The idea of the possibility of XRP one day acting as the “digital gold” to replace Bitcoin has, of course, been brought up once again, primarily due to the trend of XRP outperforming the latter again.
Presently, the trend is in progress, and the fact is that while XRP has increased by over 11% in the year to date, Bitcoin has merely inched forward.
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What Would Need to Happen to the XRP Price
At the moment, comparing Bitcoin to XRP is like apples to oranges. First, Bitcoin is currently hovering around $90,000, while its market cap stands close to $1.8 trillion, as opposed to $2.10 and $127 billion for XRP, respectively. In other words, the market cap of Bitcoin is over fourteen times larger, to say the least.
For XRP to replace Bitcoin as digital gold, it wouldn’t just need to rally. It would need to surpass Bitcoin’s market cap, assuming Bitcoin stays flat. That would require XRP’s valuation to climb to around $1.85 trillion.
Put another way, that’s a roughly 1,359% increase from current levels. Apply that same growth to the XRP price, and you land near $30.34. That figure often comes up in XRP price prediction discussions, and while some analysts say it’s theoretically possible, it would require a very specific set of conditions.
Can $XRP Replace #Bitcoin as Digital Gold? XRP Must Rise to $30.34 to Turn the Tables.🧵🧵🧵 pic.twitter.com/7U0AbY0uf8
— TheCryptoBasic (@thecryptobasic) January 10, 2026
Why XRP and Bitcoin Are Built for Different Roles
Even if the math works, the bigger question is whether XRP is designed to play the same role as Bitcoin. Bitcoin’s digital gold narrative is built around scarcity and holding. It’s meant to be stored, not used frequently.
XRP works differently. While it does have a fixed supply, Ripple still controls a significant portion through escrow, with regular releases entering the market. That ongoing supply flow makes some investors question how “scarce” XRP really is in practice.
More importantly, XRP’s strength comes from utility. It’s designed to move value, provide liquidity, and support payment systems. Its value increases when it’s used, not when it sits untouched in a wallet.
Read Also: XRP Price Crashing Next? Analysts Warn $2.03 May Fail as Bears Eye $1.65
Where Is the XRP Price Headed Next?
Within the near to medium term, the result appears to depend on the adoption, regulation, and market sentiment rather than the installment of XRP over Bitcoin.
For XRP to truly take Bitcoin’s place as digital gold, the market would need to completely rethink what digital gold means. In a case where XRP is to be a store of value and not a utility token, there has to be a large shift in the perceived value of XRP.
For now, Bitcoin and XRP are playing very different games. XRP can still grow, surprise on performance, and carve out its own role, but replacing Bitcoin as digital gold would take more than a strong rally. It would take a fundamental change in how the market defines value.
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