Can XRP Surpass Bitcoin? A Realistic Look from Market Data

In the crypto world, few coins have a fanatical support community like XRP (CRYPTO: XRP). Originally designed as a fast payment solution for the banking system, XRP is now expected by many investors to work wonders – surpassing Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) to become the leading cryptocurrency in the world. Over the past 12 months, XRP has increased by up to 487%, while Bitcoin has only roughly doubled. But is this upward momentum enough for XRP to "overthrow" Bitcoin? Let's analyze. Market distance: The slope is too steep As of August 5, 2025: Market capitalization of Bitcoin: ~2.200 trillion USDMarket capitalization of XRP: ~177 billion USD To surpass Bitcoin, XRP would need to increase 13 times while Bitcoin does not increase – a feat that is almost impossible for an asset with the liquidity and widespread influence like BTC. Even in the case where Bitcoin drops by 50% in value, XRP still needs to increase 6-7 times – which means that thousands of billions of USD in new capital need to flow in solely for XRP, something that no coin has achieved so far, including Ethereum. ETF and capital flow: The real picture To see the level of difficulty, look at the inflow of capital into Bitcoin spot ETF funds in the US - only about 19.2 billion USD for the entire year of 2025. This figure is too small compared to the 2,000 billion USD that XRP needs if it wants to "flip" Bitcoin. The prospect of capital flowing into XRP on that scale requires acceptance at the global institutional level, something that no blockchain project has truly achieved. Supply: Barriers from the very structure of XRP Unlike Bitcoin, which has a limited supply of 21 million coins ( and about 20% is believed to be permanently lost ), XRP has a mechanism that unlocks from Ripple's escrow fund. Although this issuance is transparent and follows a fixed schedule, it still dilutes the supply, negatively impacting the price unless demand increases faster than the rate of issuance. The prospect of the "perfect storm": Still a fragile hope XRP can only surpass Bitcoin in an ideal and very unlikely scenario: Ripple achieves comprehensive success: The entire technology development roadmap is executed perfectly, attracting a multitude of financial institutions and large investors. XRP becomes the default platform for: Tokenization of real assets, Storing stablecoins, Cross-border payments, Settling securities transactions. Bitcoin faces a severe crisis: Criticized for high electricity consumption ( proof-of-work ) Banned or restricted mining activities in regions such as the EU, Norway, Risks from quantum computers, Global tax policies and regulations no longer favor BTC. XRP becomes a safer, greener, and more legally friendly alternative for institutional cash flow. Conclusion: Should we bet everything on XRP? Although the dream of XRP surpassing Bitcoin is appealing with the potential for enormous profits, it depends on a series of low-probability conditions occurring simultaneously. Instead of betting everything on the possibility of "flippening", investors should view XRP as a valuable asset in the area of cross-border payments and tokenization of real assets, where demand is likely to grow significantly in the coming years. Even if it cannot "overthrow" Bitcoin, XRP can still experience remarkable growth if these trends continue to expand. In summary: ❌ You should not expect XRP to surpass BTC in the near future. ✅ XRP should be seen as an investment in the trend of payment and digital finance. 🚀 There is still much growth potential, but we must be realistic about expectations. If you need me to write an in-depth analysis about the impact of tokenization or the differences between XRP and BTC in terms of technology, just let me know.