XRP Utility Debate Reignites as Old Emails Resurface

A decade-old email just reignited one of the cryptocurrency industry’s longest-running arguments. As XRP price expectations clash with the XRP Ledger’s original design, developers and analysts are stepping in to clarify what actually matters and to whom.

The result is less about price targets and more about how global payment rails really work. Hence, the community is trying to make it clear whether XRP is supposed to be an investment or invisible infrastructure.

Where the XRP vs XRPL Argument Comes From

The latest debate traces back to a 2013 email from Arthur Britto, where he described XRP as “hidden plumbing,” a bridge asset users wouldn’t need to think about if better routes existed. 

It was Panos Mekras, the co-founder and CEO of Anodos Finance, a fintech company building a “financial super app” and on-chain neobank on the XRPL, who started it all by sharing the letter in an X post on January 29.

The point wasn’t price dismissal, but design intent. The XRP Ledger was built as a currency market plus payment network, where assets compete on liquidity and spreads, not hype. In that model, XRP is optional, used only when it offers the most efficient bridge.

That distinction resurfaced when commentators argued that such statements imply XRP can’t rise in value. Others pushed back, saying that the interpretation confuses transaction mechanics with long-term market dynamics.

David Schwartz Clarifies the Liquidity Question

Ripple CTO David Schwartz stepped in to clarify what “price is less important than spread” actually means.

For users converting, say, dollars to euros, the decision to route through XRP depends far more on liquidity depth and spreads than on XRP’s nominal price. A higher price doesn’t automatically help payments, and a very low price can actually make XRP more expensive to use due to slippage and capital inefficiency.

Crucially, Schwartz avoided making absolute price claims. He noted that he once believed XRP hitting $0.25 was unlikely, just as Bitcoin (BTC) at $100 once seemed impossible. Markets, he argued, don’t move on certainty, but on structure and adoption over time.

Why Analysts Say the Chart Still Matters

That’s where prominent crypto trading expert EGRAG CRYPTO entered the discussion. Responding to claims that XRP “can’t” reach higher valuations, he reframed the debate around math and capital expansion.

As he explained, from a pure percentage standpoint, XRP moving from $2 to $100 is mathematically far less extreme than its early move from fractions of a cent to $1. Lower prices feel heavier emotionally, but the math doesn’t care.

More importantly, EGRAG CRYPTO separates utility design from market outcomes. XRPL can function as hidden infrastructure, and XRP can appreciate if liquidity, usage, and structure align. One doesn’t cancel the other.

In short, the argument is about confusing how a system is meant to work with how markets sometimes behave. And history suggests those two rarely move in straight lines.

XRP Price Today

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