XRP Price Rises. What's Driving the Crypto's Red-Hot Start to 2025. — Barrons.com

By George GloverXRP was rising again on Friday, even as other cryptocurrencies' strong start to 2025 ground to a halt.The token, which is used to facilitate and settle transactions on Ripple Labs' digital-payments platform, climbed 1% to $2.41 in early trading, extending its gains for the year to 15%.Other cryptocurrencies were having a tougher time of it, though. Bitcoin slid 0.8% on Friday, while Ethereum was down 0.2%.XRP beating its rivals isn't new: It's up nearly 400% since President-elect Donald Trump won the U.S. election in November. Crypto bulls are hopeful that the Republican candidate's pick to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission, Paul Atkins, will call time on a legal battle between the agency and Ripple that's dragged on since 2020.The first few trading sessions of 2025 suggest that winning streak can last a bit longer.Write to George Glover at [email protected] content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.