The macro environment for all digital assets has remained shaky in recent weeks.
Despite this backdrop, the developer team behind XRP has made some notable improvements worth considering.
Here's why I think XRP is a top-5 cryptocurrency worth keeping an eye on right now.
With amplified volatility in the cryptocurrency market this week, it should be no surprise to see top tokens like XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) swinging wildly. That's once again the case, with today's big 24-hour move taking place between 7:00 a.m. ET yesterday and today, during which XRP saw a nice move of more than 6% over this time frame.
Now slightly down over the past 24 hours (alongside the broader sector), investors may want to look under the hood to see whether XRP's recent upside momentum is worth legging into, or if this sustained macro downturn in risk assets is enough of a reason to sell.
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Here's why I think things aren't looking so bad for XRP investors under the hood.
Source: Getty Images.
Few readers will need to be reminded of the extreme uncertainty facing investors right now, particularly in the world of geopolitics. With Venezuela now in the rearview mirror, and investors forced to shift their focus to the Middle East and Ecuador (didn't see that one coming), rising commodity prices and currency swings are making life difficult for traders and investors looking to build their discounted cash flow models.
In the cryptocurrency sector, one underpinned by fewer fundamentals, the underlying sentiment shift resulting from these actions has driven capital mostly out of the crypto sector of late. That said, one of the more notable developments for XRP has been recent spot ETF launches from the likes of Bitwise and Grayscale, which have provided capital inflows. That's a big positive factor driving this morning's move higher, in my view.
Additionally, growth in active wallets and broader liquidity improvements late last year led to improvements in the order book, which I've seen carry over to a degree in Q1 of 2026. I'll be keeping an eye on XRP's fundamentals, but for now, the value RippleNet provides through enterprise tools like escrow and payment channels is worth paying attention to. This is a crypto project with notable network effects which are difficult to replicate. I'm still bullish on XRP despite this backdrop and will consider adding a position if its price action deteriorates further from here.
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Chris MacDonald 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.