The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission jointly classified XRP as a commodity on March 17, placing it in the same regulatory bucket as BTC, ETH, Solana, and Cardano. This formal designation gives custodians such as Northern Trust, State Street, and Citi clear rules on how to handle XRP, removing a layer of uncertainty that had kept some institutional players on the sidelines.
Franklin Templeton Goes Live with XRP Spot ETF
Asset manager Franklin Templeton didn't stop at research. It launched the Franklin XRP ETF (XRPZ), granting investors regulated exposure through ordinary brokerage accounts. With $1.6 trillion in assets under management, the firm's decision to create a standalone XRP product signals a shift in perception — from speculative token to functional asset for financial operations. The firm's research team previously stated that XRP is “moving toward Bitcoin and Ethereum-level institutional adoption,” pointing to its role in cross-border payments as the core utility.
On-Chain Data Reveals Growing High-Net-Worth Participation
Santiment data shows the XRP Ledger's address distribution is increasingly institutional: over 5.6 million wallets each hold less than 100 XRP, 2 million wallets hold between 100 and 100,000 XRP, and more than 32,000 wallets hold over 100,000 XRP. The growing count of large wallets suggests that both high-net-worth individuals and institutions are accumulating.
Key Resistance at $1.65: Breakout or Breakdown?
Despite a broader downtrend since October 2025, XRP remains above the multi-year ascending triangle breakout level that was confirmed in November 2024. Analyst CasiTrades notes that XRP is showing a small bounce, but the overall trend still looks weak. “The price keeps hitting a line that’s acting like a ceiling, making it hard to go higher. In the short term, it could rise to around $1.40–$1.41 and then maybe $1.51–$1.55. But if it can’t break above $1.65, the next move could push it down toward $0.87,” she said, advising traders to track those levels and avoid getting caught up in minor volatility.
Regulatory clarity, ETF access, and expanding on-chain participation provide fundamental support. Whether XRP can turn that support into a trend will depend on its ability to decisively break through the $1.65 ceiling.