XRP community member Digital Asset Investor has shared an “Endgame Theory” that says XRP’s value will grow steadily because of real use, not hype.
According to him, XRP’s price may not follow the explosive, hype-driven rallies seen in past cycles, at least not at first.
Key Points
- XRP “Endgame Theory” says price may rise steadily on real usage, not hype cycles or sudden spikes.
- A “slow rising bathtub” model suggests utility builds a price floor, while speculators later add volatility.
- As adoption grows, tighter supply on exchanges could trigger faster price moves if demand keeps climbing.
- Ripple’s Markus Infanger says the price-demand gap may be temporary as utility quietly expands.
Slow Rising Bathtub
In his commentary, Digital Asset Investor describes a “slow rising bathtub” effect for XRP. In this model, real-world usage gradually lifts the price floor as demand builds in the background.
Speculators, often late to utility trends, then enter the market and create volatility on top of that steadily rising base. The key idea is that as utility sets the floor, speculation creates the swings.
If that dynamic plays out, XRP could see a more stable long-term uptrend rather than the typical boom-and-bust moves. However, the theory also points to a critical turning point: supply pressure.
As more XRP gets locked into real usage, available supply on exchanges could tighten. If demand continues rising at the same time, price acceleration could follow quickly.
“Price vs Demand Gap”
Notably, this theory aligns closely with comments from Markus Infanger, Senior Vice President at Ripple, who recently addressed concerns that XRP’s price does not reflect its real-world usage.
Infanger argued that the perceived “gap” between price and demand may not actually exist. Instead, he described the market as being in a transition phase, where utility is growing quietly behind the scenes while price discovery catches up more slowly.
He pointed to rapid growth on the XRP Ledger, where tokenized assets have expanded from roughly $100–200 million to over $2 billion within a year.
At the same time, the introduction of XRP spot ETFs in the United States is adding another layer of liquidity. According to Infanger, this institutional access does not compete with utility. It instead strengthens it by improving XRP’s efficiency as a settlement asset.
XRP Hidden Utility Driving Structural Demand
Beyond executive commentary, developers within the XRP Ledger ecosystem argue that XRP’s real strength lies in its built-in role as a neutral bridge asset.
Validator Vet, speaking on a recent podcast, explained that XRP is central to liquidity routing on the network. Features like autobridging automatically use XRP to facilitate trades between different assets, improving pricing and efficiency.
For example, a transaction between two stablecoins can be routed through XRP to complete the trade seamlessly. This means that as more assets and institutions operate on XRPL, demand for XRP as a liquidity layer naturally increases.
Importantly, XRP is also required for transaction fees, which are burned, making the asset slightly deflationary over time.
With new features like permissioned decentralized exchanges and compliance tools now live, XRPL is positioning itself for institutional DeFi, foreign exchange, and cross-border settlement.
In that environment, market makers may need to hold XRP to provide liquidity, creating a direct link between network activity and demand.
The “Endgame” Scenario
Taken together, these developments strengthen the core idea behind the Endgame Theory.
If XRP adoption continues expanding across payments, tokenization, and institutional finance, demand may rise steadily rather than suddenly. This could lift the price floor over time, even if short-term market sentiment remains mixed.
Eventually, as Digital Asset Investor suggests, speculators may recognize this shift and move in aggressively, adding volatility on top of a fundamentally stronger base.
At that stage, supply “shocks” could become a defining factor as reduced circulating supply could amplify price movements.
In sum, what some see as a disconnect between price and utility may simply be a lag that theories like the “XRP Endgame” suggest will eventually close.
