Ripple's RLUSD Booms While XRP Underforms

In a recent social media post, enterprise blockchain company Ripple is celebrating the achievements of its $RLUSD stablecoin.

The red-hot token has undergone a full operational rollout following its loud debut in late 2024.

By November 2025, $RLUSD surpassed a $1 billion market capitalization. It is now one of the biggest USD-backed stablecoins, trailing behind only such giants as Tether (USDT), Circle's USDC, and PayPal's PYUSD

The token has been listed on a slew of major exchanges while BNY Mellon was picked to custody its reserves.

Ripple has also moved to increase $RLUSD's utility by partnering with Africa-based exchanges and fintechs of the likes of Yellow Card, VALR, and Chipper Cash.

The San Francisco-headquartered company is also focused on integrating $RLUSD into traditional finance workflows. Notable collaborations included pilots with Mastercard and WebBank for fiat settlement on the $XRP Ledger.

A not-so-great year for $XRP

It has not been a "great year" for $XRP, given that the token is trading significantly lower now than where it started the year. So far, it is down 11% on the year-to-date basis.

The Ripple-affiliated cryptocurrency pulled off a classic "bull trap" trip in the middle of the year. In July, there was a massive green candle that culminated with a new all-time high.

However, the South Korea-driven rally was quickly sold off. The very next month, $XRP recorded a large red candle that erased almost all of July's gains.

The trend for the second half of 2025 has been decisively bearish. Since the July peak, $XRP has printed a series of lower highs and lower lows.

The last three major candles (October, November, and the current December candle) are all red.

The $XRP price is still substantially higher than it was in mid-2024. However, it is safe to say that its momentum is gone.