A well-known trader within the crypto community has insisted that XRP has the traits of a meme coin, predicting an imminent crash against Bitcoin.

Despite making multiple recoveries above the $2 mark, XRP continues to trade in a delicate position amid a cloud of uncertainty plaguing the broader crypto market. 

The volatility, largely influenced by macroeconomic tensions like the ongoing tariff war, has led to unpredictable price movements. Last week, XRP saw a massive price drop alongside the rest of the market, which attracted comments from critics.

For context, on April 9, XRP plunged to around $1.70, following a consistent three-day downtrend. The drop began on April 6, when XRP traded at $2.14, before tumbling more than 17% over the next three days. 

Clay Calls XRP Biggest Meme Coin in Disguise 

The sharp decline led to a new wave of bearish commentaries from Crashious Clay, a well-known trader recognized for his persistently pessimistic stance on XRP and the wider crypto space.

Crashious Clay claimed that the typical XRP retail investor is financially drained and incapable of sustaining demand. According to him, wealthy investors are currently avoiding risk exposure to XRP, especially in such uncertain conditions. 

The trader claimed that all the investors that market participants would typically expect to purchase XRP and help the price action are “burned” with low capital for supporting the market. According to him, whales, or investors with substantial capital, that could have stepped in, are not willing to enter the market due to what he perceives as high risk on XRP.

He claimed that there is massive sell pressure, which he says originates from the Ripple team, insiders, early investors, and long-term holders eager to offload assets. Notably, Clay questioned the current market’s ability to absorb further sales due to a lack of liquidity and new buyers.

He argued that XRP shares many traits with meme coins, such as minimal network activity and insufficient on-chain revenue. For Clay, this lack of utility supports his view that XRP is the “biggest meme coin in disguise.” 

Anticipation of a Sharp XRP Crash

He suggested that its current valuation does not show fundamental worth but is rather due to hype and legacy momentum. He shared his trading activity, which showed short XRP positions totaling $7.5 million on XRP in March, calling them some of the “easiest” trades in his career. 

As of early April, he claimed to be over $1 million in profit on these shorts and hinted that he has no plans to stop shorting XRP soon.

Interestingly, this was not Clay’s first sharp criticism of XRP. Earlier on, the trader stated that XRP requires exceptionally strong market conditions and intense retail buying to push higher. However, he argued that these conditions are currently absent. 

U need very good market conditions and A LOT buy pressure from retail

To overpower sell pressure on a 100B worthless coin and pull a 2x-4x

Right now u don’t have good conditions for something like XRP to do any X’s

and little to zero buy pressure from retail

Yet 100B of…

— Crash (@CrashiusClay69) April 9, 2025

With its market cap around the $100 billion mark, Clay sees XRP as heavily overvalued and susceptible to a crash. He compared it to Shiba Inu (SHIB), which once peaked at a $40 billion market cap before crashing to $4 billion. Clay suggested XRP could face a similar correction. 

XRP Still More Resilient Than Most Top Assets

However, while Crashious Clay remains firmly bearish, data shows XRP’s recent struggles are part of a broader market downturn rather than an isolated weakness. 

Despite its recent price drop, XRP has proven more resilient than most major assets. Year-to-date, XRP has only declined by 0.58%, whereas Bitcoin has fallen by 10.6%. Ethereum has seen a dramatic 52.88% drop, and Solana has dropped by 33.66% in the same period. This resilience challenges the idea that XRP is on the verge of collapse.

In addition, some former critics of XRP have reversed their positions following its recent performance. Raoul Pal, who once advised investors to exit XRP when it lingered around $0.50 in 2024, acknowledged his mistake after the asset’s explosive surge in November 2024. 

Likewise, Mike Novogratz, once bearish on XRP, recognized that its sustained relevance is due in large part to its passionate and committed community.

In contrast to Clay’s bleak projections, other analysts maintain a bullish outlook on XRP. Bobby A, a prominent market observer, noted last month that the $2 range for XRP could, in hindsight, become the next $0.30, a price point many wish they had bought during 2023 and 2024. 

Also, in December 2024, market commentator Zach Rector stressed that XRP remained undervalued after hitting $2. Rector predicted that XRP could eventually climb to $48, indicating his belief that the token still holds massive upside potential.

Investors are confident that XRP will clinch new highs this cycle, but the rally expected to turn pennies into fortunes might not materialize anytime soon.

The impact of the broader market downturn on XRP has been evident, as the altcoin has struggled to maintain its footing above the psychologically important $2 mark. However, in recent days, XRP has observed a mild recovery push, up over 5% in the past 24 hours to trade at $2.17.

Analysts Expect XRP to Reach $5 to $10

These frequent instances of recovery efforts have helped XRP hold above $2 despite the ongoing market turbulence. They have also contributed to optimism among investors who believe XRP still has the potential to claim new highs in this cycle. For example, analyst Dr. Cat suggested that XRP’s worst-case scenario for this run would see it hit $4.5.

Meanwhile, others have called for higher price targets. Most recently, market watcher EGRAG Crypto predicted that XRP could hit the Fibonacci level aligning with the $5 mark. However, he identified four signs of strength that are necessary for a run toward this region.

Further, earlier this month, Bitget’s Chief Analyst Ryan Lee projected bullish XRP price goals, with his bull case targeting a maximum of $10. However, Lee’s projected timeline is less bullish than most, as he expects the $10 price to materialize in 2030. Notably, Cas Abbé believes XRP could hit $10 this cycle.

Nonetheless, while a price range of $5 to $10 remains a largely bullish target for XRP, it might not bring the gains some investors expect. For instance, some XRP investors hold 1,000 tokens but look forward to securing fortunes when XRP hits some of these price targets.

Holding 1,000 XRP won’t Make You Rich, even if XRP claims $5 to $10

To put things into perspective, 1,000 XRP tokens are currently worth $2,170 at the current price of $2.17. If XRP secures a 130% increase from here to claim the $5 target, this investment will be worth $5,000, presenting returns of $2,830. While this is a positive ROI, it’s still far from making anyone rich in any country.

Meanwhile, the $10 price target, representing a more substantial 361% gain, would push these tokens to a worth of $10,000. Still, these returns are not sufficient to place the investor among the rich in their space.

For XRP investors to gain substantially in this bull run, they would need to hold larger amounts for when the asset reaches targets such as $5 to $10. For instance, an investor with a balance of 150,000 XRP, currently worth $325K, would see their investment hit $750,000 when XRP hits $5 and $1.5 million when XRP claims $10.

However, an alternative approach to securing larger gains from smaller investments would be to await a more massive XRP price explosion. For this, targets of $20, $50, and $100 have featured among market experts. 

Nonetheless, with its total supply of 100 billion tokens, XRP’s market cap would soar to $2 trillion for a $20 price and $10 trillion for $100. For context, the lower valuation would surpass Bitcoin’s current market cap, which now sits at $1.6 trillion. 

Notable, critics who have questioned XRP’s ability to reach these lofty targets have often cited this market cap effect. Meanwhile, other industry experts have dismissed these concerns, arguing that the market cap does not matter.

A well-known market analyst believes XRP is still liable to record another major slump before it eventually rallies to new highs.

Notably, XRP recently managed to reclaim the $2 price level, a crucial psychological mark that dictates market sentiment. However, despite this recovery, the asset remains on uncertain footing. 

For one, ongoing macroeconomic tensions, particularly surrounding global trade issues, have weighed on investor sentiment. Although President Donald Trump’s recent move to pause tariff hikes for 90 days provided some relief, overall market uncertainty still lingers. 

XRP Fails to Close Above $2.3 to $2.5 Range

Amid this uncertainty, analyst EGRAG Crypto has confirmed that XRP is still volatile. According to his recent analysis, ‘XRP Kangaroo is Clucking.’ XRP may face another downturn before it embarks on a major bullish rally.

Taking to X, EGRAG warned that XRP must close decisively above the $2.3 to $2.5 range on the 5-day chart to confirm bullish continuation. He noted that failure to achieve this milestone could result in a pullback toward the $1.85 support level. 

For context, the last time XRP saw the $1.85 support was a week ago, right before its impressive 14.33% rebound on April 9. Since then, the asset has consistently held above $1.9 to $2, but EGRAG says it might lose this threshold. 

Specifically, EGRAG’s analysis came up on April 13, and at that time, XRP had less than 3 days left to complete the 5-day candle. Currently, this candlestick has closed with XRP trading below the $2.3 to $2.5 target range. This indicates that the analyst’s projected drop might set in. 

A Potential Drop to $1.85 and $1.40

At press time, XRP has witnessed consistent declines to trade at $2.07, now just a 10.7% drop away from reaching the $1.85 mark. Meanwhile, in his report, EGRAG further suggested that even deeper retracements below $1.85 are possible in the short term. 

He identified a worst-case scenario where XRP experiences a sharp liquidation event, briefly dipping to $1.40, a new yearly low. According to him, market makers often use sudden news or unexpected events to engineer these volatile price moves, catching retail investors off guard.

XRP Bullish Targets Remain Intact

However, EGRAG believes this potential dip is part of the broader bullish setup, not a sign of long-term weakness. Despite the short-term risk of a pullback, he remains bullish on XRP’s long-term potential. 

The analyst maintains that XRP still has its eyes set on three major price targets. The first target is $7.50, representing a 262% increase from current levels. For the second target, EGRAG sees XRP claiming $13, a level previously teased by market watcher Casi. Meanwhile, EGRAG has an ultimate XRP target of $27. 

Data from his chart shows that he expects to repeat its 2017 to 2018 price action. For context, during this period, XRP first secured a 6,896% rally from $0.0057 in February 2017 to $0.3988 in May 2017. 

After this, it pulled back and consolidated in October before engineering a second uptrend by December 2017, leading to the $3.31 peak. EGRAG thinks the current price situation aligns with XRP’s position in October 2017, and a breakout looms. 

Similarities with Past Geopolitical Tensions 

He also identified similarities with past crypto cycles, highlighting how news about China’s stance on Bitcoin mining triggered major market moves. Recall that China announced a ban on Bitcoin mining in May 2021, triggering a sharp 46% crash in BTC price from $58K to $34K.

Bitcoin eventually recovered as the crackdown on mining activities died down, reaching the $69K ATH in November 2021. Interestingly, EGRAG likens this situation to today’s geopolitical issues, where President Trump’s imposition and removal of tariffs can drive sharp swings in asset prices.

Interestingly, despite his conviction in XRP’s trajectory, EGRAG is not trading the asset. He reveals that he is neither going long nor short on the asset. Instead, he focuses on accumulating XRP at specific levels. For now, his strategy is to hold his positions while gradually increasing them during dips.

In a bold statement on X, XRP proponent Duefe shared an optimistic outlook for holders, suggesting that owning just 1,000 XRP could lead to financial independence.

According to Duefe, holding just 1,000 XRP might be the key to achieving “a joyful and free life” by 2029. This view implies that XRP’s value could rise astronomically over the next four years, potentially allowing investors to retire. For context, XRP is currently trading at $2.17, making 1,000 XRP worth $2,170.

While there is a lack of context regarding what entails a free life for the proponent, some investors see an investment growth to $1 million or more as sufficient for retirement. Others in countries with higher costs of living might require a much higher baseline.

Essentially, reaching a net worth of $1 million or more remains a long-standing goal for many retail investors hoping to retire early. However, for a portfolio of 1,000 XRP to be worth $1 million, the price of each token would need to reach $1,000. Achieving $1,000 per XRP would require a price increase of over 45,900%.

Alternatively, a $100 price per token would value the holding at $100,000—still a significant leap from current levels. 

“Not Holding 1,000 XRP Is Insanity”

Meanwhile, many prominent voices in the XRP community share Duefe’s bullish sentiment. Some, like Edo Farina, have argued that holding at least 1,000 XRP is one of the best financial decisions an investor can make.

Notably, data from the XRP Rich List shows that only 230,504 wallets hold between 500 and 1,000 XRP. Meanwhile, just 10% of the 6.38 million total XRP wallets—approximately 638,000—hold 2,500 XRP or more.

Interestingly, Farina has described the failure to hold at least 1,000 XRP as “insanity.” According to him, XRP enthusiasts must own no fewer than 1,000 tokens if they genuinely care about financial success.

These views come from the speculative hope that XRP could eventually reach triple-digit values and beyond, turning modest investments into substantial fortunes.

While pundits like Farina have been cautious about setting a specific timeline, Duefe remains confident that financial success could materialize within this decade. Meanwhile, he isn’t alone in this belief.

Previously, social media influencer John Squire claimed that by 2030, many of today’s XRP investors would regret not buying more—or selling too soon during market fluctuations.

Caution Amid Bullish Forecasts

Some prediction platforms share the bullish outlook about XRP. For instance, Telegaon has suggested that XRP could reach a minimum of $25 by 2029.

Meanwhile, this price target is still short of the $1,000 milestone needed to turn 1,000 XRP into $1 million. Yet, it would represent a return on investment of approximately 1,052% from today’s price of $2.17.

As for when XRP could reach $1,000, Telegaon believes this lofty target is not feasible even by 2050. However, Matthew Brienen of CryptoCharged has argued that XRP could reach $1,000 in ten years.

Amid these optimistic projections, critics like Davinci Jeremie caution crypto enthusiasts against viewing XRP as a long-term investment vehicle.