It has been a pivotal year for the Ripple ecosystem, marked by significant launches and renewed regulatory optimism. This optimism comes despite the ongoing battle with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, which will soon extend into its fifth year.

however, XRPan asset tied to Ripple, has achieved prices not seen since 2018. In the process, it has once again climbed into the top three crypto assets by market cap — and now several asset managers have filed to begin the regulatory process on the XRP ETF.

Dive into that and more during the year in XRP and Ripple.

Ripple and the SEC continue to spar

It's been nearly four years since the SEC It alleged that Ripple sold unregistered securitiesfiled a $1.3 billion lawsuit against the company.

A court ruling last year concluded that sales of XRP to retail investors did not violate U.S. securities laws, a favorable ruling for Ripple. However, the saga is still unfolding this year.

In October, the SEC filed an appeal challenging aspects of the previous year's ruling, It focused instead on XRP sales on digital asset trading platforms and personal sales by Ripple executives. It was fast Followed by a joint appeal to RippleThen said Stuart Alderotti, Chief Legal Officer at Ripple Labs Decryption From the initial appeal - “It will backfire on the SEC.”

When can we know? Alderotti does not believe it will take long for a conclusion to be reached this time, suggesting a decision could be made by 2026.

XRP ETFs inevitable?

Billions of dollars have flowed into exchange-traded products Bitcoin and Ethereum In 2024, XRP Joining the party in the United States is “inevitable” According to Ripple CEO, Brad Garlinghouse.

Exchange-traded products for XRP already exist in markets outside the US, but some asset managers have begun the ongoing regulatory process in the US in an attempt to provide investors with similar options.

Managers Tree of wisdom and Bitwise Provided for ETFs through Delaware, while 21Shares has submitted its XRP ETF To the Supreme Education Council. According to analysts, the potential of these ETFs helped Impact on standard flows In these products, which helps XRP prices rise as well.

XRP hits seven-year high

XRP has received a lot of attention in recent months, Reaching price levels not seen in nearly seven years In this process.

After peaking at $1.92 during the 2021 cryptocurrency cycle, XRP broke through the threshold in late November and then extended its gains to a local high of $2.82 earlier this month. In this process, it The rope flipped briefly To become the third largest cryptocurrency in terms of market capitalization.

This rally pushed XRP to a level it has not traded at since January 2018, when it reached an all-time high of $3.40 according to Queen Gekko.

Although the token has since rebounded from its local high, it remains one of the best-performing major crypto assets of the year, with gains of over 250% in this time frame.

Launch RLUSD

After much anticipation, Ripple's stablecoin —RLUSD—has emerged.Fired On December 17th. Backed by the US dollar, US government bonds and cash equivalents, RLUSD was launched in a year when stablecoins, or... Symbols associated with the value of fiat currenciesIts trading jumped by 56% from $130 billion to $204 billion Devillama.

Designed to provide users with cross-border payment solutions, RLUSD is available for trading on Ethereum and XRP Ledger.

The Ripple stablecoin is regulated by the New York Department of Financial Services and can be traded on MoonPay, Uphold, Bitso, Archax and CoinMENA, with more options expected for consumers in the future.

to Avoid the controversy surrounding other stablecoin issuersRipple will publish monthly third-party certifications to maintain transparency about the stablecoin's support.

XRP Ledger joins the meme party

Meme coins created a huge buzz across blockchain networks in 2024, led by Solana And over 4 million tokens published on the token launch board pump. fun.

But for a brief period, the XRP Ledger joined the craze, allowing some traders to turn a few thousand dollars into a few hundred thousand. For example, one user Trading the ARMY meme coin She recorded over $100,000 in profits and $400,000 in unrealized gains from a $478 purchase just two weeks ago.

This craze led to huge activity on the XRP Ledger, amid validation checks Agreed to reduce reserve feesOr the amount of XRP required to maintain an account on the ledger.

On December 2, the XRP Ledger broke records for new accounts activated and the number of unique active accounts, peaking at more than 105,000 – nearly double the previous all-time high. According to XRP Scan data.

While most of the meme coins on the XRP Ledger have completely tanked, it was a (brief) window into life on happier blockchains for participants.

Modified by Stephen Greaves