XRP has spent years caught between promise and pause. Utility exists, and infrastructure is already in place, yet price action has often appeared restrained. Ripple securing a banking license would not be a cosmetic change, even though the company has so far received only conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Such a step could reshape how XRP fits into global finance and, over time, what that shift might mean for XRP price.
TheCryptoBasic explored this scenario by examining how Ripple obtaining a banking license could influence the long term valuation framework of the XRP token rather than its short term market behavior.
What you'll learn 👉
XRP Price Has Long Been Driven by Utility Rather Than Speculation
XRP price has historically been linked more closely to usefulness than to hype cycles or short-term excitement. Ripple has spent years building infrastructure focused on payments, liquidity management, and settlement efficiency, and that foundation matters because sustained value expansion usually follows real world adoption.
TheCryptoBasic emphasized regulatory clarity as a central factor in this discussion. Banking status would not be symbolic. Approval would signal that Ripple operates fully within traditional financial rails rather than alongside them. Markets often begin to reprice assets once regulatory uncertainty fades and long term operating conditions become clearer.
Ripple price discussion therefore shifts away from technical patterns and toward structural change, since a banking license could alter how institutions view XRP, moving it closer to a settlement asset than a speculative instrument.
A Ripple Banking License Could Alter How XRP Is Perceived
Ripple submitted an application to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in July 2025 to establish Ripple National Trust Bank. While the approval granted so far is conditional, full authorization would place Ripple directly inside the US banking framework.
For context, in July 2025, Ripple sent a formal application to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to create Ripple National Trust Bank as a brand-new national trust bank. At the same time, the company asked the Federal Reserve for a master account, which would give it… pic.twitter.com/By1RVInyNN
— TheCryptoBasic (@thecryptobasic) December 12, 2025
That distinction matters because institutional trust remains central to adoption. Banks, funds, and payment providers often avoid assets that lack clear compliance pathways. A banking charter would address many of those concerns in a single move by anchoring Ripple within a familiar regulatory structure.
TheCryptoBasic also highlighted discussion around Ripple’s XRP holdings. Ripple currently controls more than 30% of the total XRP supply when escrow balances are included. Brad Kimes of Digital Perspectives previously argued that holdings might need to fall below 20% under certain regulatory interpretations.
Kimes later suggested that banking status could subject Ripple to a different regulatory treatment. That interpretation remains speculative and has not been confirmed by regulators, who have not stated that banking approval would alter ownership thresholds. Even so, the possibility introduces new valuation frameworks that were previously not part of the XRP conversation.
How Ripple Price Could Respond If Regulatory Barriers Ease
Ripple price reaching $50 may sound aggressive at first glance, yet context changes how that figure is viewed. A Google Gemini assessment referenced by TheCryptoBasic tied that level to extreme bullish conditions rather than a base case outcome.
The reasoning centered on institutional demand rather than retail speculation. A banking license combined with potential access to Federal Reserve systems would represent an unusually high level of acceptance for a crypto-focused payments company. Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity system could then see broader use as a partial replacement for the global Nostro and Vostro account structure.
That infrastructure relies directly on XRP for settlement. Under such a model, demand growth would be driven by usage rather than trading sentiment. Liquidity could tighten as settlement volumes expand beyond current norms, forcing the market to reprice XRP based on function rather than narrative.
In that context, XRP price reflects its role in global payments infrastructure rather than short-term trading dynamics, making figures like $50 theoretical outputs of structural demand interacting with a limited circulating supply.
XRP’s Place in Ripple’s Long-Term Strategy
Ripple’s strategy has consistently focused on building financial infrastructure rather than becoming a consumer-facing brand. A banking license aligns with that approach by enabling direct custody of reserves and continuous issuance of RLUSD without reliance on intermediaries.
XRP functions as a bridge asset within that system, meaning Ripple price movement becomes more closely tied to how often XRP is used rather than how frequently it is discussed. TheCryptoBasic underscored this distinction by framing a banking license as a catalyst for adoption rather than a guarantee of price appreciation.
Regulatory approval alone does not create value. Adoption, transaction volume, and integration must follow before markets adjust expectations, as usage ultimately carries more weight than announcements.
Read Also: Ripple Announces a New Partnership With a European Bank
XRP Price Outlook Remains Open but Anchored in Structure
XRP price reaching $50 remains speculative and depends on several factors aligning, including full banking license approval, regulatory interpretation of token holdings, institutional adoption of Ripple’s infrastructure, and liquidity conditions within XRP markets.
TheCryptoBasic grounded the discussion in structure rather than noise. Banking status would not instantly change XRP value, but it would change the rules under which XRP operates.
Ripple securing a banking license would move XRP closer to the core of the financial system rather than leaving it on the margins, and that shift could redefine how the market evaluates its long term role.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for daily crypto updates, market insights, and expert analysis.
