‘History Don’t Lie,’ Says Investor About XRP

After surging to new highs in 2025, XRP (XRP-USD) has taken a big turn in 2026 – and not in the direction bulls were hoping. The token is now down about 60% from last year’s peak, even as its underlying story has arguably improved, with continued institutional expansion and regulatory clarity.

While the broader crypto space has faced volatility alongside Bitcoin, XRP’s decline has been more pronounced, raising questions about whether the weakness reflects market conditions alone or deeper limitations in its long-term outlook.

Bulls would argue that the core thesis remains intact, pointing to XRP’s growing role in cross-border payments as financial institutions continue testing faster, lower-cost settlement rails. At the same time, activity on the XRP Ledger is picking up, with rising interest in tokenized assets and on-chain transaction flows reinforcing the network’s utility case.

Still, not everyone is convinced this is a dip worth chasing. Investor Anthony Di Pizio takes a more cautious stance, arguing that structural challenges could continue to weigh on XRP’s upside.

“The coin is struggling to overcome some structural issues that could weigh on its value from here,” Di Pizio said.

Ripple Payments was built to enable direct bank-to-bank communication, removing intermediaries and allowing near-instant settlement. XRP acts as a bridge currency, standardizing transfers and avoiding foreign exchange fees. For instance, an Australian bank could send XRP to a U.S. bank instead of converting currencies, with transactions typically costing around 0.00001 XRP, or much less than a cent.

However, unlike most major cryptocurrencies, XRP is closely tied to Ripple, which still holds about 38 billion of the total 100 billion coins and releases them gradually to meet institutional demand.

“This makes XRP a centralized cryptocurrency, so investors who buy it must have faith in the operational success of Ripple, because their fates are very much intertwined,” Di Pizio explained.

Bitcoin, for example, is a decentralized digital asset, meaning no individual or company controls it. Its supply is fixed at 21 million coins, issued through mining, where powerful computers solve complex problems to validate transactions and add blocks to the blockchain.

By contrast, XRP faced scrutiny from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission because it is issued by Ripple, leading regulators to argue it should be treated as a security like stocks or bonds. Although the case was resolved last year, Di Pizio thinks investors should remain cautious when considering centralized tokens such as XRP.

Looking ahead, the investor also questions how directly XRP benefits from Ripple’s broader adoption. Banks can use Ripple’s payment infrastructure without relying on XRP itself, since the network supports fiat currencies. At the same time, Ripple has introduced its own stablecoin, Ripple USD, which offers lower volatility and may serve as a more practical bridge asset, potentially reducing XRP’s role in the ecosystem.

More fundamentally, says Di Pizio, bridge currencies “aren’t good investments.” In cross-border transfers, one party buys XRP while the other sells it upon receipt, meaning the transaction itself doesn’t create meaningful demand over time.

History adds another layer of caution. Before 2025, XRP’s previous peak came in 2018, followed by a roughly 95% collapse over the next two years to around $0.15.

“Given the headwinds discussed above, I think a similar decline is underway right now, which could see XRP sink to about $0.15 yet again over the next year or so,” Di Pizio said. “As a result, investors might want to think twice before betting the farm on this cryptocurrency.” (To watch Di Pizio’s track record, click here)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured investor. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.