Ripple’s XRP token had one of its best years in 2025. The asset breached the $3 mark in January for the first time since 2018, and went on to hit the $3.80 mark. Meanwhile, fellow top cryptocurrency Ethereum has fallen 10% this year, suffering losses from the crypto crash that hit the second half of the year. With XRP performing similarly to ETH in terms of growth trends in 2025, many altcoin fans are looking at 2026 as another big year for XRP, one where it could outpace the Ether cryptocurrency perhaps.
According to CoinGecko’s XRP data, XRP is currently the 5th-largest crypto project, with a market cap of $113 billion. Ethereum (ETH), on the other hand, boasts a market cap of $359 billion, nearly three times larger than XRP’s. While there is a high chance that XRP will eventually overtake the $359 billion market cap, Ethereum (ETH) will also likely grow at a similar pace. It will take loads of bullish investor activity to spark an XRP rally in the new year that can trump ETH, but its far from impossible.
Indeed, Ripple XRP will likely see more adoption in the near future, as more banks and institutions use its infrastructure. Such a development could greatly benefit XRP’s price. However, Ethereum (ETH) had much more adoption than XRP in 2025. Moreover, the number of applications built on ETH is only expected to increase. The use of ETH within DeFi protocols will also likely go up over the coming years, making ETH a top crypto asset to invest in alongside Bitcoin.
In addition, crypto analysts have noted a bullish flag on Ripple XRP’s latest price charts that could spark a mega bull cycle soon, one that mimics Bitcoin’s 2024 explosion. XRP is currently flashing a rare monthly golden cross against Bitcoin for the first time since 2018, a setup that could trigger a 1,200% relative run and map a $24 XRP case if BTC stays flat.
Also Read: Ripple XRP: Long Term $24 Forecast Revealed
While XRP is preferred for cross-border remittances, ETH is beloved for its network capabilities. A majority of blockchain and web3 applications are built on the ETH network. While Solana (SOL) is emerging as a worthy contender, ETH continues to dominate the market. XRP may not overtake Ethereum (ETH) as the 2nd-largest crypto project anytime soon, but it still has the ability to top ETH in growth levels. In the last five years, XRP is up over 600%, while ETH is up a strong but less 300%. If this trend continues in 2026, we could see XRP reclaim and set a new ATH before ETH does.
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