XRP and BTC in Focus: Will SEC’s Decision Impact XRP’s ETF Prospects? Bitcoin Eyes $100K Milestone

With XRP and Bitcoin (BTC) making waves across the world of cryptocurrencies as 2025 begins, the world is buzzing. But Bitcoin chases the $100,000 barrier, as institutional interest and guessed at a U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR) continue to move it. However, its ongoing battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continues. They’ll take you through this in depth.

Ripple CEO Highlights U.S. Expansion Amid Optimism

Ripple CEO, Brad Garlinghouse recently pointed toward more expansion in the United States market in particular. Ripple has also been increasing its workforce employment in the United States whereby now 75% of the RIPOs are located in the country. Of all the year 2024, the last 6 weeks turned out to be the most productive for Ripple and it made more deals in the U.S. in these weeks than in the last 6 months.

Garlinghouse credits this with changes in the regulation and positive outlook on economics in the United States attributing the so-called ‘Trump effect,’ that is boosting innovation and employment. Crypto enthusiasts expect it to retract the appeal of the case that offered Ripple only partial legal triumph in terms of categorizing XRP as non-security for programmatic sales.

SEC Appeal Deadline Looms for XRP

The SEC has until January 15 to file an opening brief for an appeal of the decision that programmatic sales of XRP are not securities. In October 2024, the agency filed the record with a Notice of Appeal for it to appeal the court’s judgment. Nevertheless, certain shifts in the recent years of SEC leadership, where Paul Atkins was elected as the incoming Chair, talk about a possible change of mind.

Several legal perspectives note that the dismissal of the appeal might lead to the establishment of new legal rules and standards Regarding this, some legal analysts such as John E. Deaton have closely been following the Ripple case to forecast that pulling out the appeal is likely to set a major legal precedent. Such action might eventually help XRP to be approved in the United States for a spot exchange-traded fund (ETF), thus increasing the number of customers and their confidence.

The stakes are high for XRP. A positive SEC ruling or the withdrawal of the appeal could push the price of its shares to heights higher than the record $3.5505 it reached in 2018. On the other hand, the prolongation of the legal case could negatively impact market feelings and drop XRP beneath $2.

Bitcoin Marches Toward $100K

Bitcoin has been pushing towards $100000 as more and more people continue to talk about this virtual currency. BTC was trading for $98,313 by the end of the day on January 5, a 0.24% upturn. Market sentiment remains vibrant and on the buy-side originating from a rising institutional demand and large capital inflow into the U.S-based BTC-spot ETFs.

Another reason for the growth in Bitcoin is the always-expanding list of billionaires and institutional investors in BTC. Technology tycoons like Elon Musk, Zuckerberg, and Ellison of Oracle, along with the heads of other crypto Start-ups like Brian Armstrong of Coinbase, and Michael Saylor of Micro-Strategy have added timbre to Bitcoin investments as an ultimate permanent asset.

In addition, more than $900 million in net inflows to U.S. BTC-spot ETFs on January 3 strengthened the demand for the asset even more. This has been supported by speculations that the U.S. government may give its nod to an SBR or Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

Spotlight on U.S. BTC-Spot ETFs and SBR Speculation

The BTC-spot ETF market has been revolutionized by the United States as seen below. Latest figures suggest that monthly net inflows have been rising, affirming more investor interest. More approvals of ETFs could further escalate this trend to force Bitcoin prices to their highs.

Leading to this momentum is an expectation of the formation of an SBR. Adopting the Bitcoin asset means gaining extra assets and adoption of which will foster economic power in the United States besides making the country dominate the crypto environment. Advocate Marc Scaramucci also stated that an SBR could garner bipartisan support and the Federal Reserve, Treasury Department, and Congress could all be aligned for Bitcoin.

Market Implications and Future Outlook

XRP is at a crossroads as the same can be said of Bitcoin as well. The first key level for XRP is expected to be defined by the SEC deadline that expires on January 15 to outline its short-term trend. Appeal withdrawal could easily spark buying interest, which would propel the token to highs that have already been registered. On the other hand, a long-drawn legal process could фактор, weaken or reduce the value of XRP in the market.

The Bitcoin path to $100,000 rests solely on demand from institutional and retail buyers plus improved regulations. More approvals of BTC-spot ETFs and additional advancement in SBR could contribute towards boosting BTC.

The overall crypto market is also disadvantaged by extra factors that include Federal Reserve policies and international regulatory changes. They will become a very important determinant of the mood within the investors, as well as the direction of the markets as they change.

Conclusion

As it has shown weeks will be very important for both; XRP as well as Bitcoin. Currently, XRP still hangs in the balance waiting for the direction of SEC action while Bitcoin pulls support from rising institutional adoption and inflows to the ETFs. The investors should keenly observe these trends, they are likely to shape the outcome of cryptocurrency in 2025.

For more detailed information about the XRP and Bitcoin’s relation in the market watch for analyst’s take and further forecasts. Both for newcomers to investing in the crypto market and for experienced ‘sharks,’ it is essential to learn about these significant steps.