XRP is holding near $1, but the bigger development is Brad Garlinghouse saying Ripple once seriously weighed shutting down during its SEC fight, and even discussed handing its XRP holdings to shareholders.
- Ripple survival scare: Garlinghouse says liquidation talks were real
- XRP price: still weak in the short term near $1.10
- Bigger debate: regulation, payments growth, and long-term token demand
According to CoinMarketCap, XRP was trading at $1.0997 as of July 12 at 5:05 p.m. ET (21:05 UTC), down 1.37% over the past 24 hours and 3.21% over the past week. Trading volume rose to roughly $732.8 million, which shows active trading rather than sleepy sideways action, but not exactly the kind of demand bulls like to sell as destiny.
XRP’s circulating market capitalization stood near $68.69 billion, or about 3.12% of the total crypto market, according to the same data snapshot. That is still a meaningful footprint for a token that spent years under a legal cloud and a mountain of arguments about whether it was a payment asset, a speculative trade, or a corporate liability with a ticker.
The market’s short-term tone remains weak. Binance Research said XRP’s 4-hour chart continues to reflect a broader downtrend, with the 50-period moving average still sloping lower and the 200-period moving average trending down since July 6. In plain English, those are trend lines that smooth out recent price action over short and longer periods. When both point down, momentum is not your friend.
Binance’s model still leaves room for a modest bounce, projecting about a 5% rise by the end of the week and a possible retest of $1.11. It also suggested XRP could trade around $1.10 to $1.11 into late July and early August.
That is not a roaring comeback. It is more like the market trying not to faceplant again.
A relief bounce is a short-term rebound after a selloff. It is not the same thing as a trend reversal, which needs stronger demand, better sentiment, and usually a catalyst bigger than a few bullish candles on a chart.
Ripple’s near-death moment
The real news is Garlinghouse’s disclosure, reported by CoinDesk, that he and Ripple Labs co-founder Chris Larsen seriously discussed liquidating Ripple during the SEC lawsuit. That scenario reportedly included distributing Ripple’s XRP holdings to shareholders.
That is not casual corporate chatter. That is a company looking at an existential threat and asking whether it should fold the tent before the regulator does it for them.
The SEC sued Ripple in 2020 over whether XRP had been sold as an unregistered security. Garlinghouse said the legal fight cost about $150 million over four years. For a company of Ripple’s size, that is a brutal drag. For a smaller outfit, it would have been a knockout blow.
Judge Analisa Torres later ruled in SEC v. Ripple Labs: The SEC Suffers a Partial Reverse in XRP itself is not a security. That distinction matters. It did not erase every legal question around XRP or every possible issue tied to specific sales, but it did give Ripple and XRP holders something the market desperately wanted at the time: a real legal foothold.
That is why the liquidation disclosure matters so much. It shows how close Ripple came to a genuine corporate break point, and how much XRP’s fate has been tied to Ripple’s survival all along. A token with a corporate backstory is always exposed to corporate risk, whether traders want to admit that or not.
Ripple also carries a long-running supply-overhang concern. The market has often worried that Ripple’s XRP holdings could eventually be sold or distributed in ways that weigh on price. That is one reason the liquidation discussion is so revealing. It highlights how central those holdings were to any backstop plan. If your emergency exit involves the token itself, the token was never just a token.
Why regulation still drives the XRP narrative
Longer-term optimism around XRP still leans heavily on one word: clarity.
A 24/7 Wall St. analysis, republished by AOL, argued that XRP’s next major bull-cycle phase could arrive around 2027, with a possible $3 to $10 range if U.S. regulatory clarity improves. That is a wide range, and it should be treated as a scenario rather than a promise. Still, it reflects a real market belief: XRP tends to do better when the legal fog lifts.
The proposed CLARITY Act keeps coming up because it is meant to define oversight boundaries for digital assets more clearly. In practical terms, that means lawmakers are trying to draw lines between securities, digital commodities, and blockchain systems that are considered mature enough to stand on their own. If you are wondering why crypto people obsess over legislation that sounds like it was named by a committee of compliance officers, that is why.
But proposed legislation is not actual clarity. A bill on paper is not the same as a law on the books. Until there is final action, the market is still left guessing which assets get what treatment and whether the next regulatory interpretation will help or hurt XRP.
That uncertainty is not just annoying. It is expensive. Institutional money hates ambiguity, and crypto has had a front-row seat to that reality for years.
Ripple’s business and XRP’s price are not the same thing
Garlinghouse also said Ripple expects to reach an annualized revenue run rate of roughly $1 billion by the end of 2026, excluding the value of its XRP holdings. An annualized revenue run rate is a projection based on the company’s current pace of business, scaled out over a full year. It is useful, but it is not a guarantee.
That outlook matters because it shows Ripple is no longer just a lawsuit with a logo. The company still has an operating business, and that business can grow even if XRP is stuck in the mud for a while.
But that is also the uncomfortable part for XRP holders. A stronger Ripple does not automatically mean a stronger XRP price. Company revenue, token demand, and market speculation often get mixed together in crypto discourse like they are the same thing. They are not.
Ripple can expand its payments business while XRP remains under pressure. XRP can rally on regulatory optimism even if Ripple’s underlying business is only improving gradually. Crypto loves a clean narrative, but clean narratives are usually how people get sold expensive nonsense.
The forecast circus rolls on
CryptoPotato reported that ChatGPT described 2026 as a difficult year for the broader crypto market and put a more realistic XRP high around $2.50. That is a forecast, not a fact. AI outputs can be interesting for sentiment, but they are still guesses dressed up in polished language.
The same goes for the bigger 2027 bull-cycle talk. A $3 to $10 range may be possible in a favorable regulatory and market environment, but it is still a scenario built on assumptions: better laws, sustained adoption, stronger sentiment, and a market willing to reward XRP beyond its current use case. That is a lot of moving parts for one ticker to carry on its shoulders.
These price targets should not be treated like destiny, because crypto predictions are often just chart astrology with better branding. The useful question is not whether one model says $2.50 or another says $10. The useful question is what would actually have to happen for XRP to justify any of it.
For now, that answer still comes back to three things: Ripple surviving and growing, regulators finally reducing the uncertainty, and XRP proving it has a durable role in payments or settlement rather than just being a tradable narrative with a loyal fan base.
Key questions and straight answers
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Why is XRP still under pressure?
Binance Research said the short-term chart remains in a broader downtrend, with key moving averages still pointing lower. That usually means momentum is weak and rallies can run out of steam fast. -
Did Ripple really consider shutting down?
Yes, according to Ripple to Drop Cross-Appeal Against SEC, Ending Years and Garlinghouse’s comments. He said he and Chris Larsen seriously discussed liquidating Ripple during the SEC fight, including the possibility of distributing XRP holdings to shareholders. -
Why does the CLARITY Act matter for XRP?
Because it could help define how digital assets are classified and overseen in the U.S. If the rules become clearer, XRP could benefit from reduced legal uncertainty, but only if the bill or a similar framework actually becomes law. -
Can Ripple’s revenue growth lift XRP?
It can help sentiment, but it is not a direct price lever. Ripple’s business performance and XRP’s market value are related, but they are not the same metric. -
Are the big price forecasts worth trusting?
Not blindly. The $2.50 2026 estimate and the $3 to $10 2027 range are scenarios, not guarantees. Treat them as commentary, not prophecy.
XRP is sitting between a real business story and a market that still wants proof. Ripple narrowly avoided becoming a cautionary tale, but the token still has to earn its next move the hard way.
Further reading
A few more pieces that add color, context, and a little extra reality check to the XRP debate.
- XRP Holds Near $1 as Ripple CEO Reveals Past Liquidation
- U.S. House Bill 3633 text on digital asset market structure
- XRP market data and price snapshot on CoinMarketCap
- Ripple CEO Garlinghouse: “They Were Afraid of Us” in XRP Suppression Battle
- Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse Weds in Lavish Ceremony After XRP SEC Win
- XRP Surges 8-10% as Ripple CEO Joins CFTC Advisory Committee
