Reece Merrick, Ripple’s Senior Executive Officer and Managing Director for the Middle East & Africa, outlined a bullish roadmap for XRP this week — and explained why the token could matter more to global finance than many expect. Posting on X on Wednesday, Merrick argued that recent developments around XRP could strengthen market dynamics, attract institutional participation, and ultimately support higher prices as adoption scales. What Merrick said - XRP is increasingly being used as a bridge asset that links traditional finance to emerging digital markets. According to Merrick, XRP is now supporting stablecoins, Real-World Assets (RWAs), and institutional payment flows at scale — moving the token from experimental use cases into practical financial infrastructure. - Growing ETF activity is amplifying institutional interest. Merrick noted that more corporate treasuries are exploring XRP as a reserve asset, indicating adoption is still early but accelerating. - Taken together, these trends — settlement use cases, ETFs, institutional demand, and RWAs — form the foundation for a stronger XRP price outlook as liquidity and real-world utility expand. Context from RippleX Merrick’s comments came in response to a developer-focused thread from RippleX that framed XRP as purpose-built for settlement and liquidity rather than speculation. RippleX described XRP as a neutral bridge for moving value across payment rails, stablecoins, tokenized assets, and collateral worldwide. The team also highlighted XRP’s regulatory clarity in the U.S. and noted it ranks among the top three cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Institutional momentum RippleX and Merrick pointed to concrete signs of institutional uptake: Evernorth has established what RippleX calls the first institutional treasury using XRP, securing over $1 billion in commitments. RippleX also noted support from multiple spot ETF issuers, including Bitwise, Canary Capital, Franklin Templeton, and Grayscale. Price implications Merrick outlined several mechanisms that could lift XRP’s price: - ETFs: Easier institutional exposure via ETF products could drive buying without direct custody hurdles, and some analysts expect a potential supply shock if institutions absorb large portions of available XRP. - Global settlements and institutional adoption: Widespread use for cross-border settlements could rapidly increase demand. - RWAs and stablecoins: New utility-driven demand from tokenized assets and stablecoin infrastructure would add further structural support. Bottom line With XRP trading above $2 amid a rebound, Ripple’s leadership argues the token’s shift into settlement infrastructure and growing institutional engagement could reinforce its momentum. Merrick believes these trends are only beginning — positioning XRP as a central liquidity and settlement layer that could underpin longer-term price appreciation as adoption scales. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news