XRP Flips Tether’s USDT By Market Cap Reclaiming 3rd Spot, Price Rally To $3?

XRP’s price rose by 10% in the last 24 hours, reaching $2.6 and pushing its market cap to $152 billion. According to CoinMarketCap, this surge allowed XRP to reclaim the third-largest spot among all cryptocurrencies, overtaking Tether (USDT), whose market cap recently touched $150 billion.

XRP Market Cap Passes Tether’s USDT

XRP price trend amid  US-China trade talks has brought it back to levels not seen since March 6. This move placed it ahead of Tether (USDT) in the overall cryptocurrency market rankings. XRP now trails only Bitcoin and Ethereum by market capitalization according to Santiment data.

CoinMarketCap data confirmed that XRP’s current valuation reflects renewed investor interest and wider adoption. Meanwhile, USDT also reached a new milestone, recording a $150 billion market cap. However, its role as a stablecoin limits price movement compared to XRP.

Traders are watching the $2.69 level closely. This point is the 0.236 Fibonacci retracement from XRP’s all-time high of $3.84, set in January 2018. Analysts say a clean break above this level could push prices further toward the $3 mark.

Whats Behind the XRP Price Rally?

Multiple factors have driven XRP’s rise, including favorable policy news and wider utility. According to Santiment, one driver was House Bill 594 in Missouri. This proposed bill would allow full income tax deductions on capital gains, including profits from Bitcoin and XRP.

Santiment has also reported an 11% increase in XRP holders since the beginning of 2025 hinting it would hit the highest in the last 12 year. This suggests growing retail interest and broader participation. Furthermore, XRP was recently added as a payment option on Travala.com, a travel booking platform that accepts various cryptocurrencies.

This expansion of real-world use cases may be supporting long-term demand. Market analysts said the price rally has occurred despite a low momentum environment, indicating sustained interest rather than short-term speculation.

Ripple Lawsuit to Boost XRP to Flip ETH?

Ripple’s legal situation with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) remains in the spotlight. Last Friday, Ripple and the SEC filed a joint motion to settle their long-running legal dispute for $50 million.

The proposed deal, still subject to court approval, would let Ripple regain $125 million currently held in escrow. It would also keep the court’s earlier decision on XRP’s sales. This settlement may reduce uncertainty around XRP and support investor confidence.

In addition, Ripple has been making moves to grow its presence in institutional finance. The company has expanded through acquisitions and new partnerships. These efforts aim to position XRP and its network as a tool for cross-border payments and stablecoin infrastructure eventually threatening even to flip Ethereum too.

XRP Price Market Sentiment and Technical Analysis

According to CasiTrades, XRP is nearing the $2.69 resistance level with bulls defending the key support levels. This level is seen as critical for establishing a path toward $3 or signaling a temporary pullback.

“Price is now pushing above $2.64 and rapidly reaching the major $2.69 resistance,” CasiTrades noted. They added that breaking and holding above this level could lead to further gains.

Dark Defender, another analyst, mentioned that XRP had reached levels predicted in prior analyses. “XRP was around $2.45, and we expected a jump to $2.58 and a Wave 4 toward the same level,” he shared.

Data according to Coinglass also shows a rise in trading activity. Derivatives volume surged by 172%, reaching $18.95 billion while the open interest climbed by 15.37%, showing that traders are actively placing bets on future price moves.