XRP (Ripple) Just Did Something It Hasn't Done Since 2024, and Here's What It Means for Investors

XRPC has dropped below $1 for the first time since 2024, marking a 72% decline from its $3.65 peak last year. The breach of the psychological $1 level comes as structural headwinds mount for the token.

Ripple's payment network now supports stablecoins including Ripple USD, which are increasingly displacing XRPC due to their price stability and lower volatility risk. Banks can operate on the Ripple network without holding XRPC, undermining one of the token's core use cases. Transaction fees alone have proven insufficient to generate meaningful investor value.

The current setup mirrors the 2018 cycle. If that post-2018 pattern repeats, XRPC could fall as low as $0.18, representing an additional 82% downside from the $1 level. The token's utility case continues to erode as institutional users opt for stablecoin rails over native token exposure.