Legal & Regulatory: The SEC’s no-action letter (Sept. 30, 2025) clears the way for institutional custody of XRP [31] [32]. This came in a package of rulings on crypto custody released by the SEC’s investment-management division. In practice, qualified crypto custodians (licensed “state trust” banks) can be used just like traditional banks to hold client crypto assets [33]. Crypto.news notes that with custodians like Coinbase and BitGo authorized to store XRP [34], a major legal uncertainty for institutional investors is resolved.
Meanwhile, the residual Ripple v. SEC litigation risk ended in August 2025 (the two parties agreed to dismiss appeals [35]). The SEC had sued Ripple in 2020 over XRP sales, but that case is now closed. Looking forward, attention is on SEC ETF rulings: seven spot XRP ETF filings await decision (Grayscale’s by Oct. 18, followed by others in November) [36] [37]. CryptoPotato reports that SEC staff have even asked ETF issuers to withdraw certain filings (Form 19b-4) now that Generic Listing Standards exist [38], indicating the SEC is preparing for these ETFs to launch smoothly.
Price & Technical Analysis: XRP has been consolidating in the low-$3 range. Crypto.news reports XRP at $2.85 (1.5% down) on Oct. 1 after Schwartz’s announcement [39], while CryptoSlate noted a brief 3% gain into the $2.94 area [40]. Overall, XRP has held above roughly $2.71 in the last week [41]. Short-term trendlines: CoinDesk identifies resistance around $2.92–2.93 and support around $2.85–2.86 [42] [43], with the $2.90 “pivot” level crucial for the next move. Technical indicators are mostly neutral (stochastic and RSI mid-range) [44]. An on-chain snapshot shows traders pulling back from leveraged bets: futures open interest is easing, while spot volumes remain robust [45]. Notably, CryptoSlate and Crypto.news both emphasize that Schwartz’s exit did not spook the market: prices held in range, and many traders are still “upbeat” [46] [47].
Ecosystem & Partnerships: Ripple’s products are gaining new footholds. The RLUSD stablecoin (pegged 1:1 USD) is a standout story. Blockworks reports that Securitize has integrated RLUSD into tokenized Treasury funds (BlackRock’s BUIDL and VanEck’s VBILL) [48]. CryptoPotato notes RLUSD has also been adopted by top exchanges (Kraken, Gemini, Bitso, etc.) [49]. On Oct. 1, Ripple unveiled that RLUSD will be launched in Africa in partnership with Chipper Cash, VALR and Yellow Card [50] [51] – targeting Africa’s huge remittance market with faster, cheaper USD transfers.
Another notable partnership: Ripple’s Japanese JV (SBI Ripple Asia) signed an MoU with Tobu Top Tours to create an XRP Ledger-based tourism payment system [52]. The project envisions issuing local tokens and NFTs (e.g. souvenir tokens) to streamline travel payments by 2026. Overall, these updates show Ripple expanding beyond core payments into stablecoins and blockchain-enabled travel.
On the institutional front, the CME Group launched standard XRP futures this year. CoinDesk reports that open interest in XRP futures has already surpassed $1 billion after just three months [53]. This institutional activity, along with the custody approval, points to growing mainstream interest in XRP.
Commentary & Sentiment: Crypto insiders and analysts have been active. Influencer Kenny Nguyen’s bold forecast grabbed headlines: he said XRP “should be between $22 and $50” after the first wave of spot ETFs [54]. CryptoCentral summarizes his call as implying a 6–16× rally once regulated ETFs launch. Canary Capital’s Steven McClurg supports this view; he estimates $5 b of first-month ETF flows could translate to roughly $26 per XRP [55]. Others note that XRP has no staking yield (unlike ETH), so all ETF inflows would directly lift price. Meanwhile, Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas quipped that the SEC’s move (asking issuers to withdraw filings) “makes sense as you don’t need 19b-4s in the post-GLS world” [56], suggesting insiders expected the regulatory shuffle.
Community reactions were mixed but mostly positive. Social-media trackers like Crypto.news report that aside from short-term sell-the-news dips, “most community responses remained optimistic” [57]. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse jokingly said Schwartz’s new board seat made him “the boss now” [58]. In general, experts are upbeat about XRP’s outlook if catalysts align. For example, one model on Yahoo Finance projected that multiple ETF approvals could send XRP 50–150% higher (to ~$4–7) by October [59]. InvestingHaven notes that a hold above ~$3.00 could trigger a rally, whereas a break below ~$2.80 might test $2.70–2.75 next [60] [61].
Outlook: With the SEC clearing custody rules and ETFs looming, many analysts see this fall as pivotal for XRP. Watcher Guru and CoinCentral highlight that regulatory clarity plus the SWIFT partnership have raised new price targets (some analysts have bumped forecasts to ~$5 or higher) [62] [63]. Bulletproof Crypto analysts have even speculated on 10×+ moves under a very bullish scenario. That said, XRP still trades far below its 2018 high (~$3.84), and setbacks are possible if the market pulls back. For now, readers should watch two things: the SEC’s decisions in mid-October and XRP’s ability to hold above the $2.80–$2.90 support zone.
Sources: Authoritative crypto press and official releases [64] [65] [66] [67] [68] [69] (see links). These include CoinDesk, CryptoSlate, Crypto.news, and Ripple’s own blog, among others. All quotes and data are from the cited articles.
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