XRP Shines with Record ETF Volumes and Tokenized Gold Prospects, While Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs Face Outflows
XRP Shines with Record ETF Volumes and Tokenized Gold Prospects, While Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs Face Outflows
The XRP ecosystem is experiencing a surge of positive developments, with its Ledger preparing for significant upgrades involving tokenized gold and silver. This innovation aims to expand XRP's utility beyond traditional payments, opening avenues for new DeFi tools and increasing transaction volume.
Simultaneously, Spot XRP ETFs have demonstrated remarkable success, achieving record weekly trading volumes of $219 million and accumulating $1.47 billion in total net assets since their launch. This robust performance signals growing investor demand and highlights XRP's outperformance in a broader crypto ETF market that has recently shown signs of waning interest.
In contrast, major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum have seen their respective ETFs face significant headwinds. Bitcoin ETFs recorded substantial net outflows of over $681 million in a single week, while Ethereum ETFs also ended a recent week with net withdrawals, underscoring XRP's strong momentum relative to these established assets.
XRP Ledger Eyes Tokenized Gold Integration
The XRP Ledger (XRPL) is poised for a significant technological leap with the impending integration of tokenized gold and silver. Industry figures and XRPL developers have indicated that the ledger is technically ready to support 24/7 access, rapid transfers, and seamless integration with automated market makers (AMMs). This initiative is expected to transform the use case for XRP and the XRPL, moving beyond payments into new areas such as asset trading and settlement for physical metal-backed tokens.
Meld Gold, which partnered with Ripple in June 2024, has already launched gold and silver tokens on the XRPL, each backed by one gram of physical metal. This development marks a concrete step towards actual product deployment rather than mere speculation. Advocates, including Phil Kwok of EasyA, foresee an 'epic' future for tokenized assets on the XRPL. While potential for new DeFi tools like lending and escrow exists, adoption hinges on addressing challenges related to custody, audit practices, regulatory clarity, and the provision of clear economic incentives for major issuers.
XRP ETFs Achieve Record-Breaking Performance
In a rare success story for the crypto market, Spot XRP ETFs have set new benchmarks, hitting a record weekly trading volume of $219 million. This figure nearly doubles the previous week's volume and surpasses the prior record set in December 2025, demonstrating a robust increase in investor demand. Since their debut in mid-November 2025, these ETFs have collectively amassed $1.47 billion in total net assets, with funds like Canary Capital's XRPC, Bitwise's XRP fund, and Franklin Templeton's XRPZ leading the charge.
Despite recording their first negative outflow day ($40.8 million) in the past week, the XRP ETF market still managed to conclude the week with a net inflow of $38.07 million, showcasing resilience. This strong performance positions XRP ETFs as a standout in the market, particularly when compared to the broader crypto ETF landscape, which has recently experienced waning interest.
Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs Face Outflows
While XRP ETFs thrive, the more established Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs have faced a challenging period. The first full trading week of the year saw significant withdrawals from these funds. Spot Bitcoin ETFs, in particular, experienced their largest single-day net outflows of $486.1 million on January 7, ultimately closing the week with over $681 million in net outflows. Similarly, the Ethereum ETF market, after an initial positive start, ended the week with net withdrawals amounting to $68.6 million. These contrasting performances highlight a notable shift in investor sentiment and capital allocation within the crypto ETF space, with XRP emerging as a strong contender.