John Lilic, founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Tria, believes XRP will eventually overtake Ethereum (ETH) in market value as global payments move to the XRP Ledger (XRPL).
In an interview with XRP influencer Eri, Lilic explained how Ripple’s ecosystem will attract billions of dollars in weekly payments by combining its RLUSD stablecoin, payment cards, and neobank services.
How the $35 Billion Opportunity Works
Lilic believes Ripple will work with payment companies like Visa or Mastercard to introduce credit cards powered by RLUSD. In his view, combining these cards with banking and money management services will help Ripple attract more users and challenge traditional payment providers.
He estimates that Visa processes around $350 billion in payments weekly. Capturing just 10% of that volume would generate approximately $35 billion in weekly payments for Ripple.
Lilic also projects that the strategy will create at least $10 billion in new RLUSD over three years.
Why This Benefits XRP
According to Lilic, payments will be settled on the XRP Ledger, placing XRP at the center of this financial activity. He believes this increased network adoption will drive XRP’s market value higher and position it to overtake Ethereum.
Interestingly, Lilic describes himself as an early Ethereum supporter, making his prediction about XRP particularly notable.
In simple terms, capturing just 10% of Visa’s payment business would direct approximately $35 billion in weekly payment volume through the XRPL ecosystem. Lilic sees this as a major catalyst for XRP adoption and its potential rise above Ethereum in market value.
XRP Needs About 255% Growth to Overtake Ethereum
Ethereum currently commands a significantly larger market value than XRP. It trades at $2,282 per coin, with a market capitalization of $278.85 billion. Meanwhile, XRP sells at $1.24 per token, with a market capitalization of $79.13 billion.
In other words, Ethereum leads XRP by $199.72 billion in market capitalization. For XRP to match Ethereum’s current market value, its price must rise from $1.24 to approximately $4.40.
That represents a gain of roughly 255%, assuming the circulating supply of XRP remains unchanged and Ethereum’s market capitalization stays at its current level.
However, ETH’s price is unlikely to remain unchanged while XRP’s value expands by threefold. Essentially, each rise in ETH widens the gap and makes an XRP flip harder to achieve.
Will $35 Billion in Weekly Payments Drive XRP Higher?
Lilic believes that processing $35 billion in payments every week will significantly expand activity on the XRP Ledger. That payment volume represents:
- Weekly: $35 billion
- Yearly: $1.82 trillion
- Over three years: $5.46 trillion
However, payment volume does not translate directly into an equivalent increase in XRP’s market value. Similarly, creating $10 billion worth of RLUSD does not mean that $10 billion will flow directly into XRP.
The actual impact on XRP depends on the token’s role in payment processing, transactions, liquidity provision, and settlement activity.
Indeed, Ripple’s expansion into global payments represents a significant growth opportunity for the XRP Ledger. If XRP plays a central role in facilitating that activity, increased utility and demand will strengthen its position in the crypto market.
Lilic believes this payment-driven expansion will help XRP close the valuation gap with Ethereum and ultimately challenge its position as the second-largest cryptocurrency.