- Rob Cunningham argues XRP’s value should be judged by sovereign-scale utility, not speculation.
- He claims XRP needs to trade around $1,500–$3,000 to eliminate pre-funding, slippage, and liquidity stress in global settlement.
- He believes XRP would reprice abruptly, not gradually, once markets recognize it as structurally necessary.
Crypto analyst and entrepreneur Rob Cunningham has sparked debate in the XRP community by reframing what he calls the most important question facing the asset: at what price does XRP actually eliminate pre-funding, slippage, and liquidity stress for sovereign-scale settlement?
According to Cunningham, XRP’s utility should not be judged by speculative benchmarks or retail affordability, but by whether it can function efficiently at the scale of central banks, governments, and global financial institutions.
Why $1,500–$3,000 XRP Is the “Clean Operating Range”
Cunningham argues that, based on global settlement volumes, order book depth requirements, central bank-sized transactions, and the need to avoid balance-sheet drag, XRP’s minimum effective operating range sits between $1,500 and $3,000 per token.
At roughly $2,000 per XRP, he outlines a scenario in which the network’s value reaches approximately $200 trillion, while transaction velocity could theoretically support up to $2 quadrillion per day in settlement capacity.
In that environment, a single XRP becomes a meaningful settlement unit rather than a fragmented liquidity component spread across pools. Under this model, large sovereign transactions could clear without stressing liquidity or requiring complex pre-funding arrangements.
Also Read: Ripple CTO Reveals More Use-Cases for the XRP Ledger Beyond Payments
The #1 Most Important XRP Question:
At what price does XRP eliminate pre-funding, slippage, and liquidity stress for sovereign-scale settlement?
Based on:
• Global settlement volume
• Order book depth requirements
• Central bank-scale transaction sizing
• Desire to avoid… pic.twitter.com/2cvt8IgWsi
— Rob Cunningham | KUWL.show (@KuwlShow) December 22, 2025
From Asset to Infrastructure
At those price levels, Cunningham believes XRP would no longer behave like a conventional cryptocurrency. Instead, it would function simultaneously as a settlement rail, a reserve asset, and a unit-of-account bridge.
In that state, liquidity becomes effectively invisible, the cost of capital trends toward zero, and XRP behaves less like money and more like energy, always available, instantly transferable, and fundamental to system operation.
He contrasts this with lower valuations, arguing that while a $500 XRP may be usable, it would remain inefficient and force the very workarounds XRP was designed to eliminate.
Why XRP Could Reprice Faster Than Most Assets
Cunningham suggests XRP would not reprice based on earnings, narratives, or traditional market cycles. Instead, it would reprice once markets recognize its role as structurally necessary infrastructure for global settlement.
According to his thesis, three psychological shifts would occur almost simultaneously: XRP would stop being viewed as one option among many and instead become a required input; future value would dominate present valuation models; and circulating supply would become functionally illiquid as long-term holders refuse to sell while institutions are forced to acquire regardless of price.
He likens this dynamic to historical moments such as reserve currency transitions, critical energy discoveries during geopolitical conflict, or monopoly infrastructure recognition.
The Three-Phase Acceleration Model
Cunningham outlines a three-phase price acceleration framework. The first phase, which he calls a “recognition shock,” could be triggered by regulatory finality, sovereign-level integration, or explicit institutional confirmation of production use.
In this stage, price movement would be rapid and discontinuous, potentially delivering multiples within weeks rather than years.
The second phase would involve future value compression, where institutions model long-term settlement demand and market makers front-run scarcity. Price advances in this phase would be volatile, featuring sharp pullbacks but consistently higher floors. A third phase, while not explicitly detailed, implies stabilization at levels where XRP’s function, rather than speculation, anchors valuation.
Cunningham argues XRP cannot gradually appreciate like equities because it lacks an earnings curve, has no true substitute at a global scale, and carries asymmetric risk. Overpaying for access may be tolerable for institutions, he claims, but missing access entirely could be catastrophic.
As a result, price discovery would likely occur through abrupt repricing rather than steady accumulation.
A Warning on Timing
In closing, Cunningham emphasizes that by the time consensus forms around XRP’s role as infrastructure, the price would likely already be far beyond what feels reasonable today. Markets, he argues, do not reward foresight but punish hesitation.
His conclusion is stark: XRP may not rise because belief increases, but because market participants cannot afford to be wrong once inevitability is recognized.
Also Read: XRP Price Set to Surge? Egrag Crypto Reveals Key Volume Trends That Could Spark Rally
