Ripple keeps adding partnerships and expanding its business, but $XRP itself is not seeing the same level of progress yet.
Arthur, CIO of Royal Peak Capital, highlighted this observation in a tweet, expressing frustration with the current state of the $XRP ecosystem.
He pointed to Ripple’s growing global presence, including new bank partnerships in South Korea and expansion in treasury deals. In his words, the company is “killing it on the enterprise side.”
Key Points
- Ripple expands global deals, but $XRP adoption and on-chain utility still lag behind enterprise growth.
- Investor Arthur highlights a gap between Ripple’s bank partnerships and $XRP’s real-world usage.
- $XRP has fallen over 60% since mid-2025, now trading near $1.38 despite ongoing Ripple expansion.
- Debate continues as industry leaders cite rising XRPL activity, while critics question $XRP’s direct value capture.
Where’s $XRP in All of This?
Arthur highlighted a concern shared by many holders: the perceived disconnect between Ripple’s progress and $XRP’s direct adoption.
According to Arthur, while Ripple continues to make headlines, there is still limited visible growth in real utility, transaction volume, and integration specifically tied to $XRP and the $XRP Ledger.
Meanwhile, he maintains confidence in the long-term vision. Yet, he noted that investors are increasingly looking for tangible signs that the token itself is advancing alongside the company behind it.
Notably, the frustration for $XRP holders follows the coin’s discouraging price performance since mid-2025. During this period, it has lost over 60% of its value. It now trades at $1.38 with very limited signs of improvement.
However, while $XRP’s price has lagged, Ripple continues to close major deals.
Focus Shifts to XRPL Las Vegas Event
Meanwhile, attention is now turning to the upcoming XRPLasVegas 2026. Notably, $XRP holders have high expectations for $XRP-focused announcements from Ripple.
Arthur expressed hope that the event could serve as a turning point, with potential updates that directly impact $XRP usage rather than just Ripple’s enterprise products.
Long-Standing Debate Around $XRP Price Drivers
The conversation also drew a response from crypto attorney Bill Morgan, who argued that this “gap” is not new.
He explained that $XRP’s price has historically shown little direct correlation with Ripple’s announcements. Referencing the now-concluded SEC v. Ripple case, Morgan noted that attempts by regulators to prove that Ripple’s announcements drove $XRP’s price increases ultimately failed to influence the court’s decision.
This outcome aligns with the widely held view that $XRP tends to follow Bitcoin’s movements rather than react directly to Ripple-specific developments.
There has always been a gap between $XRP price action and Ripple announcements, otherwise Ripple probably would have totally lost the SEC v Ripple case. Remember one of the SEC experts tried to prove ripple announcements caused $XRP price to rise but that evidence went nowhere and… https://t.co/RNapUrNSQq
— bill morgan (@Belisarius2020) April 27, 2026
Cardano Founder’s View
Meanwhile, the ongoing discussion highlights talking points critics have raised for some time. Last week, Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano, argued that value generated in the Ripple ecosystem flows primarily to the company rather than token holders.
He claims $XRP lacks built-in mechanisms like staking or revenue rights that would create direct buy pressure or long-term holder rewards.
According to him, $XRP holders have no legal claim on Ripple’s business, assets, or profits. Comparing the model to Tether, Hoskinson argued that value accrues mainly to the issuing company, not token holders.
Ripple Exec Clarifies the “Gap”
On the other hand, Ripple SVP Markus Infanger recently said there is no real disconnect between $XRP’s price and its underlying demand. He insists its utility is steadily expanding.
He noted that $XRP is increasingly used in payments, collateral transfers, and tokenized real-world assets on the $XRP Ledger, with tokenization volume rising from $100–200M to over $2B.
Infanger also pointed to $XRP ETFs as a boost to liquidity and efficiency, saying speculation and utility are evolving together rather than conflicting. On stablecoins like RLUSD, he said they complement $XRP, expanding liquidity and use cases across the ecosystem.
He added that Ripple’s growth in regions like Japan is part of the move toward regulated, utility-driven crypto adoption. To Infanger, the perceived “gap” is part of a market transition.
Alternate View
Given the ongoing divide, some commentators have suggested $XRP holders may be better off investing in Ripple directly. In response to this view, Arthur expressed hope that in the coming years, Ripple could place more focus on XRPL.
I hope they will be more involved with $XRP and XRPL integration the next years. No doubt Ripple will become a giant company but right now there is no impact on $XRP adoption
— Arthur (@XrpArthur) April 27, 2026
