BlackRock’s XRP ETF: The Crypto Drama You Can’t Miss!

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Ah, the ever-confident Nate Geraci—President of The ETF Store, host of ETF Prime, and Co-Founder of The ETF Institute—has once again graced us with his unwavering belief in the future of a spot XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States. Quelle surprise! 🎭

Geraci took to X, that modern-day stage for financial theatrics, to declare, “The Ripple lawsuit is nearing its grand finale… It seems obvious that a spot XRP ETF approval is merely a matter of time, in my humble opinion. And yes, I expect BlackRock, Fidelity, and the rest of the financial troupe to join the performance. XRP is currently the third-largest non-stablecoin crypto asset by market cap. The largest ETF issuers won’t ignore this spectacle.”

Geraci, who had already predicted a spot ETF filing by BlackRock in mid-March, doubled down on his prophecy, suggesting that major asset managers will soon dive into the altcoin pool beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum. On March 14, he penned: “I’m ready to make a formal prediction… BlackRock will file for both Solana and XRP ETFs. Solana could happen any day now. As for XRP, I think it’ll be once the SEC lawsuit concludes.”

The expert emphasized that BlackRock is currently the leading actor (with Fidelity as the understudy) in the spot Bitcoin and spot Ethereum ETF drama. “I simply don’t see them allowing competitors to swoop in and launch ETFs on two of the top five non-stablecoin crypto assets without a fight. I also believe BlackRock will file for crypto index ETFs, by the way,” Geraci stated with a flourish.

Notably, yesterday’s filing by Fidelity for a spot Solana ETF seems to confirm that the leading fund issuers are stepping into the altcoin ETF arena. Mon dieu! 🎭

XRP Lawsuit: The Final Act

Geraci’s renewed optimism comes on the heels of yesterday’s announcement from Ripple Chief Legal Officer (CLO) Stuart Alderoty, who provided what he called his “last update on SEC v Ripple ever.” Last week, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) agreed to drop its appeal against Ripple.

“Ripple has now agreed to drop its cross-appeal. The SEC will keep $50M of the $125M fine (already in an interest-bearing escrow in cash), with the balance returned to Ripple. The agency will also ask the Court to lift the standard injunction that was imposed earlier at the SEC’s request. All subject to Commission vote, drafting of final documents, and the usual court processes,” Alderoty revealed with a dramatic pause.

However, pro-XRP attorney Fred Rispoli clarified via X that the case is not entirely concluded until the SEC’s formal vote and subsequent filings have been processed. Based on standard timelines, Rispoli suggests it could take up to 30 days for the Commission to vote and another 30 days for Judge Torres to sign off on lifting the injunction. Encore! 🎭

In the best-case scenario, observers could see a fully resolved matter within roughly 60 days. The formal conclusion of the SEC lawsuit against Ripple would ostensibly remove a central barrier to major institutional products tied to XRP, thereby making Geraci’s spot XRP ETF prediction more plausible. C’est magnifique! 🎭

At press time, XRP traded at $2.4495. 🎭

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2025-03-26 14:44