XRP Stabilizes at $2.00 as Ripple Receives Historic U.S. Trust Bank Charter
In a significant development for the digital asset market, XRP has maintained a firm price floor of $2.00, indicating its emergence as a key player in the market. This stability follows a series of crucial regulatory wins and is bolstered by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) approval for Ripple to establish the Ripple National Trust Bank. This move effectively integrates the blockchain pioneer into the federal banking system and has sparked heightened interest from institutional investors who seek the legal certainty that this regulatory approval provides.
The intersection of regulatory oversight and the maturation of the crypto investment landscape has catalyzed a surge of capital inflows into the market. Within a span of just two months since the introduction of the first XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs), net inflows are nearing $1.15 billion, underscoring a significant shift in market sentiment. As of December 25, 2025, XRP is no longer viewed as a speculative token but as a regulated financial instrument, fundamentally altering how cross-border payments and institutional custody are perceived.
A pivotal moment in XRP’s recent resilience was the OCC’s announcement on December 12, 2025, granting Ripple a de novo national trust bank charter. With this charter, Ripple National Trust Bank (RNTB) is authorized to act as a fiduciary and manage reserves for its USD-backed stablecoin, RLUSD, under direct federal oversight. The regulatory framework set by the “Generating Enhanced National Infrastructure for Unprecedented Stablecoins” (GENIUS) Act, enacted in July 2025, paved the way for crypto-native firms like Ripple to transition into federally regulated financial entities, placing them on par with traditional financial institutions.
The lead-up to this milestone was marked by a rapid series of ETF launches in November, with Canary Capital taking the lead on November 13, followed by industry heavyweights like Franklin Resources, Inc., and Bitwise Asset Management. The introduction of the Bitwise XRP ETF, trading under the ticker “XRP” on the New York Stock Exchange, played a crucial role in driving liquidity. By mid-December, these ETFs had absorbed over 1 billion XRP tokens into cold storage, tightening the available supply on exchanges and contributing to the stability of XRP at the $2.00 level during a period of year-end volatility in broader markets.
The market dynamics following these developments have spotlighted XRP’s “decoupling” from Bitcoin, with XRP demonstrating remarkable stability while the broader crypto market experienced fluctuations. This stability has been attributed to the sustained ETF inflows and the enhanced utility of the Ripple National Trust Bank, enabling more efficient On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) transactions without the need for traditional banking intermediaries.
The shift towards a regulated crypto landscape has positioned early movers in the ETF space as clear winners, with Franklin Resources, Inc., and Coinbase Global, Inc., benefiting from increased assets under management (AUM) and solidifying their roles as key custodians for XRP ETFs. On the other hand, traditional regional banks that have been slow to embrace blockchain-based settlement systems may face challenges as Ripple’s new status enables it to compete directly for cross-border settlement business traditionally dominated by SWIFT and major banks.
The success of the Ripple National Trust Bank and the resulting market stability signal a notable shift in the global regulatory landscape, moving away from an era of regulatory enforcement towards a model based on attaining charters. Ripple’s precedent-setting approval for a national trust bank has implications beyond U.S. borders, with regulators in the EU and UK considering similar frameworks. This signifies a new chapter in crypto regulation, offering a roadmap for firms to operate within the financial system under regulatory oversight.
