Is XRP the Best Crypto You Can Buy Right Now?

XRP (CRYPTO: XRP), the native token of the XRP Ledger, has declined more than 60% over the past 12 months. It lost its luster as fears of interest rate hikes, regulatory headwinds, and competition from stablecoins drove investors toward more conservative investments.

Does that pullback make XRP one of the best cryptocurrencies to buy right now? Or will it sink even lower as it fails to resolve its most pressing issues?

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The bulls vs. the bears

The founders of Ripple, a provider of blockchain-based money transfers, launched XRP in 2012. They minted XRP's entire supply of 100 billion tokens before its market debut. By early 2018, XRP reached a record high of $3.84 per token. Today, it trades at about $1.

XRP is mainly used as a bridge currency for fiat currencies on Ripple. That process was much faster and cheaper than conventional SWIFT transfers.

XRP's biggest challenge was a lawsuit from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which was triggered in 2020 by Ripple's sales of XRP tokens to fund its own business. The SEC accused Ripple of selling XRP as an unlicensed security, and that clash led the top cryptocurrency exchanges to delist XRP. Ripple also lost several of its top customers. That lawsuit finally concluded in 2025 with a lighter-than-expected fine against Ripple, and a ruling that XRP wasn't an unlicensed security when sold to retail investors.

The top crypto exchanges subsequently relisted XRP, the SEC approved its first spot price exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) even conditionally approved Ripple's application for a U.S. banking license. It was also used in pilots in Japan and Southeast Asia to settle cross-border transactions at cheaper rates than SWIFT transfers.

Those tailwinds lifted XRP to a seven-year high of $3.65 per token last July. Unfortunately, expectations of interest rate hikes, the stagnation of the CLARITY Act (which would provide XRP with greater regulatory clarity), and competition from stablecoins -- which can enable cross-border transfers with minimal volatility -- have made XRP a less compelling crypto investment over the past year.

Is XRP the best crypto you can buy today?

XRP isn't down for the count yet, but it won't bounce back until those headwinds dissipate. The bulls can argue that its interest rate and regulatory challenges are temporary, but the rise of stablecoins could pose an existential threat. Therefore, I'd keep an eye on XRP at these levels -- but I wouldn't jump the gun and declare it the "best" token you can buy today as the crypto winter continues.

Leo Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends XRP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.