XRP ETF "Inevitable" By Year-End, Ripple CEO Predicts Amid Surging Institutional Demand

ETF Approval Expected Before 2026

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has told Bloomberg that approval of a spot XRP ETF is "inevitable," stating that he expects the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to approve some or all applications by the end of 2025.

Several major financial institutions have already filed applications, including Bitwise, Franklin Templeton, and Canary. In his interview, Garlinghouse made the notable suggestion that XRP could eventually be part of U.S. government reserves, alongside Bitcoin and other digital assets.

Prediction markets strongly support this timeline, with Polymarket showing 96% odds of approval before year-end—a significant jump from just 65% earlier this year.

Analysts Project $8 Billion First-Year Inflows

Financial experts, including analysts from JPMorgan and the CEO of Crypto.com, forecast that XRP ETFs will attract approximately $8 billion in inflows during their first year of trading. This projection exceeds the performance of Ethereum ETFs, which required more than a year to reach comparable levels.

Market data shows robust demand for XRP-related investment products already:

• CME XRP futures have quickly accumulated over $1 billion in open interest within weeks of their launch
• Teucrium's XXRP ETF has grown to hold $429 million in assets under management
• ProShares UXRP ETF has accumulated $116 million in assets, an impressive figure for a leveraged product

Corporate Treasuries Embrace XRP as Liquidity Grows

XRP's strong liquidity foundation—consistently maintaining over $6 billion in daily trading volume—appears to be attracting corporate treasury allocations. Several companies have announced plans to add XRP to their balance sheets:

• VivoPower has announced plans for a $100 million XRP purchase
• Webus, Trident, and SBI Holdings have all begun incorporating XRP into their treasury strategies

Simultaneously, the XRP Ledger (XRPL) continues gaining traction in institutional finance applications:

• Ripple's USD stablecoin (RLUSD) has expanded to $729 million in circulating supply
• Tokenized assets on XRPL have reached nearly $300 million, showing 10% growth in just the past month
• Institutional integration is accelerating, with Hidden Road now processing $10 billion in daily transaction volume via the XRP Ledger

Technical Indicators Point to Potential Breakout

XRP is currently trading at approximately $3.02, maintaining position above its critical 200-day exponential moving average of $2.57. Technical analysis suggests a possible upward movement:

• The formation of a descending wedge pattern combined with a bullish pennant structure indicates building momentum
• Technical indicators support a potential rally to the year-to-date high of $3.67 (representing a 21% increase)
• A decisive break above $3.67 could open a path toward the $5 price target
• However, a fall below the $2.57 support level would invalidate the current bullish setup

With ETF approval expectations strengthening, corporate treasury adoption expanding, and the XRP Ledger gaining institutional integration through tokenization and stablecoin applications, market participants are closely watching developments in the fourth quarter of 2025. The combination of regulatory clarity and growing institutional demand could potentially drive XRP to establish new price thresholds if SEC approval materializes before year-end.