XRP News: Potential ETF Postponed

XRP, formerly known as Ripple and now known as the Ledger Consensus Protocol, has long held one of the top spots across cryptocurrency charts. As of April 29^th, 2025, despite recent trading dips, XRP still holds the fourth place in terms of market capacity on CoinMarketCap.

Not only that, but XRP is slated for regulation later this year, though investors are beginning to worry that the promised ETF won’t come through as it did for Ethereum and Bitcoin. No matter what your position on cryptocurrency, keep reading to learn all of the relevant XRP news.

What is XRP?

XRP, also known as Ripple, is a store of value and transaction platform, somewhat similar to Bitcoin. But unlike Bitcoin, XRP runs on a unique node list or UNL, which allows for fast and cheap transaction processing, something which has become more important as of late.

XRP was launched by Ripple Labs in 2012, though it took several years for the blockchain to gain popularity. Its recent claim to fame is that it uses a fraction of the electricity as Bitcoin, often promoting usage among the environmentally conscious.

This blockchain has also faced much controversy, however, as it doesn’t feature the decentralization which is a prominent attracting feature of both Ethereum and Bitcoin. Instead, allegations of its centralization have held it back, though the current CEO Brad Garlinghouse has done what he can to distance Ripple Labs from regular, centralized interaction with the blockchain.

XRP has recently gained widespread popularity thanks to the SEC ruling that Ripple is not a security, and the fact that Trump named it as one of the 5 cryptocurrencies to be included in the United States cryptocurrency reserve.

Ripple vs the SEC

Despite initial rising success, Ripple began having issues with the United States government in 2021, when former SEC chair Gary Gensler started his own war on crypto. Ripple Labs weren’t the only ones who were served, with Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, and Uniswap all being targeted by the government body.

The case began with hearings on both sides, and the court system is notoriously slow in the United States, so when Trump was elected President in 2024, the case of Ripple vs the SEC was still ongoing despite a judge having already ruled that Ripple was “not exactly” a security.

These frequent court battles stifled the growth of Ripple, as many users were afraid that in the case of a negative ruling, the well-known owners of Ripple Labs would abide by a shutdown. It wasn’t until March 22^nd, 2025, when the case was officially dropped by the SEC that Ripple fans could rest easy.

Thankful that they came out the other side of the legal battle on top, Ripple Labs began a massive push for expansion, specifically in the terms of a Ripple ETF.

Ripple ETF

Currently, creating an ETF based on a certain cryptocurrency is sort of the “in” thing in financial markets. This push started with the approval of a Bitcoin ETF in January 2024 and continued with the approval of the Ethereum ETF later in 2024.

Now, Ripple has started the same push, with Franklin Templeton proposing the first Ripple ETF a few months ago. They filed for regulatory approval on March 13^th, 2025, with the pending decision date set for May 3^rd, 2025. Unfortunately, just days before the decision date (April 29^th, 2025) the SEC returned with the decision they would need an extension. The new decision date is now June 17^th, 2025, though the SEC is allowed to extend again if they see fit. Their comment on the extension was vague, simply insinuating they needed more time.

This notice of an extension had a domino effect, causing the Ripple market, which had just bounded back, to dive again as investors began to waiver on their confidence in the coming ETF.

Should You Buy Ripple?

Ripple (XRP) has long been a solid cryptocurrency investment; however, we believe the future of this exact blockchain is uncertain. While we are reasonably sure it will survive the Trump administration, a following administration could quickly eliminate the platform.

Ripple’s centralization has long been its Achilles heel, as unlike Bitcoin, the US government can shut it down, and it is likely the CEO would abide by requests for financial and customer information if requested. Though Ripple has made a name for itself as being cheaper and faster than Bitcoin, it is also a bit riskier as it is more exposed to regulatory changes than the aforementioned token.

Additionally, even if the ruling allowing the ETF comes through, Ripple support and popularity has always seemed to waiver when compared with Solana and Ethereum. Individuals who want a store of value have always leaned away from Ripple and toward Bitcoin, especially during tough financial times, which could be on the horizon.

That being said, while we aren’t sure of the investment potential of Ripple, we do know that this platform is not a scam, and though you can lose your money due to the financial climate, it will not be stolen by the company behind Ripple (like funds were stolen from investors by FTX). Thus, if you are looking to add a little financial risk to your portfolio, but want to be sure there is a limit to your potential losses, Ripple may be the way to go.

This is not to say your money is safe with Ripple, but if Ripple Labs goes under, we are reasonably certain there would be some sort of liquidation which would result in you getting some of your investment back. And who knows, maybe if this ETF is based, XRP will go to the moon—just keep the risks we mentioned here in mind.

Overall, we hope XRP is approved for an ETF, and that it does get added to any US cryptocurrency reserve proposed. While this isn’t our favorite store of value cryptocurrency product, it is a decent one for any investor that doesn’t mind a little centralization.