain.” These views were further validated in September when the SEC paved the way for approval of new ETFs by signing new general listing standards.

Around the same time, Rex Shares and Osprey Funds jointly launched an XRP ETF—an Act 40 ETF following different listing standards. Demand for this product was immediate, with a first-day trading volume of $38 million, the largest first-day volume of the year.

Soon after, more traditional spot ETF products from firms like Grayscale, Bitwise, and Franklin D. joined the market. In December, leveraged products also launched, allowing investors to double their exposure to XRP gains.

Since launch, spot ETFs have generated nearly $1 billion in net inflows according to CoinGlass data as of December 15, with no single-day outflows.

RLUSD Becomes a Billion-Dollar Stablecoin

XRP reached an important milestone in 2025, as did Ripple Labs’ stablecoin RLUSD.

RLUSD was first launched in December 2024, a USD-backed stablecoin that preempted trends set by other financial giants (such as a remittance service provider and a major bank) and the passage of the GENIUS Act—which provides regulatory clarity for issuing and trading fiat-backed tokens.

Since its launch, RLUSD’s functionality has expanded continuously. In September, it was added to a tokenization platform supported by a major asset management firm, now allowing users to exchange shares of tokenized money market funds for RLUSD. In December, the company received approval to expand payment services in Singapore, including RLUSD.

Thanks to partnerships with a payment network and a bank, it is also used for credit card settlements.

Although RLUSD is regulated by the New York State Department of Financial Services, Ripple applied for a national bank charter in July, following the example of a stablecoin issuer, aiming to become a “trust benchmark” in the stablecoin market. In December, it received conditional approval along with other stablecoin issuers.

As of writing, the stablecoin has reached a market cap of $1.3 billion, according to DefiLlama data, making it the 11th largest stablecoin launched in less than a year.

Ripple’s Acquisition Frenzy

Although closely associated with XRP, Ripple is much larger than a single crypto token, with its business scope significantly expanding in 2025 through major acquisitions.

In April, the company spent $1.25 billion to acquire a broker-dealer, aiming to better serve institutional clients at scale.

In October, it spent another $1 billion to acquire a financial asset management firm. According to the CEO, this move will reduce friction and costs associated with traditional financial systems.

Around this acquisition, it made two more acquisitions: paying $200 million for a Toronto-based stablecoin platform, and an undisclosed amount for a wallet-as-a-service provider.

Overall, Ripple’s M&A activity in 2025 maintained a consistent theme—enhancing payment efficiency while expanding its financial services products.

These initiatives helped the company secure a $500 million investment in November, valuing it at $40 billion, solidifying its position among current and future industry leaders.

“This investment not only validates Ripple’s growth strategy and its business built on XRP but also makes a clear bet on the future of cryptocurrencies,” Ripple CEO wrote on social media. “I am very proud of what we have achieved and everything that is coming.”