Key Takeaways
- Ripple says it has received final OCC approval for a national trust bank supporting RLUSD reserves and institutional digital asset custody.
- Wendy O posted that XRP was “going to $10,000,” days after dismissing a $1,000 price, but offered no supporting analysis.
- The approval strengthens Ripple’s regulated infrastructure without establishing how much additional XRP demand it will generate.
Ripple’s announcement that it has secured final approval for a US national trust bank has prompted a striking U-turn from crypto commentator Wendy O: “I was wrong. $XRP is going to $10,000.”
The post followed her earlier rejection of four-figure XRP forecasts, in which she warned that changing market conditions made even much lower targets uncertain.
Although her wild price claim accompanies a concrete development for Ripple’s business, the bank’s stated functions actually only center on stablecoin reserves and institutional custody.
This has left XRP holders questioning if that expansion will translate into demand for XRP.
Ripple Announces Final US Trust Bank Approval
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced the decision ahead of the company’s Swell conference.
“The @USOCC has granted final approval for Ripple National Trust Bank.”
He said the institution would provide a federally supervised platform supporting Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin and digital asset custody for enterprises.
“The revolution isn’t happening outside the system. It’s happening from within it.”
According to Ripple’s announcement, the approval follows conditional authorization in December 2025.
The bank’s approved activities include managing segregated RLUSD reserves, serving as a collateral trustee for holders, and providing fiduciary custody of digital assets.
The structure also preserves a distinction between the bank and the stablecoin issuer.
RLUSD will continue to be issued by Standard Custody & Trust Company, Ripple’s New York-regulated subsidiary, while the national trust bank adds federal supervision to its supporting infrastructure.
Wendy O Moves From $1,000 Rejection to $10,000 Post
In her Oct. 24 post, before the announcement, Wendy O dismissed expectations that XRP would reach $1,000.
“XRP is not going to $1,000. It might not even go to $100. It might not even go to $10.”
Her wider argument concerned a change in crypto market behavior rather than XRP alone.
She also questioned whether Ethereum would reach $10,000 and said digital assets were increasingly trading like stocks.
Wendy O argued that institutional investors approach the market differently from retail traders, allocating capital according to longer-term strategies rather than necessarily producing the explosive rallies some holders expect.
“When you have the institutions coming in, it’s not that they’re suppressing price; they’re just putting money into things they think are going to do well long term.”
Following Ripple’s announcement, her Oct. 27 response was considerably shorter:
“I was wrong, $XRP is going to $10,000”
Presenting it as a developed investment thesis would therefore go beyond the evidence provided.
What Does the Approval Mean for XRP?
One X user argued that the approval benefits RLUSD rather than XRP, claiming meaningful progress depends on a Fed master account and new congressional legislation.
However, the Fed’s May 20 statement linked its requested pause in Tier 3 account decisions to its own policy review rather than to congressional action.
David Schwartz offered a broader argument about the relationship between network adoption and XRP value in an Oct. 23 exchange.
“I think a world where XRPL is highly successful in financial applications but XRP does not have high demand and value is very unlikely.”
He pointed to XRP’s characteristics within the ledger:
“It’s the only counterparty-free asset that any account can accept. People have to hold it to pay fees. All of those things can help drive value and demand.”
The fee mechanism, however, still requires perspective when put up against massive price calls.
XRPL documentation states the standard minimum transaction cost is 0.00001 XRP, though costs can increase under heavy network load.
At that base rate, one million standard transactions would destroy just 10 XRP.
A $10,000 XRP Price Requires Far More Than Bank Approval
Using today’s starting price of $1.30, XRP would need to rise 769,131% to reach $10,000.
Assuming a circulating supply of 60 billion tokens, that would imply a $600 trillion market capitalization.
For perspective on that massive number, SIFMA puts global stock market capitalization at $157.8 trillion and outstanding fixed-income securities at $160.7 trillion in 2025.
This hypothetical valuation would be around 3.8 times the value of global stocks and almost twice the combined size of global stock and bond markets.
Ripple’s bank approval alone is far from establishing the beginning of these conditions.
A credible $10,000 argument would need to explain why institutions would hold enough XRP to sustain that valuation and how available supply would change.
The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as, financial advice. We do not make any warranties regarding the completeness, reliability, or accuracy of this information. All investments involve risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results. We recommend consulting a financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
