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Ripple’s eye-popping $1.25 billion acquisition of prime brokerage heavyweight Hidden Road is sending shockwaves through the crypto and finance sectors. As industry observers dissect the deal, one question dominates: what happens if the XRP Ledger (XRPL) becomes the engine behind even a sliver of Hidden Road’s massive transaction volume?
Ripple CTO Hints at a Blockchain Breakthrough
David Schwartz, Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer, emphasized the scale of this strategic move, revealing Hidden Road handles over $10 billion in liquidity and more than 50 million financial transactions daily. Currently, these settlements face slow processing times—sometimes 24 hours or more. Ripple’s blockchain infrastructure could slash this to near-instant speeds via XRPL.
Ripple’s acquisition of Hidden Road is a defining moment for the XRP Ledger and XRP. The prime broker clears upwards of $10B and processes over 50M transactions a day on various traditional rails, waiting up to 24 hours for those transactions to settle. Now imagine even a portion… https://t.co/xiHdyy30Sm
— David "JoelKatz" Schwartz (@JoelKatz) April 8, 2025
Analysts Model XRP Price Scenarios
Crypto analyst Zach Rector explored how XRP might react if 10% to 50% of Hidden Road’s flow is routed through XRPL. Even a modest 10% shift—equal to $1 billion daily—could create an annual transaction volume of $300 billion, once considered an ambitious goal but now within reach.
Rector and other analysts suggest this could fundamentally change XRP’s utility profile. For example, if $100 million in daily settlements require XRP, roughly 50 million XRP tokens would need to circulate daily at a $2 price point.
Utility-Driven Demand Could Shrink Supply
As institutional usage grows, XRP reserves may become a norm, reducing available circulating supply. If institutions hold 5 billion XRP in reserve, liquidity on exchanges would tighten, pushing prices upward.
Also Read: XRP Price Teeters at $2: Crash or Breakout Ahead?
Under such conditions, XRP’s price could jump to $5–$10 with $200 million in daily settlement demand—and even $10–$20+ if that demand rises to $500 million.
While XRP currently trades below $2, Ripple’s Hidden Road acquisition could prove to be a ticking time bomb for the token’s valuation. If XRPL becomes the infrastructure for global brokerage transactions, XRP’s role—and price—could transform drastically.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for general purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. The author’s views are personal and may not reflect the views of Chain Affairs. Before making any investment decisions, you should always conduct your own research. Chain Affairs is not responsible for any financial losses.
I’m your translator between the financial Old World and the new frontier of crypto. After a career demystifying economics and markets, I enjoy elucidating crypto – from investment risks to earth-shaking potential. Let’s explore!
