$XRP Up To 18,000 USD? - A 'Research' Group On Cryptocurrency Says It's Possible

In the world of cryptocurrency, the speculative nature always makes pricing become 'free' to the point of surprise. Predictions of extremely high values, once considered absurd, such as the forecast of Bitcoin reaching 100,000 USD in the years 2018-2019, have now become a reality. Similarly, in 2025, the XRP community - or the 'XRP army' - is spreading optimism with price forecasts ranging from 100 USD, 1,000 USD to even figures as high as 18,000 USD per XRP. XRP Price Prediction: From Rumor to Research In June 2023, just before XRP was declared 'not a security' by Judge Analisa Torres, a valuation report titled 'A Comprehensive Approach To Determine The Fair Market Value Of XRP' was published by Valhill Capital. This report presents five different valuation models, with 'XRP Valuation Model #4' being considered the most feasible. The report is based on the (DCF) cash flow discounting method with key assumptions: Total global transaction volume: 104 trillion USDT Economic growth rate ( in 10 years from 2023-2032): 2%Discount rate applied: 10%Current value of total transactions: 915 trillion USD XRP circulating supply: 50.7 billion Based on the data, the estimated value for each XRP is approximately 18.036 USD. In this ideal scenario, Ripple Labs will play a leading role in processing most global transactions, collecting fees from the XRP Ledger (XRPL), and even digitizing a portion of the global asset base, replacing traditional money transfer systems like SWIFT. The Reality of XRP Application and Challenges Although space-like forecasts have sparked confidence in the community, a closer look at the facts reveals that there are still many things to consider: Practical application in the banking system: Until February 28, 2025, there has been no official confirmation from credible sources that XRP has been fully integrated into the cross-border payment system or internal transactions of any major bank in the United States. RippleNet: Ripple's global payment network is linked to major banks such as JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Citigroup. However, only PNC Bank and Bank of America have a clearly evidenced cooperative relationship. Rumors and data inconsistency: A video clip circulating on social media claims that Bank of America has been using RippleNet and XRP for '100% of internal transactions' for the past two years. However, the average internal transactions of such a large bank is approximately 1.2 to 1.5 million transactions per day, raising doubts about XRPL's ability to handle such volume. Another rumor related to Wells Fargo using XRP for credit card payments and loans has also faced internal objections. A Wells Fargo employee spoke out on social media, saying, 'Not true. Why spread fake news?' indicating that this information is just a rumor. Expectations and Reality: The Future of XRP in the Payment Ecosystem In the past 12 months, the price of XRP has shown impressive growth, and investment funds have submitted many XRP-based ETF profiles, creating expectations for potential price increases in the future. However, compared to the assumptions in Valhill Capital's report, the current reality shows: Speed of technology adoption: Building a global payment system based on XRPL with the ability to process massive transactions is still far from being achieved. Acceptance by traditional banks: Although RippleNet has relationships with large financial institutions, the depth of cooperation and the use of XRP in daily transactions are not yet truly existent. So, the possibility of XRP reaching $18.036 in the next decade is very distant, and these 'crazy' forecasts are just a part of the speculation in the cryptocurrency market - a market that is inherently volatile and easily inflated by herd psychology. Conclusion The expectation of an XRP worth 18,000 USD reflects the strong belief of a part of the community, but the reality shows a big gap between ideal and reality. While blockchain technology and modern payment solutions are developing, completely replacing the traditional payment system requires time, as well as acceptance and adaptation from large financial institutions. Investors should be cautious when facing overly ambitious forecasts and always consider the balance between long-term prospects and current challenges on the global digitization path.