XRP gained 42% in the past week, after rallying close to 1% on Friday. The altcoin hit a new all-time high, with the 24-hour trade volume leaving Ethereum (ETH) to bite the dust on Thursday. The token could extend its streak in the coming days following President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. 

XRP could extend rally alongside Bitcoin 

XRP rallied over 40% in the past week. Bitcoin (BTC), the largest cryptocurrency recovered from its flashcrash under $90,000 and made a comeback above $104,000 on Friday. The native token of the XRPLedger is rallying alongside the top crypto. 

Trump’s upcoming inauguration is one of the leading catalysts, alongside optimism on crypto regulation, pro-crypto policy and a new approach by financial regulatory agencies in the U.S.

XRP could gain further, entering price discovery next week. 

XRP trades at $3.26 at the time of publication. 

On-chain indicators support gains 

XRP’s on-chain indicators support a bullish thesis for the altcoin. The total funding rate metric is positive, greater than one throughout January 2025. The count of active addresses recorded a large spike on Thursday, Jan. 16. 

The on-chain indicators on Santiment are conducive to further gains in XRP in the coming week.

The supply distribution metric on Santiment shows an increase in XRP token supply held by wallets that own 10,000 to 100,000, 1 million to 10 million and 100 million and above XRP tokens. The three classes of holders have accumulated the altcoin, even as the price climbs. This is indicative of a likely XRP price increase in the future. 

Market movers and Ripple lawsuit

Monday’s inauguration is the largest market mover in crypto. But RippleNet’s rising adoption among institutions, the developments in RLUSD stablecoin and the SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple are the three key market movers influencing the altcoin’s price. 

Even as the U.S. financial regulator filed an appeal against Ripple on Jan. 15, the altcoin continued its rally undeterred. The July 2023 ruling by Judge Analisa Torres that classified secondary sales of XRP as non-securities is being challenged and the SEC is seeking to have those retail sales classified as unregistered securities sales. 

Ryan Lee, chief analyst at Bitget Research, told crypto.news in an exclusive interview:

“XRP’s surge can be attributed to favorable outcomes in Ripple’s SEC lawsuit and a more crypto-friendly political climate in the US. If regulatory uncertainties are resolved, the influx of institutional investors could further solidify XRP’s position in the crypto market.”

It remains to be seen whether the Trump administration will support pro-crypto regulation and whether it influences the outcome of lawsuits against firms like Ripple Labs. 

Technical analysis and XRP price forecast

XRP is hovering close to its all-time high at $3.40. At the time of writing, XRP traded at $3.2385. A 22% price rally could push XRP into price discovery, at the 141.4% Fibonacci retracement level of the climb from the $1.9054 low to the $3.4000 peak. 

The technical indicators, RSI and MACD support a bullish thesis for XRP. MACD flashes consecutive green histogram bars. Traders need to keep their eyes peeled as RSI signals that the token is currently overbought or overvalued, as it reads 83. 

In the event of a correction, XRP could find support at the 50% Fibonacci retracement level at $2.6977. 

James Toledano, COO at Unity Wallet, told crypto.news in an exclusive interview:

“Given that XRP was stuck at around $0.50 for literally 3 years, its recent breakout momentum reflects new levels of investor optimism around regulatory clarity and the potential approval of an XRP ETF in the following months. If the XRP ETF gets approved, it will have the potential to open the floodgates of capital inflow, meaning it could reach new heights in 2025.”

Toledano warns XRP holders to be wary as altcoins take volatility to the next level in the current market cycle. 

He said:

“Altcoin ETFs have genuine potential to attract capital, especially if supported by innovation-friendly policies with the new incoming U.S. administration. But, their success may be less consistent compared to Bitcoin ETFs due to the seemingly episodic nature of interest in altcoins.

Just take a look at fluctuations in Bitcoin’s price this week. The factors are multifaceted; we could say it’s Trump, seasonality, geopolitics, macroeconomics and sentiment all blended together. To play devil’s advocate, we humans are pattern seekers but sometimes there are hidden drivers and the cause and effects are not always linked.”

Hunter Horsley links corporate power consolidation to crypto demand.

The CEO of Bitwise Asset Management, Hunter Horsley, has suggested that the economic policies of the Trump administration could have a major impact on the cryptocurrency sector.

In a recent tweet, Horsley noted that the potential deregulation of mergers and acquisitions could allow major companies like Google or Amazon to expand even further through strategic acquisitions. M&As refer to the consolidation of companies, either through the merging of businesses or the purchase of one company by another. This process often helps corporations achieve economies of scale, expand market share, or acquire critical assets.

Horsley argued that this concentration of power could drive the adoption of decentralized systems, aligning with the core tenet of cryptocurrency: the skepticism toward centralized organizations. He believes that as large corporations gain more control, the demand for cryptocurrencies—designed to offer an alternative to such institutions—could grow.

Corporate behemoths like Google and Amazon are becoming increasingly interested in blockchain technology and digital assets as they look for ways to enter the crypto markets. One example of a blockchain-related service that Amazon Web Services has introduced is Amazon Managed Blockchain, which enables companies to create and oversee scalable blockchain networks. With this action, Amazon establishes itself as a major force in the expanding enterprise blockchain market.

By establishing strategic alliances with prominent blockchain initiatives and participating in campaigns to incorporate blockchain technology into its cloud infrastructure, Google has also increased its presence in the cryptocurrency sector. Blockchain-as-a-service is now available on Google Cloud, allowing companies to create and implement decentralized apps.

These initiatives demonstrate how major companies are using blockchain technology to diversify their business models while leveraging traditional M&As to expand their reach, thereby further driving the adoption of decentralized systems.

Horsley’s statement comes amid a major rebound in the cryptocurrency market, following Donald Trump’s recent re-election. Trump’s victory has been welcomed by many in the cryptocurrency industry, given his pro-business stance and policies that are seen as supportive of digital assets and blockchain technology. These policies have fueled a bullish trend in the market, with experts attributing much of the surge to a more favorable regulatory approach under Trump’s administration.

Since Trump’s election win, the cryptocurrency market has seen notable growth, with the biggest example being Bitcoin which surged from approximately $69,000 on Nov. 8, 2024, to over $100,000 in early December.

This increase has been largely driven by political shifts and the anticipation of loosened regulations, which experts believe will create a more conducive environment for digital assets.

Experts also believe this rise is driven by the political shift and the potential loosening of regulations, which may create a more favorable environment for digital assets.

Horsley is the CEO of Bitwise, an investment firm that has exclusively focused on cryptocurrency investments for the past seven years. The company offers a range of products including crypto-focused funds, ETFs, and others, designed to provide investors exposure to the crypto and Web3 markets.

According to Horsley, the influence of major market players—along with regulatory changes—could shape the future of both digital assets and traditional financial systems in 2025, making this an exciting time for both M&A activity and the cryptocurrency sector.

Cryptocurrencies remained on edge last week as Bitcoin struggled to move above the key resistance at $100,000. 

The recent gains could accelerate this week as investors move back to the office after the Christmas and New Year break and as Donald Trump’s inauguration nears. So, here are some of the top cryptocurrencies to watch this week, including Ethereum Name Service, Aptos, and Flare.

Ethereum Name Service

Ethereum Name Service (ENS) — the biggest domain registrar in the crypto industry — isone of the top cryptos to watch this week. The network will unlock 1.46 million ENS tokens valued at over $52.79 million to contributors and the community. These unlocks are part of the monthly releases that will go on until November this year.

The ENS price soared to a high of $50.5 in December and then retreated by about 28% to a low of $30.47. That was a notable level since it was the highest swing in March last year. It has remained above the 50-day and 100-day Exponential Moving Averages.

Ethereum Name Service token’s outlook is bullish because it remains above key averages and has formed a break-and-retest pattern. If this pattern continues, the next point to watch will be its 2024 high of $50.50.

Flare 

Flare (FLR), a popular Ethereum Virtual Machine, will be another crypto to watch as it unlocks tokens worth $47.6 million. These tokens will be notable because they will represent about 3.2% of the float. 

The daily chart shows that the Flare token has formed a combination of a falling wedge pattern and a bullish flag. A wedge comprises two falling and converging trendlines, which are nearing their confluence level. 

Flare is also supported by the 50-day moving average. Therefore, it will likely rebound, and possibly retest the important resistance at $0.0325, its highest level on June 5.

Aptos

Aptos (APT) is another coin to watch this week as it conducts its monthly token unlocks.

The native token of the Aptos blockchain will release 11.31 million tokens, which will be allocated to the community, core contributors, investors, and the foundation. Aptos will continue with these monthly unlocks until September 2032.

The Aptos network is doing well. Its locked value has risen to over $1.07 billion, and its stablecoins valuation moved to $646 million. Some of the top players in the ecosystem are Aries Markets, Echo Protocol, Thala, and Echelon Market. 

On the daily chart, the APT token has rebounded in the past few days after forming a falling wedge pattern. It has retested the key support at $10 and is above the ascending trendline connecting the lowest swings since Aug. 5.

Therefore, the coin will maintain its uptrend if it is above the ascending trendline.