- Ripple acquires prime broker Hidden Road for $1.25B, boosting institutional XRP trading tools and capital access strategies.
- New XRP Ledger lending protocol and enhanced programmability launch Q3 2025, targeting Ethereum-like app development capabilities.
Ripple is making substantial changes to the XRP Ledger. These changes resemble steps Ethereum took before its price increased earlier this year. The key question now is whether XRP might follow a similar upward path.
XRP faced difficulties in the second quarter. While other digital assets saw money flowing in, XRP decreased in value. It lost nearly 30% of its worth compared to Ethereum after achieving a 100% increase in the first quarter. This shift resulted from deliberate actions.
Ethereum developers introduced the Pectra upgrade in early May. This well-timed action contributed to Ethereum rising 40%, ending its period of lower prices since November. Ripple now appears to be using a comparable plan. Market observers question whether the XRP Ledger’s new direction will receive similar support.
Ripple’s Three-Part Strategy for XRP Ledger
Ripple recently purchased Hidden Road, a prime broker serving large investors, for $1.25 billion. This acquisition provides institutions with better tools for trading capital using XRP. It represents one part of a broader effort.
Ripple eyeing ‘multiple acquisitions,’ Ethereum-like upgrades to XRP Ledger pic.twitter.com/3v6RoWEz23
— Messari (@MessariCrypto) June 26, 2025
Furthermore, Ripple intends to release a new lending protocol in the third quarter of 2025. This addition will offer new functions within the XRP Ledger. The company is also incorporating greater programmability. These smart contract-like features could let developers create applications similar to those built on Ethereum.
Collectively, these steps aim to prepare the XRP Ledger for institutional use. This effort aligns with improving legal conditions. Ripple formally ended its cross-appeal in the ongoing SEC lawsuit. Speculation about a potential XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF) is also increasing. Legal clarity and technical improvements are happening concurrently.
Market activity shows early effects of this shift. At the time of reporting, XRP traded above $2.15, a 5% increase. Open Interest (OI), showing the total value of outstanding derivative contracts, rose 3%. This rise suggests speculative money is returning to XRP derivatives markets.
However, lasting success depends on actual participation from large financial institutions. The XRP Ledger’s current plan reflects Ethereum’s successful approach after its upgrade. For XRP to see a comparable price adjustment, institutions need to commit real capital. Their involvement remains the decisive factor for XRP’s next phase.
XRP (Ripple) is trading at $2.2064 USDT, posting a +3.01% daily gain and signaling short-term bullish momentum. Over the past week, XRP has advanced by 4.11%, although it remains -2.97% on the monthly timeframe, highlighting mixed sentiment and consolidation in the broader structure.
Year-to-date, XRP has delivered a 5.90% increase, but the standout metric is its 364.25% gain over the past year, driven largely by its legal resolution and resurgent institutional interest.
Technically, XRP has broken above the critical $2.15 resistance level, initiating a bullish breakout that now targets $2.33–$2.38 in the near term. Price action reflects a classic bullish breakout from a descending channel, supported by increasing volume and confirmation via MACD crossover.
Multiple analysts highlight a potential 20–25% extension move from the current breakout structure, contingent on holding above $2.15. There is also a developing inverse head and shoulders pattern in higher timeframes, supporting a mid-term target as high as $3.40, if market momentum sustains.
Ripple is dropping our cross appeal, and the SEC is expected to drop their appeal, as they’ve previously said. We’re closing this chapter once and for all, and focusing on what’s most important – building the Internet of Value. Lock in. https://t.co/ZsRgDfcpLh
— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) June 27, 2025
News have significantly influenced XRP’s current surge. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse recently confirmed the company is dropping its SEC cross-appeal, signaling a definitive end to a years-long legal battle.
