Ripple: Key Developments Setting Up Long-Term Growth For XRP

Summary Ripple (XRP-USD) has surged 36% since the last update, outpacing the S&P 500, amid several positive catalysts for XRP. The upcoming launch of the first spot XRP ETF and the strategic acquisition of Rail position XRP for increased adoption and utility.

Ripple's application for a U. S.

national bank charter and potential to capture 14% of SWIFT volume by 2030 could drive long-term growth for XRP. Technicals indicate bullish momentum for XRP, with a breakout likely if price surpasses the 52-week high; Fed rate decisions may further impact performance.

Ripple ( XRP-USD ) had multiple developments since my last article . The price of XRP increased 36% since the last article while the S&P 500 ( SPY ) increased 12.

5% over the same time. The new developments for Ripple can act as positive catalysts for the price of XRP as we head into the end of the year.

The technicals also look positive, indicating the potential for the next leg higher for the price of XRP. Ripple's Recent Developments First Spot ETF to Launch Soon The first spot XRP ETF from Rex-Osprey was set to launch on September 12, 2025.

However, the launch was moved to September 18, 2025. The ETF was approved by the SEC after a 75-day review.

The introduction of a spot ETF allows investors to get exposure to XRP without using hard wallets and crypto exchanges. Investors can purchase the ETF just like a stock from standard brokerage accounts and within IRAs.

While this will be the first spot XRP ETF, it will not the first XRP-related ETF to be launched. Volatility Shares Trust launched ( XRPI ) back in May 2025.

However, XRPI is not a spot XRP ETF which holds XRP directly. This ETF is a multiple-asset fund that holds fixed-income investments with exposure to XRP through derivatives.

The launch of the first spot XRP ETF brings more awareness to the asset which could drive demand higher, putting upward pressure on the price. Acquisition of Rail In August 2025, Ripple agreed to acquire Rail for $200 million .

Rail is a stablecoin-powered payments infrastructure platform. Rail is expected to help streamline Ripple's operations by adding virtual accounts and back-office infrastructure to Ripple's capabilities.

The acquisition is expected to close in Q4 2025 . The combined company will allow customers to manage multiple payment types and it enables customers to make transactions with digital assets without crypto bank accounts/wallets on centralized exchanges.

It also supports payments in numerous digital assets including XRP and Ripple's stablecoin. Customers will have access to a set of stablecoin payments tools without the need to have crypto on their balance sheets.

The acquisition occurred as demand increased for stablecoin-based flows. Ripple's President, Monica Long, said: "Stablecoins are quickly becoming a cornerstone of modern finance, and with Rail, we are uniquely positioned to drive the next phase of innovation and adoption of stablecoins and blockchain in global payments.

Ripple has one of the most widely used digital asset payment networks in the world, and this acquisition underscores our commitment to helping our global customer base to move money wherever and whenever they need. " I see the acquisition of Rail as a key strategic move which places Ripple on the cutting edge of stablecoin usage for global payments.

This places Ripple as a leader in stablecoin usage, which may help drive the price of XRP higher over the long-term. Applies For U.

S. National Bank Charter In July 2025, Ripple applied for a national bank charter from U.

S. regulators.

If the charter is approved, it wouldn't give Ripple the ability to issue loan or to accept deposits. However, the bank charter would allow Ripple to oversee client funds, to custody assets, and to overlay financial products.

This appears to be to way for Ripple to become vertically integrated. With the bank charter, Ripple could reduce its reliance on 3rd parties.

The bank charter could enable faster settlement times and lower costs as the use of intermediary banks would not be needed. The settlements could be achieved with a stable regulated digital token and a smart contract.

Ripple is current waiting on the approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the apex banking regulator in the U. S.

The crypto-friendly policies from the current U. S.

administration (ie. Genius Act ) increases the chance of a bank charter approval.

Potential To Capture SWIFT Volume Ripple CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, estimated that XRP could capture 14% of SWIFT volume by 2030 . SWIFT currently handles $150 trillion per year in global payments .

Therefore, capturing 14% of that amounts to XRP potentially handling $21 trillion in payments per year by 2030. The $21 trillion per year equates to $58 billion per day in global payment transactions.

Seeing XRP capturing more of SWIFT's volume over time is a likely positive catalyst for XRP's long-term price appreciation. Analysts are projecting the price of XRP to reach $12 to $20 by 2030 .

This is significantly higher than the current XRP price of $3. 12.

Technical Perspective Ripple (XRP-USD) Weekly Price Chart w/ RSI & MACD (TradingView) XRP's weekly chart above shows the price in a bull flag formation. It is possible that the two green candles from the past 2 weeks are the beginning of the next leg higher.

However, there has been a pause in the rise at the beginning of the current week. The breakout of the next leg higher would be confirmed if the price closes above the 52-week high of $3.

64 after a full week is completed. If a breakout like that occurs, then the price may get more positive momentum as investors buy into the price strength.

The RSI is currently in the bullish zone above 50 but still below the overbought area of 70. This suggests the price could continue to rally during this cycle.

When I say 'this cycle', I mean the current bitcoin price cycle which the alt coins like XRP are correlated to. The MACD looks mostly neutral with the blue MACD line about even with the red signal line.

The histogram bars indicate lost momentum in recent weeks as they shortened in length. The MACD currently indicates a pause in the momentum from the previous two weeks.

It should be interesting to see how the price reacts to the results of the Federal Reserve meeting on September 16 & 17 this week and the launch of the first XRP spot ETF on September 18. The odds show a 92.

2% chance that the Fed lowers interest rates by 0. 25% .

Lower rates could lead to a shift of capital to digital assets like XRP. Some of that news could be priced in since investors were already anticipating the high chance of a rate cut.

Another factor will be what the Fed says about future cuts. The Risks for XRP Crypto assets are typically highly volatile.

XRP is highly correlated to bitcoin, which has extreme price movements based on bitcoin's halving cycles. The price of XRP declined about 85% after the peak of the last cycle from April 2021 to June 2022.

We are likely near the end of bitcoin's price cycle which lasted exactly 1,064 days from the price bottom to the peak in the last two price cycles. If the current cycle lasts 1,064 days, the peak for this cycle would be in October.

Of course, this cycle could be shorter or longer than the previous two cycles. We'll have to see.

Competition can be a risk for Ripple. Crypto-based competitors that offer cross-border payment solutions include: Circle ( CRCL ), AZA Finance , Stellar ( XLM-USD ), and Lightnet .

Ripple also competes with the established SWIFT payment system. It is possible that one or more of these competitors develop attractive solutions for fast and inexpensive cross-border payment solutions.

This could take market share away from Ripple. That could have a negative impact on the price of XRP.

Ripple XRP's Long-Term Outlook I like Ripple's developments with the Rail acquisition and the effort to obtain a national bank charter in the United States. This could establish Ripple as a long-term leader for the global use of stablecoins.

The demand for XRP could also increase as a spot ETF is soon to be released. Ripple has the potential to capture some of SWIFT's market share, which can create strong, long-term growth.

This can help drive the price of XRP higher over the long-term. If the previous price cycles are similar to the current one, we could still see a blow-off top where prices increase at a rapid pace in a short period of time (within a few months).

There is no guarantee that will happen again in this cycle. So, investors could keep their eye on the longer-term, looking 5 years ahead for Ripple to capture SWIFT's market share over time.

This long-term perspective can eliminate emotional reactions with short-term price action. Investors can also consider dollar-cost averaging in when significant price declines occur with XRP.