Here's Why XRP (Ripple) Could Drop Below $1 and Stay There

By Emma Newbery – Mar 12, 2026 at 5:30AM ESTKey PointsXRP has fallen by more than 60% since last summer.Stablecoins undermine XRP's use case in payments and money transfers.Ripple could become a major blockchain player, with or without XRP.Ripple's XRP (XRP +0.71%) has struggled to hold onto the $1.50 price level for much of the past month and now trades for about $1.37 (as of March 11). It has fallen by more than 60% since reaching a record high of $3.65 in July 2025. To some extent, its decline mirrors that of other cryptocurrencies. However, the decline has been more severe -- Bitcoin fell by about 40% during the same period. ExpandCRYPTO: XRPXRPToday's Change(0.71%) $0.01Current Price$1.39Key Data PointsMarket Cap$85BDay's Range$1.37 - $1.4152wk Range$1.14 - $3.65Volume2.4B The token was one of the big winners in last year's crypto boom. Its price was buoyed by speculation about resolving Ripple's long-running lawsuit by the Securities and Exchange Commission and optimism about a pro-crypto administration. That type of surge is common in digital assets, but it doesn't necessarily make XRP a good investment. Image source: Getty Images. What used to set XRP apart was that it also had real-world utility. When it launched in 2012, it promised to act as a bridge currency and ease friction and bypass intermediaries in global payments and money transfers. Unfortunately, that concept no longer has the same potential. Stablecoins can do the same job, and they don't have XRP's volatility.As investors continue to be wary of risk, utility has never been more important. I think XRP's unclear use case could drive it below $1. If it does, there are no guarantees it will recover. Ripple is growing, but XRP's utility is declining Ripple, the company behind XRP, is expanding. It has pursued a string of acquisitions, including stablecoin, custody, and corporate treasury management firms in the past year. These will help the company, particularly Ripple Payments, to serve the growing number of financial institutions as they adapt to stablecoins and blockchain solutions. There's certainly appetite for the former. Research by The Motley Fool shows that more than 50% of consumers would be willing to pay with stablecoins. However, don't conflate Ripple's development with demand for XRP. Ripple is a private company and the only reason its progress benefits XRP is if the coin is central to the services it provides. It isn't. For example, some financial institutions use Ripple Custody, a platform with bank-level security to store and manage digital assets. The coin does not necessarily benefit. The company announced a partnership to issue and manage tokenized funds with Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of U.K.-based Aviva and stablecoin settlement deals with Mastercard and Gemini. The XRP Ledger underpins these services, but XRP is not essential. In October, Ripple announced that major non-profits such as Water.org, GiveDirectly, and Mercy Corps would use Ripple Payments. But the aid organizations will use Ripple's U.S. dollar-denominated stablecoin, RLUSD (RLUSD +0.00%), not XRP to move money around. XRP gets used for blockchain fees, which are declining even as the company expands. XRP Ledger is way behind on stablecoins On the topic of stablecoins, it's worth noting that Ripple is only one of several players in the stablecoin sector. Right now, it isn't doing very well. There are only $415 million worth of stablecoins on the XRP Ledger, compared with more than $160 billion on Ethereum and almost $16 billion on Solana. XRP does have a loyal community and is part of a growing ecosystem. However, its questionable utility could drag it down further, particularly as geopolitical turmoil reduces investor appetite for risk. To thrive, the token needs to be at the heart of Ripple's activities, not an add-on.Read NextMar 11, 2026 •By Alex CarchidiIs It Smarter to Buy XRP or Precious Metals With $500 Right Now?Mar 11, 2026 •By Alex CarchidiBetter Cryptocurrency to Buy With $500 And Hold For 3 Years: XRP vs. DogecoinMar 10, 2026 •By Alex CarchidiCould Solana Flip XRP in 3 Years?Mar 8, 2026 •By Alex CarchidiCan XRP Climb to $100?Mar 6, 2026 •By Alex CarchidiBetter Cryptocurrency to Buy With $1,000 and Hold for 3 Years: XRP vs. DOGEMar 6, 2026 •By Alex CarchidiShould You Buy XRP With $1,000, or Zcash (ZEC)?About the AuthorEmma Newberry is a contributing Motley Fool cryptocurrency analyst covering digital currencies and blockchain trends. She previously wrote for Motley Fool Money (formerly The Ascent) on personal finance, investing, retirement readiness, and crypto. Earlier in her career, Emma founded an English-language newspaper in Colombia and contributed to Olympic city bid campaigns. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature with creative writing from the University of East Anglia in the UK.TMFemmanewberyStocks MentionedXRPCRYPTO: XRP$1.39(+0.71%)+$0.01MastercardNYSE: MA$504.27(-2.03%)-$10.45Aviva PlcLSE: AV.$624.40(-0.51%)-$3.20Aviva PlcOTC: AVVIY$17.06(+1.07%)+$0.18BitcoinCRYPTO: BTC$70,314.00(+1.49%)+$1,033.73EthereumCRYPTO: ETH$2,068.16(+2.27%)+$45.87SolanaCRYPTO: SOL$87.15(+2.36%)+$2.01Ripple USDCRYPTO: RLUSD$1.00(-0.00%)-$0.00Gemini Space StationNASDAQ: GEMI$8.64(-6.80%)-$0.63*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.