Every XRP (Ripple) Investor Should Keep an Eye on These 2 Numbers in 2025

So far this year, the price of Ripple's cryptocurrency, XRP (CRYPTO: XRP), has plunged by more than 10%. That's not too bad when considering its valuation soared by more than 200% in 2024. Still, weakness plaguing the rest of the crypto market has gotten investors spooked, even those who have held on for years.

Moving deeper into 2025, don't take your eyes off these crucial metrics that provide deep insight into XRP's long-term promise. Perhaps the recent correction is yet another chance to accumulate more of it for your portfolio.

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These 2 numbers will determine XRP's fate

While it is often held as a speculative investment, XRP's true underlying value is in its ability to make cross-border payments faster, simpler, cheaper, and more transparent. Currently, most global banks use the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) system, which has been in place since 1973.

It's not easy to get international financial institutions -- many of which have been in operation for decades, if not a century or more -- to switch to a novel blockchain-powered network to transfer trillions of dollars every year. But that's exactly what Ripple is trying. The path forward is difficult, but the potential rewards are massive.

How can you gauge XRP's progress? The most common is to track the number of payments from one XRP account to another. As you can see in the chart below, this number has trended up in recent years. But beware: This chart does not tell the entire story.

For a true sense of its progress, investors also need to look at the total volumes transacted over its network, not just the raw number of payments processed. When tracking the available data for this metric, XRP has actually lost ground in recent years.

It will be tough for XRP to replace the incumbent SWIFT system. And while it's still early, network volumes don't appear overly promising. If you're a long-term investor in the token, you must remain confident that these metrics should improve significantly over time.

Ryan Vanzo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends XRP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.