Could XRP Be Worth More Than Gold by 2035?

Today, gold's market cap is $35.5 trillion, swelled by a powerful uncertainty-driven rally above $5,100 per ounce. XRP (CRYPTO: XRP), on the other hand, has a market cap of $83 billion. Nonetheless, over the last seven years, XRP's price is up by 328%, whereas gold has only increased by 286%.

Given its stronger performance over that period, and given its prospects for growth, could it be possible for XRP's market cap to flip (overtake) gold's by 2035? Let's walk through what it would take.

Image source: Getty Images.

The calculations paint a clear picture

For XRP to match gold, the coin would need to appreciate roughly 430 times from its current price near $1.35. That's implying that it would reach a price of about $580 per coin, assuming its circulating supply doesn't change. There's quite simply no way for such growth to occur between now and 2035, even under a best-case scenario.

XRP was originally designed to be a bridge currency for processing international money transfers and payments, so let's use its total victory in that domain as an example.

It's estimated that cross-border payment flows could reach a total of $290 trillion annually by 2030. In 2023, when those flows totaled $146 trillion, the actual revenue generated by the infrastructure providers was around $193 billion. Even if Ripple, the company behind XRP, dominated that infrastructure over the coming years, taking a major share of all international transfers, the revenue would be a rounding error next to $35.5 trillion (gold's market cap). That's especially considering that transaction fees on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) are nearly always dramatically lower than legacy money transfer systems.

For reference, the XRPL only generated $461 in chain revenue for the 24-hour period ending at noon on March 9. It's simply nowhere within a few orders of magnitude of where it would need to be to have a clear trajectory for flipping gold.

Gold's tailwinds don't appear to be slowing, either. Central banks have been net buyers of it for years, and plenty of global uncertainty looks primed to continue forcing gold's price even higher.

What XRP can actually become

XRP can still be a good investment to hold from now through 2035, despite its extreme unlikelihood of ever becoming worth more than gold. It's gaining traction with its target users, and its chain is consistently registering more on-chain capital and activity over time.

For example, in February 2026, a major European financial institution with $1.6 trillion in assets was in the process of integrating Ripple's blockchain infrastructure for cross-border payments and custody. As Ripple's efforts continue to attract similar players and their capital to the XRPL, it'll increase demand for the coin and likely drive its price up plenty over time. There aren't any other cryptocurrencies as well-positioned to win with banks and other financial businesses.

So don't lose hope. XRP's future is bright, even if it doesn't have exactly the same glint as gold.

Alex Carchidi 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.