Crypto commentator SMQKE urged XRP holders to keep two things in mind: the token’s historic upside and how Ripple’s recent institutional acquisitions could increase future potential. He pointed out that during the 2017–2018 cycle XRP surged roughly 350x, compared with about 14x for Bitcoin and 100x for Ethereum, making XRP’s rise roughly 24 times steeper than Bitcoin’s in that period. Those gains came largely from early network momentum and preceded many of Ripple’s later strategic moves.
SMQKE highlighted that Ripple has since invested more than $3 billion in deals aimed at building institutional-grade infrastructure. Notable transactions include the 2023 acquisition of Metaco for $250 million, the 2024 purchase of New York–regulated Standard Custody, and last year’s larger purchases: Hidden Road (now Ripple Prime) for about $1.25 billion, plus the stablecoin payments platform Rail, treasury management provider GTreasury, and wallet and custody company Palisade. According to SMQKE, these additions materially strengthen Ripple’s capacity to serve institutions and create a more durable foundation for price appreciation than the token had during its earlier, speculative run.
On why prices have remained muted, SMQKE cited former Ripple executive Marcus Treacher, who frames XRP as a long-term utility play rather than a short-term speculative asset. Treacher emphasized that transforming global payments via the XRP Ledger is a complex, multi-year effort, and that real utility—rather than headlines—will drive sustained value. SMQKE reiterated that news alone rarely moves markets and that growing real-world use cases will be the meaningful catalyst.
At the time of SMQKE’s commentary, XRP traded around $1.39 according to CoinMarketCap. Charts referenced came from SMQKE and TradingView.