The price of Ripple (XRP 0.17%) is surging once again. Over the past year, Ripple's valuation has skyrocketed higher by nearly 500%. Looking at the numbers, there could be significant upside yet to go. But what exactly should investors expect from the crypto token over the next five years?
Can Ripple actually replace SWIFT?
Since inception, Ripple's primary goal has been to replace SWIFT: the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. SWIFT is the current global standard that financial institutions use for processing transactions. At its core, Ripple believes its network is faster, cheaper, and more secure. But getting big banks to switch over has been a challenge since Ripple was founded.
Over the next five years, expect Ripple to target specific areas to replace SWIFT, versus trying to replace SWIFT wholesale. For example, the project has been gaining incremental adoption in international markets like India, Brazil, and Singapore. Ripple is also working with some central banks on designing Central Bank Digital Currencies. While this doesn't directly add demand to its network, efforts like this help the project inject itself more into the global financial architecture, building trust and reputation.
Image source: Getty Images.
Greater trust and reputation is critical for Ripple, especially following several legal settlements and improving regulatory conditions. The SWIFT system transfers more than $5 trillion per day. In the past, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has projected XRP could eventually command 14% of SWIFT's transaction volume. Compare that to Ripple's $200 billion market cap, and the long-term potential for the project becomes clear.
As history has proven, however, the road will be long and difficult. Investors should expect slow and steady improvements to Ripple's adoption and reputation, not huge leaps and bounds. This is why Ripple as an organization has shifted strategies in recent years, with a great focus today on the nuts and bolts of financial infrastructure -- things like regulatory compliance, network interoperability, and enterprise architectures.
