XRP gained 46% over one week while Bitcoin rose about 21%, a move analyst Mickle linked to a new wave of institutional buyers. Separately, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said the company expects revenue to more than double year over year, crediting its institutional and infrastructure focus rather than retail trading activity.
XRP outpaces Bitcoin in a single week
XRP rose 46% versus Bitcoin's roughly 21% gain over one trading week, reviving debate over whether the token has entered a new phase of its market cycle. Analyst Mickle said the move looks less driven by retail speculation and more by sophisticated capital seeking real-world utility.
Mickle described crypto's earlier cycles as speculative first, then centered on DeFi projects that proved less durable than expected, with Ethereum's total value still below its 2021 peak. He said the current phase is instead shaped by large, licensed allocators drawn to the technology's utility rather than short-term price swings, a shift he argued plays to XRP's strengths as institutions look past inefficiencies in existing payment infrastructure.
Regulatory footprint underpins the case
The analyst pointed to Ripple's licensing coverage across more than 70 jurisdictions, alongside the company's continued push to integrate with traditional financial infrastructure under a regulatory-first approach, as reasons XRP may be positioned ahead of the next market cycle. He also noted that the typical XRP investor is generally between 35 and 60 years old and tends to have prior experience across other asset classes and to have lived through earlier market cycles, a profile he linked to more deliberate, thesis-driven decisions rather than short-term speculation.
Coinpedia's report cautions that the 46% weekly gain reflects a single trading week and should not be read as an established trend.
Garlinghouse ties growth to institutional focus
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said the company's early, somewhat controversial focus on bridging traditional finance and decentralized finance has become one of its core strengths as institutional adoption reshapes the sector. He said Ripple is on track for a record year and expects revenue to more than double year over year, a result he attributed to the company's institutional and infrastructure-focused business model rather than retail trading activity.
Garlinghouse contrasted that model with retail-dependent crypto companies, saying a 50% price decline translates into a roughly equivalent revenue decline for firms tied directly to asset prices, a dynamic he said has driven layoffs and pushed some exchanges to shut down during the current bear market. He also credited Kraken for a similar institutional pivot, though he noted the exchange remains private and does not disclose all financial details.
Sources: Coinpedia Fintech News, Coinpedia Fintech News
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