Updated: Dec. 17, 2025, 12:26
XRP is hovering just under the psychologically important $2.00 level midday Wednesday, with the token trading around $1.89 at the time of writing.
What’s striking about this week’s XRP story is the disconnect between price and infrastructure. Since December 15, a series of developments has expanded regulated access to XRP—most notably CME Group’s new Spot‑Quoted XRP futures and the continued growth of U.S.-listed spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs)—yet XRP’s spot price has remained pinned below $2 as broader crypto sentiment stays cautious. [1]
Below is what’s moving XRP right now, what analysts are watching next, and how the major forecasts since Dec. 15 frame the near-term outlook.
XRP price action today: Why the $2 level still matters
XRP is trading in a tight, high-attention zone where both technical traders and longer-term allocators tend to focus: just below $2.00, a level that has acted as a magnet for liquidity and a line in the sand for momentum.
Wednesday’s price action has been relatively range-bound, with XRP’s intraday low near $1.88 and high near $1.98.
Analysts following XRP’s tape describe a market that’s struggling to rebuild confidence after repeated failures to hold above $2—especially as risk appetite across crypto remains uneven. FXStreet, for example, notes XRP “holding above $1.90” as a near-term support area, while warning that a daily close below that level could open the door to deeper downside targets. [2]
The big headline since Dec. 15: CME launches Spot‑Quoted XRP futures
One of the most important “institutional rails” developments for XRP this week came from CME Group.
On Dec. 15, 2025, CME announced it had launched Spot‑Quoted XRP futures, expanding its crypto derivatives lineup beyond bitcoin and ether. CME said these contracts are designed so investors can trade futures positions “in spot-market terms,” while benefiting from futures mechanics like longer-dated expiries (reducing the need to roll positions frequently). [3]
CME’s Giovanni Vicioso framed the move as a response to demand for smaller, more accessible contracts, pointing to strong activity in the existing spot‑quoted BTC and ETH futures since their June launch. [4]
CME’s own product description emphasizes the positioning: Spot‑Quoted XRP futures “let you trade at the current XRP spot price,” pairing spot-like quoting with the capital efficiency of a futures contract. [5]
Why this matters for XRP
For market structure, the significance is less about a one-day price reaction and more about how XRP can be accessed:
- More regulated venues and instruments can broaden participation (especially for entities that can’t—or won’t—touch spot tokens directly).
- Derivatives can deepen liquidity, but they can also increase short-term volatility by making hedging and leverage easier.
- The impact on spot price is rarely immediate; it often shows up later in volume, open interest, and basis/hedging activity.
CME’s Globex notices also show the rollout was coordinated as a product launch effective for trade date Monday, Dec. 15, alongside related crypto derivatives functionality updates. [6]
Spot XRP ETFs: Inflows keep coming—even while XRP struggles
The other major institutional trend since Dec. 15: spot XRP ETFs continue to attract net inflows, even as XRP’s price stays below $2.
What the data shows
- Cointelegraph reported on Dec. 15 that U.S.-based spot XRP ETFs had recorded 20 consecutive days of inflows, with SoSoValue data cited for cumulative inflows and total assets around the $1.2B level. [7]
- A CoinDesk report republished by MEXC on Dec. 16 said U.S.-listed spot XRP ETFs surpassed $1B in assets, with 30 consecutive trading days of net inflows since launching on Nov. 13, and SoSoValue figures showing total net assets about $1.18B as of Dec. 12 with cumulative net inflows near $975M. [8]
- FXStreet’s Dec. 17 update described continued daily inflows and put cumulative inflow around $1.01B with net assets around $1.16B, also citing SoSoValue. [9]
Those figures aren’t contradictory—ETF “net assets” can shift with both flows and price moves in the underlying. The bigger takeaway is consistency: flows have remained positive through a choppy tape.
Why the ETF inflow streak matters (and why it may not lift price immediately)
One of the more useful ways to interpret ETF flows came from Quantum Economics founder Mati Greenspan, who argued that rapid ETF growth can reflect easier access and compliant structure rather than a sudden change in a token’s fundamentals. [10]
That idea helps explain the current paradox:
- ETFs can accumulate steadily as allocators build positions over weeks or months.
- Spot price can still drift lower if broader market liquidity is thin, traders are deleveraging, or macro sentiment is risk-off.
Derivatives and positioning: Signals suggest traders have pulled back
While ETFs point to steady allocations, short-term trader behavior looks much less supportive.
A Cointelegraph market analysis published within the last day points to three data signals that suggest XRP trader demand has weakened through December—especially on derivatives venues:
- Binance XRP futures “taker buy volume” fell sharply from July highs (Cointelegraph cites CryptoQuant data showing a drop from above $5.8B to about $250M, roughly a 96% decline). [11]
- Estimated leverage metrics declined, consistent with deleveraging and lower speculative risk-taking. [12]
- Cointelegraph also cited order-flow metrics and wallet cohort behavior as broadly negative during December, reinforcing the idea that the market remains defensive. [13]
FXStreet similarly highlights “dwindling retail demand” and notes XRP futures open interest sitting well below prior peaks, reinforcing the view that leveraged participation has cooled. [14]
In short: even with bullish “infrastructure headlines,” the trading layer still looks cautious.
Ripple ecosystem news since Dec. 15: RLUSD goes multichain, and XRP yield pilots emerge
Not all of this week’s XRP news is about price or ETFs. There have also been meaningful ecosystem updates.
Ripple expands RLUSD stablecoin testing to Ethereum L2s via Wormhole
Ripple and Wormhole published coordinated updates describing a plan to expand Ripple USD (RLUSD) to additional networks using Wormhole’s Native Token Transfers (NTT) standard.
- Ripple’s post says testing will begin on Optimism, Base, Ink, and Unichain, ahead of an “official debut next year,” pending regulatory approval. [15]
- Wormhole’s post adds compliance-focused context, including the statement that RLUSD is issued under a New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) trust company charter, and notes Ripple has applied for an OCC charter—positioning RLUSD for potentially broader oversight if approved. [16]
Why XRP holders care: RLUSD’s distribution strategy can affect activity around the Ripple ecosystem (liquidity, payments integrations, DeFi rails), even if it doesn’t translate into immediate XRP spot demand.
SBI Ripple Asia and Doppler Finance sign MOU on XRP yield and tokenization
On Dec. 17, a GlobeNewswire release announced SBI Ripple Asia and Doppler Finance signed an MOU to explore collaboration around XRP-based yield infrastructure and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization on the XRP Ledger. [17]
It’s important to treat this appropriately: it’s a press release about an exploratory agreement, not a finalized product launch. Still, it adds to the theme of the week—attempts to build more “institutional-grade” primitives around the XRP ecosystem.
XRP forecast and price prediction: Key levels analysts are watching
Across the major analyses since Dec. 15, the near-term XRP forecast largely boils down to a range battle around $2, with clearly defined downside and upside markers.
Downside scenarios highlighted by analysts
- FXStreet flags $1.90 as a short-term support area, with $1.82 and $1.61 cited as subsequent demand zones if $1.90 fails on a daily close. [18]
- Cointelegraph’s Dec. 15 analysis similarly maps support below $2, citing $1.78 as a key area and describing $1.61 as an important zone (with deeper downside discussed in the event of breakdown). [19]
- In its broader “price predictions” package dated Dec. 15, Cointelegraph’s XRP section notes XRP below the 20-day EMA and outlines risk toward the $1.61 level if bears maintain control, with additional downside risk if that fails. [20]
What would improve the bullish case?
Analysts generally frame a more constructive setup as requiring XRP to reclaim levels above $2 and then hold them with improving participation.
- Cointelegraph’s Dec. 15 “price predictions” section suggests a stronger signal would be a push above the 50-day SMA (it cites ~$2.21) to indicate strength and shift the tone. [21]
- FXStreet points to resistance near $2.09 and a possible move toward higher moving averages if price can close above key barriers. [22]
The “macro + liquidity” wildcard
Even the best technical levels can get overwhelmed by market-wide factors in December—especially around year-end liquidity, when price moves can become exaggerated. That backdrop is one reason XRP can have strong ETF flow headlines and still struggle in spot.
What to watch next: The XRP checklist for the rest of the week
If you’re trying to follow XRP like a news-driven asset (rather than a long-term narrative), these are the catalysts traders and analysts are likely to track next:
- Daily spot XRP ETF flow prints (does the inflow streak hold, and does the pace accelerate or fade?). [23]
- CME XRP futures traction (early volume, open interest, and whether it becomes a meaningful hedging venue). [24]
- $1.90–$2.00 price behavior (support holds vs. breakdown; repeated rejections vs. clean reclaim). [25]
- Derivatives demand (any reversal in the contraction Cointelegraph highlighted). [26]
- Ecosystem execution (RLUSD multichain testing progress and any concrete product rollouts from yield/tokenization pilots). [27]
References
1. www.cmegroup.com, 2. www.fxstreet.com, 3. www.cmegroup.com, 4. www.cmegroup.com, 5. www.cmegroup.com, 6. www.cmegroup.com, 7. cointelegraph.com, 8. www.mexc.com, 9. www.fxstreet.com, 10. www.mexc.com, 11. cointelegraph.com, 12. cointelegraph.com, 13. cointelegraph.com, 14. www.fxstreet.com, 15. ripple.com, 16. wormhole.com, 17. www.globenewswire.com, 18. www.fxstreet.com, 19. cointelegraph.com, 20. cointelegraph.com, 21. cointelegraph.com, 22. www.fxstreet.com, 23. www.fxstreet.com, 24. www.cmegroup.com, 25. www.fxstreet.com, 26. cointelegraph.com, 27. ripple.com
