XRP’s Stealth Ascent: Is Bitcoin’s Dominance Under Threat?
While Bitcoin maximalists preach hodl dogma, Ripple’s XRP is quietly stacking wins—liquidity corridors, institutional adoption, and regulatory grudging nods. No flashy ATHs, just relentless utility-building.
Banks love it, regulators tolerate it, and crypto-purists seethe. XRP’s not here to flip Bitcoin—it’s bypassing the ideological war entirely. The ultimate irony? A ’centralized’ blockchain might end up being finance’s Trojan horse.
Wake up call: In the race for real-world use cases, tribalism might be the heaviest bag to hold. Meanwhile, Wall Street’s already placing bets—with or without crypto’s permission.
Bitcoin’s Decentralization Myth vs. XRP’s Pragmatism
The influencer ignited debate across X on May 20 with a string of posts arguing that XRP is shaking the foundations BTC never could.
“Maxis hate that XRP doesn’t need miners, uses minimal energy, and settles in seconds,” Squire stated.
According to him, the battle between the two isn’t technical but ideological. He insisted that XRP is focused on utility, integration, and real-world adoption.
“Decentralization? That debate’s over,” he continued. “What matters now is utility. And XRP delivers.”
Some may view these assertions as provocative, but there’s growing substance behind them. Ripple is forging partnerships with banks, central banks, and payment providers around the world.
In April, the company acquired prime brokerage giant Hidden Road. Additionally, Ripple made a $5 billion bid for stablecoin issuer Circle, which was reportedly rejected. But there are rumors circulating that it subsequently upped its offer to $20 billion in a bid to fend off interest from the Coinbase crypto exchange.
More recently, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) launched XRP futures contracts, opening the door for institutional exposure through both standard and micro-sized offerings. While the launch came just days after a court denied Ripple and the SEC’s proposed $50 million settlement, it made one key point clear: despite legal headwinds, XRP is being taken seriously by the world’s financial elite.
The potential use cases for XRP that could come from such deals are what Squire thinks makes the asset more valuable. In his words:
“XRP isn’t competing for price — It’s competing for relevance. And every new deal, partnership, or use case is proof.”
Can XRP Really Challenge Bitcoin?
Still, not everyone is convinced, with one commentator pushing back, questioning which banks actually use XRP rather than merely expressing interest. “No Bitcoiner is nervous about XRP,” he insisted. “XRP is stupidly shaking its own pillars.”
Looking at price action, the world’s fourth-largest cryptocurrency has remained relatively muted despite the CME futures launch. It is currently trading at $2.37, a slight 0.3% uptick in 24 hours, but down 8.4% on the week. In contrast, BTC rose 1.6% since yesterday and 3.5% over the past week to put it within a hair’s breadth of its all-time high.
