Ripple’s (XRP-USD) jaw-dropping $4 billion offer for Circle has the entire crypto industry questioning everything. Hot off a massive $1.25 billion acquisition of Hidden Road, Ripple is making its next big play. The company has now set its sights on Circle—the issuer of USDC, the world’s second-largest stablecoin. What’s going on here? It seems Ripple is not just participating in the market; it’s going all in, and then some.
Ripple Doubles Down on Buying its Way to the Top
Ripple’s strategy is clear: forget slow, incremental growth. Instead, it’s throwing big numbers around and aiming to take over the space. After its own stablecoin, RLUSD, made a modest splash at just $317 million in market cap, Ripple has decided to go after the big fish. USDC, at a mind-boggling $61.5 billion market cap, would instantly catapult Ripple into the league of the crypto giants.
According to Forbes, Ripple initially made an offer in the $4–5 billion range, but Circle rejected it. Now, Ripple’s sweetened the deal, showing just how committed it is to making a serious push. And let’s face it: when a company offers billions and is coming off such a massive acquisition spree, you can’t help but wonder how far Ripple is willing to go.
Ripple Expands Its Crypto Empire with Aggressive Acquisitions
What’s truly remarkable is Ripple’s financial firepower. As of the third quarter of 2024, Ripple held 4.4 billion XRP, worth around $10 billion, plus another 38.9 billion XRP locked away in escrow, which is nearly $86 billion. That’s the kind of wealth that can make serious waves. And Ripple’s using it all—not just to grow organically, but to outright buy whatever it believes will push it further.
But buying up assets like Hidden Road and Circle is more than just a flex. It’s Ripple’s calculated effort to disrupt the stablecoin market and challenge players like Tether and Circle itself. Will Ripple’s gamble pay off? That’s the $4 billion question.
At the time of writing, XRP is sitting at $2.21.
