XRP Hits New High After 7 Years as Ripple’s SEC Battle Officially Ends in 2025
Ripple closed its SEC case in 2025, XRP reached new highs, ETFs launched, and RLUSD emerged as a major stablecoin.
Crypto Laddin
Author
The year 2025 marked a historic turning point for Ripple and XRP, reshaping the company’s position within the global crypto and financial ecosystem. Beyond price action, Ripple’s achievements spanned regulation, institutional adoption, and strategic expansion.
The most consequential milestone was the final conclusion of Ripple Labs’ legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Initiated in December 2020, the case centered on whether XRP sales constituted unregistered securities offerings. While Ripple secured a favorable partial ruling in 2023, appeals prolonged uncertainty until 2025.
With a shift toward a more crypto-friendly regulatory climate, both parties ultimately withdrew their appeals, formally closing the case in August 2025. This outcome cemented the earlier ruling as a precedent-setting decision for future digital asset classifications in the U.S.
Markets reacted swiftly. XRP surged to $3.65, its first new all-time high since 2018, briefly positioning it as the third-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization behind Bitcoin and Ethereum. Although prices later retraced, the removal of regulatory overhang significantly strengthened long-term investor confidence.
Another defining theme of 2025 was the arrival of XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Following Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF approvals, demand for altcoin exposure intensified. The first XRP ETF, launched by Rex Shares and Osprey under an Act 40 structure, recorded $38 million in first-day volume. This was followed by spot ETFs from Grayscale, Bitwise, Franklin Templeton, and Canary Capital. By year-end, XRP ETFs had attracted nearly $1 billion in net inflows.
Ripple’s innovation extended well beyond XRP. Its U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, RLUSD, launched in late 2024, gained remarkable traction throughout 2025. The token surpassed $1.3 billion in market capitalization, ranking as the 11th largest stablecoin globally. Integrations with Mastercard, Gemini, BlackRock-backed Securitize, and regulatory approvals in Singapore positioned RLUSD as a serious institutional settlement asset.
Ripple also executed a major acquisition strategy. The firm acquired prime broker Hidden Road for $1.25 billion, treasury management firm GTreasury for $1 billion, stablecoin platform Rail for $200 million, and wallet infrastructure provider Palisade. These moves expanded Ripple’s footprint across payments, liquidity, treasury, and custody services.
The year culminated in a $500 million investment round valuing Ripple at $40 billion, reinforcing its status as one of the most influential companies in the digital asset industry.
In summary, 2025 was not merely a recovery year for Ripple—it was a reinvention. With regulatory clarity, institutional-grade products, and global expansion, Ripple firmly positioned itself as a foundational player in the future of finance.
