It's been quite a while since XRP was considered the black sheep among cryptocurrencies. The whole debacle with the SEC really left a majorly bad taste in everyone's mouth, and for a good amount of time, it really seemed like XRP was just going to fade into obscurity.
Now the recent win by Ripple on its case against the SEC was all this project needed, and this latest move by Grayscale may be just what puts it back into the limelight.
I'm not saying we should all go out and bet the farm on XRP, mind you. Overhyped announcements and promises of perpetual bliss have seriously burned us so many times. How many "XRP to the moon" predictions did we hear and absolutely nothing happening?
Yeah, I should know that.
But there's just something about this Grayscale news that makes me just a little optimistic.
For one, Grayscale isn't some fly-by-night operation. These guys have converted several crypto trusts to ETFs, which is no small feat. Should they be able to work their magic with XRP, we may well and truly be talking of a different level of institutional investment altogether. And candidly, that's where the real money is.
But what if that's really just the tip of the iceberg?
If Grayscale launches an XRP Trust, who says they don't file for an ETF after that? And if that's going to be the case, well, all bets are off. We might find ourselves living in a world where XRP is as mainstream as Bitcoin or Ethereum.
Of course, there's still plenty that could go wrong.
The SEC backed off Ripple, but that doesn't mean they're exactly crypto-friendly. Let's not forget how serious of a competitor there is in cross-border payments: SWIFT isn't going to roll over and die just because Ripple's got a shiny new trust.
But anyways, "Timing is everything", and that's what makes me think XRP really has a chance this time around. The crypto market is maturing, and regulators are starting to come around. Institutional investors are hungry for more opportunities. XRP, due to its focus on real-world use cases and fresh legal victories, may be perfectly positioned to capitalize on this new landscape.
And, of course, let's not underestimate the power of the XRP Army. Say what you may about their sometimes over-enthusiastic support, but the fervor and commitment of XRP's fan base can't be denied. If Grayscale's trust leads to increased adoption and a possible ETF, you can be sure that the XRP Army will be singing their gospel from the mountaintops and driving demand through the roof.
But we could also be getting ahead of ourselves?
It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of a big announcement. As I mentioned earlier, we have seen plenty of false starts in the crypto world.
Remember the Bitcoin ETF hype cycles?
Years of speculation and disappointment before we saw our breakthrough. Who says that won't be the case with XRP?
And then there is the question of whether an ETF is necessary at all in assuring XRP's success. Unlike Bitcoin, which is basically viewed as a form of store value, XRP has been designed to be a utility token intended for use in cross-border payments. Does it really need the same kind of institutional investment vehicle like Bitcoin? Or would Ripple be better off channelling resources to forge partnerships with banks and other financial institutions?
For my own part, I am adopting a very much wait-and-see attitude:
While the Grayscale announcement is clearly positive news for XRP, it by no means equates to assured success. I feel it is important for all of us in the crypto community to manage our expectations. Yes, be excited about the possibilities, but let's not lose vision of the bigger picture: XRP still has a very, very long way to go in order to be some kind of real threat to the established system.