According to market commentators, XRP has followed Bitcoin in every major bull cycle up to now King Valexwho cited historical price data showing the 2 assets moving in lockstep during broad market rallies.
Historical data shows that XRP tracks Bitcoin rallies. Introduction narratives don’t change the short-term correlation
Bitcoin is down about 5% year-to-date, while XRP is down almost 10% over the identical period. Valex said the present decline suits a well known pattern where XRP mirrors Bitcoin during market-wide moves.
XRP/USD day by day price chart. Source: TradingView
Historical data shows that XRP tracks Bitcoin rallies
Valex cited the 2015-2017 Bitcoin bull market, when BTC rose from around $230 to almost $20,000. During the identical period, XRP climbed from around $0.0075 to its all-time high of around $3.88 in early 2018.
Source: X
The relationship repeated within the 2020–2021 cycle. While Bitcoin rose from around $13,000 to a high of around $69,000, XRP rose from around $0.24 to almost $2. Analysts largely attribute the failure to recapture the 2018 high during this era to the SEC's lawsuit against Ripple, which began in December 2020 and limited institutional participation.
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Most recently, Bitcoin's rally from early 2024 to 2025 once more coincided with a robust XRP move, with the token gaining greater than five-fold from its cycle low before retreating together with the broader market.
According to Valex, these repeated cycles show that XRP has not decoupled from Bitcoin during major market expansions.
Analysts note that Bitcoin continues to set the direction for the broader crypto market. When BTC weakens, liquidity tends to go away altcoins, including XRP. When Bitcoin recovers, XRP has historically followed suit, often posting larger percentage gains resulting from its smaller market cap.
This momentum has remained intact at the same time as bullish long-term Bitcoin predictions resurface, including renewed calls for a BTC price of $1 million. Market watchers consider that XRP is prone to follow this trend and never break out if Bitcoin achieves one other sustained uptrend.
Adoption narratives don’t change the short-term correlation
Some proponents argue that adoption, not Bitcoin, will ultimately determine the token's price. Crypto educator JesseFounder of Apex Crypto Academyhas said that XRP's value must be judged by its role in cross-border payments and institutional settlements.
He has highlighted the dimensions of traditional finance, stating that central banks move more value in a single day than most blockchains process in a 12 months. However, analysts warn that increased usage doesn’t mechanically result in price increases, especially if settlement systems are designed to reduce on-chain risk.
Separately, institutional activity across the XRP Ledger has increased in Asia. Japanese financial commentator Yuto Kanzaki has pointed to the early talks between Japan and South Korea on joint blockchain initiatives. No official announcements have been made.
Source: X
Ripple has expanded its regional presence through the XRPL Japan and Korea Fund and the growing participation of validators. Virtual asset provider regulated in South Korea Infinite block has joined the XRP Ledger as a validator. In Japan it’s supported by SBI SBI holdings supports XRP services via SBI VC Trade.
