XRP has spent most of 2025 trading near $3, holding steady while other assets move up and down. Banks are forming partnerships, institutions are buying XRP in large quantities, and Ripple continues expanding its network. Yet many investors are asking the same question: why isn’t the price moving?
According to market expert Jake Claver, this quiet period is not a sign of weakness but a setup for what he calls the calm before the storm. He believes that XRP’s next move could be driven not by hype or speculation but by real-world utility and massive institutional demand.
Why the Price Is Still Flat
XRP’s market cap often sparks debate. Critics say it is too large to grow further, but that view confuses crypto networks with traditional companies. XRP is not a stock. It is a digital asset used to move value across the XRP Ledger. The network’s worth depends on how much money flows through it, not on corporate profits.
Claver compares it to the global email system. Billions of messages are sent daily, creating huge transactional volume. XRP’s value will follow a similar path as global payment systems adopt blockchain for cross-border settlement. This shift is slow but inevitable, and when it happens, XRP’s market cap will no longer be a limit. It will be a reflection of global liquidity needs.
Institutional Accumulation Continues
While retail investors watch for big green candles, institutions accumulate quietly. They spread out purchases to avoid moving the price sharply. Many large financial players are preparing for XRP-based products and ETFs, meaning they need to hold significant reserves. That accumulation takes time and is often invisible to the average investor.
These quiet moves are setting the stage for a major supply shock. When banks and funds need XRP for settlement at scale, available supply on exchanges could dry up quickly, pushing prices upward.
The Derivatives Market Catalyst
Claver predicts XRP’s long-term value could be tied to a much larger opportunity: the tokenization of the global derivatives market. Over the next three to five years, he expects XRP to play a central role in this transformation.
The derivatives market is estimated to be worth between $400 trillion and $4 quadrillion, making it the largest financial system in existence. Ripple once developed a project called Codius, designed for smart contracts and potentially linked to XRP’s settlement layer. If XRP becomes the bridge asset for derivatives settlement, Claver says the token could reach prices between $10,000 and $50,000.
He explains that this would not be speculation but a result of pure utility. For XRP to process daily settlements worth trillions, it must hold a high and stable price. Such a role could position XRP as a tier-one risk-free asset similar to U.S. Treasuries, at the heart of global finance.