XRP Posts an 89% Surge Over the Past Year While Bitcoin, Ether, and the CD20 Index Lag With Mild Performance

XRP continues to stand out in an otherwise subdued crypto market, maintaining an impressive 89% gain over the past 12 months despite experiencing recent price weakness.

A broad market pullback has dragged bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH), and key CoinDesk indices into lackluster or negative territory on a 365-day view — a downturn that XRP has notably avoided. Data shows XRP up 89% year-over-year, dramatically outperforming bitcoin and the CoinDesk 20 (CD20) Index, which each recorded only 3.6% growth.

The CoinDesk 5 Index (CD5) rose slightly above 2% during the same period, while ether managed a marginal 2% uptick. Other major altcoins were hit far harder: solana (SOL) and cardano (ADA) both slumped more than 36%, and the CoinDesk Meme Index delivered the weakest return with a steep 78% plunge, highlighting the sharp sell-off in high-risk tokens.

XRP also holds the distinction of being the only major crypto asset in positive territory for the year to date.

Its strength is even more striking given that the token is still trading 36% below the record high of over $3.60 set just four months ago. Bitcoin, meanwhile, has fallen 24% since topping $126,000 on Oct. 8.

A combination of regulatory clarity and ecosystem expansion has fueled XRP’s outperformance. The conclusion of the SEC’s high-profile case against Ripple — the company utilizing XRP for cross-border transfers — lifted a long-standing cloud over the token’s U.S. outlook. With the legal uncertainty removed, institutional engagement has increased sharply, marking a pivotal shift for XRP’s adoption trajectory.

Innovation within the XRPL ecosystem has further supported the asset. Ripple’s launch of the XRPL EVM sidechain, along with the rapid ascent of its RLUSD stablecoin — which reached a $1 billion market cap within a year of its December 2024 launch — has broadened XRP’s role from payments into decentralized finance.

Strategic moves such as Ripple’s expansion into the Middle East and its application for a U.S. banking license have bolstered sentiment as well. Last week’s debut of Canary Capital’s spot XRP ETF, which posted the strongest first-day volume of any ETF released this year, underscored growing institutional confidence.

Market leaders expect the momentum to continue. “It would be a massive product. There’s enormous interest in XRP,” Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley told CoinDesk TV. He highlighted the more than $100 trillion in assets still held within traditional financial infrastructure and the growing shift of capital onto blockchain rails. ETFs often serve as the first gateway for institutions to gain exposure to new digital assets. “If investors can access XRP through an ETF, it becomes an extremely valuable and widely demanded product,” Horsley said.

However, XRP’s strong returns come with heightened risk. The token remains one of the most volatile major crypto assets, with 365-day annualized volatility at 91%, compared to bitcoin’s 44%. Only the CoinDesk Meme Index (115.85%) and cardano (100.55%) exhibit greater turbulence.

Still, analysts suggest that increasing institutional participation and the potential approval of additional XRP-linked ETFs could help stabilize price fluctuations over time, bringing more durable capital into the market.

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