Why XRP Appeals to Institutional Investors, Bitwise CIO Explains

His first explanation concerns durability, a question advisors face when evaluating newer forms of investment alongside traditional holdings. Cryptocurrencies are digital assets that can be stored, exchanged, and used for payments. Confidence that a token will persist differs from an expectation that its price will rise.

Familiar Financial Uses Strengthen $XRP’s Case

Hougan’s second explanation connects that established history with financial services his audience already recognizes and can evaluate. He added: “It fits into real-world applications that they can understand.” He pointed to stablecoins, tokens designed to maintain a reference value, alongside transfers between currencies and liquidity, the availability of assets needed to transact.

Those themes are reflected in activity on the $XRP Ledger (XRPL), the blockchain whose native token is $XRP. Stablecoin supply and tokenization expanded across XRPL during 2026, even as the token’s price weakened. Tokenization represents assets through blockchain-based tokens; network activity and token prices can follow different paths.

Hougan also cited Ripple’s bank charter efforts as news advisors understand, along with what it could mean for the $XRP community. The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) granted conditional approval for Ripple National Trust Bank on Dec. 12, 2025. That preliminary decision required the proposed institution to meet preopening conditions and receive final authorization before beginning operations.