Bitwise Goes All-In on Ripple: CIO Says XRP’s “Game Has Changed” After ETF Boom

XRP trades at $2.02 as of writing, down 7.57% in the last 7 days and 7.92% over the past 30 days. Traders watch the market drift, yet the coin resists deeper losses while new inflows support demand. U.S. spot XRP ETFs record 16 straight days of net inflows and push total assets towards  $1B. 

WisdomTree points out that XRP ranks as the only major token that shows a year-to-date gain during a red month for crypto. This resilience sets the stage for Bitwise’s sudden shift toward Ripple.

Source: WisdomTree

Bitwise Says XRP’s Regulatory Era Has Finally Changed

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan explains that the firm waited years before building an XRP ETF. He says the reason sits in plain sight. The SEC lawsuit created an existential cloud over XRP. No institution wanted a digital asset that could vanish under regulatory pressure. No major company wanted to build real products on top of a blockchain that faced a direct challenge from the regulator.

He recalls how the lawsuit harmed adoption, not because the tech lacked strength, but because uncertainty ruled every decision. Ripple could not secure the partnerships its supporters talked about for years. Investors hesitated. Developers kept their distance. Institutions refused to touch the asset until the courtroom dust settled.

Hougan says the entire dynamic shifted the moment the legal battle ended in August. He believes the network finally stands on even ground with other large-cap assets. He says XRP now holds a real chance to chase the global use cases that Ripple’s community champions. 

He also notes that once the threat disappeared, Bitwise moved fast. The firm had the ticker ready. The company wanted to offer a simple, clean gateway for every institution that waited for clarity. That gateway now exists in the form of the XRP ETF.

The XRP ETF Launch Proves Investor Appetite Runs Deep

Bitwise’s ETF did not launch quietly. The product recorded $25.7 million in trading volume on its first day and reached $107.6 million in assets under management. Hougan says this early surge confirms that institutions never lacked interest. They only lacked a safe, compliant structure that fit their mandates. ETFs solve this issue. Funds, family offices, and traditional firms prefer this format because it gives exposure without technical hurdles.

The momentum continued across the first three days. Bitwise funds received $135 million of inflows.

The streak now runs for 16 days straight across the U.S. market. The steady climb toward $1B in total XRP ETF assets signals a turning point for Ripple and its ecosystem.

Why Bitwise Believes XRP Can Compete Globally Now

Hougan argues that the post-lawsuit era creates space for XRP to compete in cross-border finance. The network runs a ledger that many analysts call battle-tested. Demand for regulated, compliant products aligns with Ripple’s long-term goals. Institutions now enter the market without fear. Retail traders gain a clear benchmark for price discovery. Liquidity deepens as new channels open. XRP now steps into the flow of capital it spent years locked out of.

Institutional Flows Push XRP Into a New Phase

XRP’s slow, steady strength contrasts with the broader market slump. The market watches Bitcoin and Ethereum weaken, yet XRP holds a tight line. Bitwise calls this behavior a sign of quiet accumulation. The ETF era gives the asset a new front door, and investors walk straight through it. Hougan says the message is simple: the game changed, the risk vanished, and the door to global finance now stands wide open for Ripple and XRP.