Ripple’s evolution from a crypto firm into a fully licensed bank could dramatically reshape both its balance sheet and the price outlook for XRP, industry voices say. The idea gained renewed attention after Teucrium CEO Sal Gilbertie laid out a bullish scenario in an interview on the Paul Barron Network, a clip of which was shared on X by a crypto market commentator.
What Gilbertie argued is straightforward but potent: if Ripple secures a full banking license, the company could treat its existing XRP holdings as regulated bank assets, materially boosting its reported book value. Gilbertie pointed specifically to Ripple’s 40 million XRP held in escrow, saying that retaining those tokens within a banking framework could instantly amplify Ripple’s market position and elevate its standing among global financial institutions.
Price and ranking implications
Gilbertie tied that balance-sheet uplift directly to price action, suggesting that a licensed Ripple could push XRP toward $3 — and that at $3 (or multiples thereof) the firm’s valuation could place it among the world’s top 20 banks by market capitalization. He went further in the interview, sketching how higher XRP prices would scale Ripple’s valuation proportionally and potentially propel it even higher in the global banking rankings.
TradFi moves on-chain
The conversation also covered the broader convergence of traditional finance and blockchain. When asked whether leveraged ETFs and other legacy instruments might one day exist on-chain, Gilbertie was confident: yes — he expects all financial instruments will eventually operate on-chain. That view signals a future where tokenized assets and conventional financial products are deeply integrated.
Regulatory progress and business moves
Ripple is not starting from scratch on the regulatory front. The company previously received conditional preliminary approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust bank charter — a step that places it alongside a small group of crypto firms pursuing regulated bank-like status in the U.S. Full approval has not yet been granted, but Ripple is actively building out payment rails through acquisitions, partnerships and share buybacks as it moves through that regulatory pipeline.
Market snapshot
XRP itself has shown recent volatility: it rallied as high as $1.60 this week before trimming gains and trading around $1.43 at the time of reporting — still up roughly 14% during the latest move. Analysts remain broadly bullish on the token, especially if Ripple’s regulatory and business strategies come to fruition.
Bottom line
The takeaways are clear: a full banking license would change how Ripple can treat its XRP holdings, potentially supercharging both its balance sheet and XRP’s market price. Whether that leads to a $3 XRP or a top-20 banking ranking depends on regulatory outcomes, market dynamics and how effectively Ripple converts crypto holdings into regulated financial strength.
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