Ripple’s XRP Surges Past Bitcoin in Q1
Ripple’s XRP Outperforms Bitcoin in Q1, SEC Settlement Reached
Ripple reported a strong first quarter in 2025, marked by significant progress in regulatory matters and strategic expansions. The company finalized a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), while also making key moves to broaden it’s institutional financial service offerings.
SEC Appeal Withdrawn, Fine Reduced
The most notable development was the resolution of the legal proceedings initiated by the SEC. The regulatory body officially withdrew its appeal against Ripple, agreeing to a reduced fine of $50 million, down from the initial $125 million. The settlement also includes the cancellation of restrictions previously placed on some of Ripple’s activities.
The beginning of 2025 saw a strong momentum for Ripple, XRP and, more generally, for the cryptocurrency industry.
Hidden Road Acquisition
Ripple strategically acquired Hidden Road, an international intermediation company, for $1.25 billion. This acquisition is aimed at expanding Ripple’s presence in institutional financial services. Hidden Road plans to utilize the Stablecoin Rust as collateral and integrate with the XRP Ledger to streamline trading in Forex, Swap, and Repo transactions.
XRP Holdings and Custody
The amount of XRP held by Ripple increased from 4.48 billion at the start of the year to 4.56 billion by the end of March. An additional 37.13 billion tokens remain locked in custody, with their release scheduled over the next 42 months.
DeFi Segment Shows Resilience
Despite a general decrease of 30-40% in transactions and new portfolio creation on the XRP Ledger following a peak in late 2024, the Decentralized Finance (DeFi) sector demonstrated resilience. Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs) within the XRP ecosystem experienced a smaller drop, with exchange volumes decreasing by only 16%. The Stablecoin Rust also saw growth, reaching a market capitalization exceeding $90 million and over $300 million in trading volume on DEXs.
XRP Market Performance
XRP distinguished itself in the cryptocurrency market, outperforming Bitcoin and Ethereum during the quarter. Ripple’s token saw an gratitude of nearly 50% in February and maintained a stable performance throughout the period. XRP-based funds raised $37.7 million in the first three months of the year, bringing the cumulative total to $214 million, just shy of the global Ethereum funds total by $1 million.
End of Quarterly Reports
Ripple announced that this will be its last quarterly report in this format, citing a new approach to market communication as the reason for the change.