Novogratz doubts XRP and Cardano stay relevant as market matures

Mike Novogratz questions whether XRP and Cardano can survive the market shift. He doesn’t think two of the most talked-about tokens in cryptocurrency will be able to keep up with the industry’s growth.

The CEO of Galaxy Digital stated on Friday that Cardano and XRP must demonstrate they are more than just fan favorites.

Doubts about staying power

In an interview with Galaxy’s chief of research, Alex Thorn, Novogratz stated unequivocally: “Can Ripple hold it together? Is Cardano able to maintain composure?

He clarified that the problem is that cryptocurrency is evolving. What was once based on excitement and hype is moving toward something more tangible. Tokens must now demonstrate actual worth rather than merely being ardent advocates.

Both XRP and Cardano’s ADA have loyal followings. That’s never been in question. But when you look at what’s actually happening on their networks, the picture gets fuzzy.

Strong communities but weak usage

Take Cardano. Novogratz didn’t hold back: “Charles Hoskinson, bless his soul, he’s kept the Cardano community with a blockchain that people don’t really use a lot. He’s had a strong community just like XRP. Can you keep it together when there are more and more options?”

His point is that the market’s getting smarter. Tokens that aren’t meant to be money, like Bitcoin, will be judged like regular businesses, by their revenue, usage, and real-world impact.

Ripple built XRP to move money across borders fast and cheap through RippleNet. Banks and fintech companies use it. Sounds good on paper. But critics keep saying the same thing: there’s not enough actual activity to justify what it’s worth.

The numbers tell the story

The story is told by the numbers. With a market value of almost $115 billion, XRP is ranked fifth among all cryptocurrencies by CoinMarketCap. Cardano is approximately $13–14 billion, in the vicinity of the 12th.

This is when things start to get interesting. At the time of publication, XRP has 16,703 active addresses, according to CryptoQuant data. Cardano tallied little more than 19,000. In contrast, Solana consistently reaches millions of active users because of DeFi apps, meme coins, and other initiatives. With a $72 billion market capitalization, Solana ranks eighth in the world.

Hyperliquid and similar platforms are the way of the future, according to Novogratz. It is a trading exchange that makes real money and repurchases tokens from its gains. Traditional equity operates in this manner, and cryptocurrency may follow suit.

Get $50 free to trade crypto when you sign up to Bybit now