The last few weeks have been quite turbulent for XRP and the company behind it. In this article, we will check the latest updates involving the two and analyze the tokens price dynamics.

Has the Ripple/SEC Battle Concluded?

The major developments in the legal battle between Ripple and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), more specifically, the companys court wins, have left some with the expectation that the tussle is over.

Just recently, the American lawyer Bill Morgan said the regulator has not withdrawn its appeal yet. He emphasized that the Commission faces no formal deadline to do so, though it is required to submit a status update to the appeal court by August 15.

The legal contest refers to a court decision in 2023. Back then, Judge Analisa Torres ruled that Ripples sales of XRP tokens on secondary markets are not securities. The SEC appealed the ruling, while the company filed a cross-appeal, which was later withdrawn.

Earlier this year, the two parties jointly requested that the appeals be paused to allow time for a potential settlement. The court respected their wish but required the regulator to file a status report by mid-August. Many believe that if the SEC agrees to withdraw its appeal, it could mark the final resolution of the case.

To the uninitiated, it all started in December 2020 when the Commission filed a lawsuit against Ripple, accusing it of conducting an unregistered securities offering by selling XRP tokens. Initially, it sought a whopping fine of $2 billion, while years later, Judge Torres ruled a penalty of $125 million. Moreover, the SEC and Ripple shook hands on an even smaller sum of $50 million.

RLUSD Keeps Progressing

One trending asset within Ripples ecosystem is the USD-pegged stablecoin, RLUSD. The product, which officially debuted in December of last year, recently saw its market capitalization soar past $500 million and caught the eye of some major financial players.

As CryptoPotato reported, the asset was recognized by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) as a crypto token within the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), while the oldest US bank, BNY Mellon, agreed to serve as a custodian for RLUSD.

Meanwhile, the stablecoins market cap continued to grow in the following weeks and currently stands at approximately $577.6 million. 

Spot XRP ETF Incoming?

Several XRP exchange-traded funds have popped up in the United States over the past several months. However, all of them are futures-based, and you can check the details here.

The XRP army has been eagerly awaiting the launch of a spot XRP ETF, which is expected to have a more significant impact on the price of the underlying token.

Some of the well-known firms willing to launch such a product include Bitwise, Grayscale, Franklin Templeton, WisdomTree, and more. According to Polymarket, the approval odds before the end of the year stand at around 87%. 

XRP ETF Chances, Source: Polymarket

XRP Price Outlook

Ripples native token exploded to a new all-time high of $3.65 in mid-July, but since then, it has been on a downtrend, currently trading at around $3.08 (per CoinGeckos data). 

However, some important factors suggest this could be a temporary correction, followed by another rally. Large investors, for instance, have acquired 60 million XRP tokens in the last 24 hours. This shows strong confidence in the asset and could encourage other smaller players to jump on the bandwagon, too. 

The amount of tokens stored on exchanges has been declining lately, suggesting that holders might have moved their funds into cold storage. This, in turn, reduces the immediate selling pressure. 

Last but not least, the number of XRP wallets keeps growing, hinting at solid user engagement and rising interest in the network. The figure reached a peak of 7.2 million on July 21 and is currently inching towards 7.3 million.

XRP Addresses, Source: CryptoQuant