NEW YORK, Jan 9, 2026, 13:40 EST — Regular session
- XRP down about 2% near $2.09; bitcoin and ether also lower
- Ripple says it won UK FCA approval for an electronic-money licence and cryptoasset registration
- Traders eye Jan. 13 U.S. CPI and the Fed’s Jan. 27-28 meeting
XRP fell 1.9% to $2.09 on Friday, after touching $2.15 earlier in the session. Bitcoin eased 0.4% and ether fell about 1%. The dip came as traders weighed Ripple’s latest UK regulatory clearance against a cooler tone across risk assets.
The UK move matters because it gives Ripple a fresh regulatory foothold in a major payments hub, at a time when crypto firms are trying to look more like infrastructure and less like a trade. XRP, a token tied closely to Ripple headlines, tends to react fast when regulation shifts.
Macro is driving the tape too. Crypto is still trading like a long-duration bet for many investors — when rate-cut hopes fade, it often saps demand for the riskier corners.
Ripple said it secured an electronic money institution (EMI) licence — which allows a firm to issue e-money and provide payment services — and cryptoasset registration from the UK Financial Conduct Authority. “Finance is undergoing a fundamental shift,” Ripple President Monica Long said, while Cassie Craddock, its UK and Europe managing director, called the approvals “a pivotal moment” for building digital-asset infrastructure for UK businesses. 1
In the United States, nonfarm payrolls rose 50,000 in December, undershooting a 60,000 forecast in a Reuters poll, and unemployment dipped to 4.4%, government data showed. The report also showed solid wage growth, reinforcing expectations the Federal Reserve will keep rates unchanged at its Jan. 27-28 meeting. “All roads lead to the unemployment rate,” said Olu Sonola, head of U.S. economic research at Fitch Ratings. 2
Crypto-linked stocks tracked the softer tone. Coinbase fell 2.4% and Robinhood slid 0.4% in U.S. trading.
Flows in crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) — listed funds that track an asset — have stayed jumpy. Spot bitcoin ETFs logged net outflows of about $486 million on Jan. 7 and about $399 million on Jan. 8, according to data compiled by Farside Investors, while spot XRP ETFs saw their first outflow since launch on Jan. 7, TheStreet reported, citing SoSoValue. 3
But the UK licence does not guarantee more XRP use, and the token can still trade as a high-beta proxy for risk appetite. A hotter inflation print or another run of ETF redemptions could pull prices back toward recent lows.
The next near-term test is Tuesday’s U.S. consumer price index report for December, due at 8:30 a.m. ET. Traders then turn to the Fed’s Jan. 27-28 meeting for any shift in the rate path.
