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American investing advice company Motley Fool recently assessed where $XRP could be in the next few years amid the ongoing downturn.
While Ripple has made progress in its operations, $XRP has continued to move in line with the broader crypto market’s decline, down 28% this year alone. As the market continues to underperform, Motley Fool explored where $XRP could stand over the next five years.
Key Points
- Motley Fool argued that $XRP may struggle to keep up with the crypto market over the next five years due to a disconnect between Ripple’s growth and the token’s value.
- According to them, $RLUSD’s introduction gives institutions a more stable option than $XRP.
- Ripple executives, including Brad Garlinghouse, have repeatedly affirmed that $XRP remains central to the company’s strategy.
- Ripple continues to expand the $XRP ecosystem through initiatives like decentralized funding programs, AI-driven security upgrades, and new treasury tools.
Weak $XRP Price Momentum Despite Major Catalysts
According to Motley Fool, Ripple’s growing success may not necessarily translate into gains for $XRP investors. The firm pointed out that $XRP has dropped more than 60% from its peak near $3.65 last July and now trades around $1.30.
This puts it roughly at the same level it held before the U.S. SEC settled its case with Ripple and before spot $XRP ETFs launched in the United States. Motley Fool stressed that these two major events, which many expected to boost the price, have passed without creating lasting momentum.
The investing advice company claimed that $XRP may continue to struggle in the short term and could fall behind the broader crypto market over the next five years.
They clarified that this opinion does not mean Ripple itself is underperforming. Instead, they believe that Ripple’s business growth and $XRP’s price do not always move together, and as more investors begin to understand this, the excitement around the token could fade.
Ripple’s Two-Part Business
The firm noted that Ripple’s business has two main parts. The first is a settlement messaging system used by major banks and financial institutions. They argued that this system does not rely on $XRP. According to Motley Fool, these institutions generally prefer not to deal with a volatile asset.
The second part serves smaller institutions and uses $XRP to help move money across borders by converting funds into $XRP and then into another currency. However, Motley Fool noted that the first segment handles much more volume, while the $XRP-based segment is still too small to have a strong impact on the token’s value.
$RLUSD’s Introduction
Motley Fool also called attention to changes in Ripple’s strategy that could affect $XRP’s role going forward. Notably, the blockchain payments company has started promoting its stablecoin, $RLUSD, as an important part of its payment solutions.
Since $RLUSD can serve the same purpose as $XRP in cross-border transactions, institutions now have a choice between using a stable asset or a more volatile one. According to Motley Fool, this shows Ripple is trying to keep up with the rising demand for stablecoins.
The firm noted that Ripple’s website now highlights stablecoin payments as a key feature of its platform. While this approach could strengthen Ripple as a company, Motley Fool argued that it may not benefit $XRP holders, since Ripple can succeed regardless of which asset is used.
Ripple’s Continued Commitment to $XRP in 2026
Despite these claims, Ripple has continued to show support for $XRP throughout 2026. In February, CEO Brad Garlinghouse said on X that the $XRP community remains a top priority for the company. Within the same month, during the opening of $XRP Community Day 2026, he called $XRP the North Star behind Ripple’s long-term plans.
The event, held from Feb. 11 to 12, 2026, featured leaders, including President Monica Long and former CTO David Schwartz. They spoke about several developments, including regulated $XRP investment products, wrapped $XRP, and new features to expand its use.
Later, on Feb. 26, 2026, Ripple shared plans to grow the $XRP Ledger ecosystem through more decentralized funding, including initiatives like XAO DAO, new accelerator programs, and institutional efforts.
Ripple also introduced potential AI-based security upgrades in March 2026 to improve the safety and reliability of the $XRP Ledger. Earlier in the year, in January 2026, Garlinghouse had already highlighted $XRP’s ongoing role in cross-border payments alongside $RLUSD.
More recently, Ripple launched Digital Asset Accounts and Unified Treasury as part of its Ripple Treasury platform. The system allows financial managers to handle $XRP, $RLUSD, and traditional currencies together in one place.