If you are looking for a high-upside cryptocurrency, look no further than XRP (XRP 0.17%). Currently trading for just $3.08 (as of Aug. 14), XRP is up more than 400% since November. The positive growth catalysts for XRP just keep on coming.
All this makes XRP the highest-upside cryptocurrency you can buy with $1,000. Let's take a closer look.
Price targets for XRP
One way to see just how much higher XRP might go this year is by looking at online prediction markets, where people are making daily trades based on where they think the prices of cryptocurrencies such as XRP might be headed.
Right now, online prediction markets are giving XRP a 65% chance of hitting $4 this year, and a 29% chance of hitting $5. Considering that XRP hit a 52-week high of $3.65 earlier this summer, both of these price targets appear to be within reach.
Moreover, in April, Standard Chartered predicted that XRP might soar as high as $5.50 this year, based on strong underlying fundamentals and a number of emerging growth catalysts.
So, based on XRP's current price of a bit more than $3, there is a reasonably good chance that it might increase in value by as much as 80% this year. Aside from perhaps Bitcoin (BTC -0.50%), it's hard to think of a higher-upside cryptocurrency for 2025.
Potential growth catalysts
The good news for crypto investors is that XRP has a number of potential growth catalysts in play. Being able to deliver on just one of them might be enough to push XRP higher.
Image source: Getty Images.
According to Bloomberg, XRP now has a 95% chance of getting new spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission this year. These spot ETFs would make it much easier for institutional investors to get exposure to XRP. By some estimates, this could result in $8 billion in new money flowing into XRP. That would almost certainly help to push up the price of XRP.
Moreover, the SEC recently wrapped up its long-running case against Ripple, the company behind the XRP token. This case, which dates back to December 2020, alleged that XRP was a security, and that the sale of XRP represented a sale of unregistered securities. With this legal battle in the rear view mirror, Ripple is able to go back to business in the U.S. market, and that likely means new growth for the XRP blockchain ecosystem.
Ripple has already explored a number of alternatives to boost the value of XRP. These include the launch of a stablecoin in December 2024, and the embrace of new real world asset (RWA) tokenization initiatives. According to top consulting firms, RWA tokenization is a potential multi-trillion-dollar market opportunity. So if XRP gains even a tiny market share of this market, there is even more potential for XRP to soar.
But is XRP overvalued?
Just keep in mind: There has always been an enormous amount of buzz, hype, and speculation surrounding XRP, and it has rarely played out as expected. In more than a decade, XRP has never traded higher than $3.84. Its reputation as a high-upside cryptocurrency dates back to 2018, when there were significantly fewer cryptocurrencies to choose from. Until recently, XRP has fizzled, primarily due to all the regulatory uncertainty surrounding its SEC litigation.
Moreover, an often-used market signal is flashing red right now. If you compare the total market cap of XRP ($190 billion) to the amount of total value locked (TVL) on the XRP blockchain ($88 million), there is a serious mismatch. This multiple for XRP is 2,159. By way of comparison, the multiple for Ethereum (ETH 1.02%) is just 5.7, and the multiple for Solana (SOL 0.73%) is 9.6.
If anything, this shows that XRP has been hyped up to incredible levels, with little real activity actually taking place on the blockchain to support such a high valuation.
A key date on the calendar
An important moment for XRP is coming soon. The SEC is scheduled to rule on the new spot XRP ETFs by mid-October, and some analysts think a decision might come as soon as September. Wrapping up the SEC case in August was absolutely critical in that regard. Until all the legal and regulatory matters were resolved, the SEC was unlikely to approve new ETFs.
An investment in XRP is hardly without risk. But with high risk also comes high upside reward. If you have $1,000, and are looking for a high-upside cryptocurrency with the potential to double in value within an incredibly short period of time, XRP is an enticing option.
