Is XRP a Millionaire-Maker? Here's What Has to Go Right

This little cryptocurrency has a lot to prove.If you invested $10,000 in XRP (XRP 0.95%), the native token of the XRP Ledger, on its earliest trade at $0.006 in 2013, you'd have $2.35 million today. But could this volatile altcoin churn out even more millionaire-making gains from a fresh $10,000 investment today? XRP overcame its biggest challenges The founders of Ripple Labs, a fintech company specializing its blockchain-based payments, created XRP in 2012. They pre-minted its entire supply of 100 billion tokens before its launch, and it can't be mined like Bitcoin (BTC +0.89%) or staked like Ethereum (ETH +0.18%). Image source: Getty Images. XRP was primarily used as a "bridge currency" on Ripple, enabling the direct conversion of two fiat currencies into XRP to expedite cross-border transfers. It claimed this approach was cheaper, faster, and more secure than conventional SWIFT transfers. But in 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Ripple for selling its own XRP holdings to raise capital. The SEC argued that Ripple was selling unregistered securities, and it lost several of its top customers as the top crypto exchanges delisted XRP. Last August, the SEC lawsuit concluded with a lighter-than-expected fine for Ripple, and the judge ruled that XRP wasn't an unregistered security when sold to retail investors on public exchanges. As those regulatory headwinds dissipated, the top crypto exchanges relisted XRP. The SEC also cleared its first spot price ETFs for trading in late 2025. ExpandCRYPTO: XRPXRPToday's Change(-0.95%) $-0.01Current Price$1.41Key Data PointsMarket Cap$86BDay's Range$1.39 - $1.4352wk Range$1.14 - $3.65Volume2.4B But does XRP have enough long-term catalysts? XRP became more appealing after the SEC backed off, but its critics say it lacks sufficient long-term catalysts to propel it higher. The first significant problem is the rise of stablecoins, including Ripple's own Ripple USD (RLUSD +0.00%), which are pegged to the U.S dollar. Stablecoins can be directly used to settle cross-border fiat currency transactions without using XRP as a bridge currency. Another issue is that XRP isn't useful for developers. The XRP Ledger doesn't natively support smart contracts, which are used to develop decentralized apps and other crypto assets. It recently added Ethereum-compatible sidechains to its ledger to support more applications, but it won't ever become a major developer platform like Ethereum or Solana (SOL +0.66%). On the bright side, Ripple's application for a U.S. bank charter and its potential expansion into a broader financial services platform could support the usage of XRP for more transactions. Its new ETFs could also attract more institutional investors once the crypto winter finally ends. However, it would be tough for XRP to turn $10,000 into $1,000,000 again. That 9,900% gain would boost its market cap to $8.5 trillion, compared to Bitcoin's current valuation of $1.3 trillion. I personally don't think that will happen, but if XRP overcomes its most significant challenges and throws more irons into the fire, it might still deliver multibagger gains over the next few years.Read NextFeb 17, 2026 •By Alex CarchidiGot $2,000? Here Are 2 More Reasons to Be Bullish About XRP.Feb 16, 2026 •By Alex CarchidiThis Key XRP Metric Just Posted 920% Growth in Just 30 Days.

Should You Buy It Right Now?Feb 16, 2026 •By Johnny RiceWhere Will the Cryptocurrency XRP Be in 5 Years?Feb 16, 2026 •By Alex Carchidi3 Big New Reasons to Be Bullish About XRP (Ripple) in 2026 and BeyondFeb 16, 2026 •By Alex CarchidiThis Huge New Opportunity Could Send XRP's Price Soaring Past $2Feb 15, 2026 •By Adam SpataccoIs XRP Headed to $1?About the AuthorLeo Sun is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst who has worked with the company since 2013, covering technology, consumer goods, industrial, and financial sectors. He became a self-made millionaire by age 40 through long-term investing, crediting lessons from Warren Buffett and Peter Lynch. Leo is a regular guest on CNBC Asia providing stock analysis on Chinese technology companies, including Tencent, Baidu, and Alibaba. He previously wrote for InvestorGuide and holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin.TMFSunLionX@TMFSunLionStocks MentionedXRPCRYPTO: XRP$1.41 (0.95%) $0.01BitcoinCRYPTO: BTC$67020.00 (+0.89%) $+589.04EthereumCRYPTO: ETH$1948.15 (+0.18%) $+3.57SolanaCRYPTO: SOL$82.02 (+0.66%) $+0.54Ripple USDCRYPTO: RLUSD$1.00 (+0.00%) $+0.00*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.