Is XRP Finally a Buy?

The price of XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) is getting dangerously close to the $1 price level. That's usually a signal for crypto investors to head for the hills and seek safety somewhere else.

But I'm willing to take a contrarian view on XRP. At a price of $1, XRP might finally be too cheap to pass up. As a result, I'm ignoring the naysayers and looking to buy if XRP drops below $1.

Image source: Getty Images.

This is not a "dip"

Just to be clear -- this is not about "buying the dip" on XRP. We're way beyond that. XRP is down 40% for the year, and nearly 70% from its 52-week high of $3.65. XRP, quite simply, is in free fall right now, so buying right now is not for the faint of heart.

But it's hard to ignore how cheap XRP has become. In fact, XRP hasn't been this cheap since the end of 2024, when it went on an epic rally. In a matter of weeks, the price of XRP soared past the $3 price level, buoyed by investor euphoria over all things crypto-related.

If new crypto market legislation passes later this year, the same thing could happen again at the end of 2026. XRP, after all, is setting up nicely to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the new Clarity Act.

What's ahead for XRP?

The good news, if you're thinking about investing in XRP, is that Ripple is doing everything in its power to build out new use cases for the XRP token. The company spent nearly $3 billion on crypto- and blockchain-related acquisitions designed to make XRP the centerpiece of an end-to-end blockchain payment system.

Moreover, Ripple is taking steps to make XRP relevant. Given all the brouhaha over quantum computing and its potential implications for blockchain encryption, Ripple is now showcasing efforts to harden the XRP blockchain against the quantum threat.

Best of all, Ripple has completely cleared the deck of any regulatory clouds that had been lingering for years. A long-running SEC case finally settled last year, opening up an entirely new opportunity set for XRP.

For example, new spot XRP ETFs launched late last year. This would have been unthinkable as long as the SEC case against Ripple was still being worked out.

How high can XRP go?

It's up to you to decide whether all this is just a lot of bluster from a failing cryptocurrency or whether this is the type of forward thinking required to catapult XRP higher. I'm in the latter camp. XRP was nearly a $4 cryptocurrency last year, and it's hard to see why it can't make another run at that price level over the coming year.

Just last year, Standard Chartered predicted that XRP would be a $12.50 token by the end of 2028. How much has really changed in the past 12 months? If XRP drops below the $1 mark, it will be a flashing green light to buy.

Dominic Basulto has positions in XRP. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends XRP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.