The next two weeks could decide one of the most significant milestones for the cryptocurrency market, with ETF analyst Nate Geraci hinting that spot XRP, along with Solana and Litecoin products, are already lined up and could be cleared for launch once Washington returns to full-fledged working schedule.
Geraci depicted the current situation with the image of a dam holding back a flood to illustrate the situation: spot crypto ETFs like XRP's are waiting behind a barrier, while the government shutdown is the blockage and investors are the town directly downstream.
Once the barrier lifts, the flood of new crypto exchange-traded funds may hit the market without delay.
XRP has long been one of the most controversial assets in U.S. regulatory circles, despite its 14-year old history. Tied up in the SEC lawsuit against Ripple and years of questions about whether the token qualifies as a security put a severe burden on it.
However, after partial court victories and the successful precedent set by Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF approvals, it is XRP that market watchers are giving the best odds to receive their own ETF next.
XRP in for billions if ETF gets approved
If regulators follow through, a spot XRP ETF could be greenlit within the next few weeks, as per Geraci. For those who do not understand its importance, an ETF for XRP will add another layer of legitimacy to the asset, giving traditional investors a direct, regulated way to gain exposure to it.
Trying to figure out how much more capital XRP can gain through the spot ETF, currency exchange-traded products tied to the cryptocurrency have amassed $1.96 billion in year-to-date flows, according to CoinShares.
For investors watching from the sidelines, the countdown has already started — and two weeks may be all it takes.
Dan Burgin
Vladislav Sopov
U.Today Editorial Team