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. (Ripple)
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. (Reuters)
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. (Farside Investors)
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.
