XRP News Today: Court Ruling May Trigger ETF Buzz or Renew SEC Appeal Risks; BTC at $107k

SEC vs. Ripple Court Ruling Fuels Debate

The SEC vs. Ripple case continued to draw debate across the crypto community on Wednesday, June 25, underscoring the significance of the case for the crypto market.

Crypto analyst John Squire commented:

“Judge Torres is close to delivering her final decision in the Ripple vs SEC case. A ruling that could redefine the legal status of digital assets in the US…”

However, pro-crypto lawyer Bill Morgan criticized Squire’s comments, stating:

“This is incorrect. The decision on the joint motion filed last week will be an indicative ruling on whether there are exceptional circumstances to warrant the Court reducing the penalty and dissolving the injunction. It will not be a ruling that will redefine the status of digital assets in the US. In fact, the parties have agreed that the substantive summary judgment ruling made by Judge Torres in July 2023 will remain in place and will not be vacated, amended, or modified.”

Morgan referred to the SEC and Ripple’s agreement to settle and drop their respective appeals, allowing Judge Torres’ 2023 ruling to stand. However, the appeal withdrawals are contingent on Judge Torres granting a favorable indicative ruling on lifting the ban on XRP sales to institutional investors and reducing the penalty to $50 million.

If Judge Torres rejects the joint motion, Ripple may pursue its cross-appeal. In that case, the SEC may resume its own appeal against the Programmatic Sales ruling.

Ripple and the SEC filed a second joint motion on June 12 after Judge Torres rejected the first filing. On June 17, Ripple filed a Supplemental Letter, strengthening its argument for vacating the injunction and lowering the penalty.

A court ruling on the joint motion could come at any time.

XRP Price Outlook: Court Action and ETF Developments

XRP fell 0.26% on Wednesday, June 25, partially reversing Tuesday’s 1.4% gain to close at $2.1853. The token underperformed the broader crypto market, which rose 0.49%, taking the total crypto market cap to $3.25 trillion.

The near-term XRP price outlook hinges on Judge Torres’ settlement ruling, the SEC’s appeal plans, and XRP-spot ETF-related updates.

A breakout above the 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) could signal a climb toward the June 16 high of $2.3389. A sustained move above $2.3389 may enable the bulls to target the May high of $2.6553. Conversely, a drop below the 200-day EMA could expose sub-$2 levels and the $1.9299 support level.

For a deeper dive, see our full XRP forecast here.

Bitcoin Goes Mainstream in US Real Estate Market

While XRP moved sideways amid legal uncertainties, bitcoin (BTC) extended its winning streak to three sessions. On Wednesday, June 25, the US Director of Federal Housing issued a directive, ordering Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to prepare to consider crypto as an asset in mortgage risk assessments. According to the directive:

“US Federal Housing FHFA, its conservator, hereby directs each Enterprise to prepare a proposal for consideration of cryptocurrency as an asset for reserves in their respective single-family mortgage-loan risk assessments, without conversion of said cryptocurrency to US dollars. Each Enterprise is directed to consider only cryptocurrency assets that can be evidenced and stored on a US-regulated centralized exchange, subject to all applicable laws.”

The US Federal Housing FHFA acknowledged that the Enterprises previously converted cryptocurrencies to US dollars before loan closing.

US Director of Federal Housing FHFA William John Pulte remarked:

“After significant studying, and in keeping with President Trump’s vision to make the United States the crypto capital of the world, today I ordered the Great Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to prepare their businesses to count crypto as an asset for a mortgage.”

Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty commented:

“Good news for the 55 million Americans who own crypto.”

MicroStrategy (MSTR) Chairman Michael Saylor called it a ‘defining moment for institutional BTC adoption and collateral recognition.’

The two Enterprises support around 70% of the US mortgage market, backing about 40% of all securitized US mortgages in 2024. There is approximately $12.8 trillion in total US mortgage debt outstanding, underscoring the significance of the directive for the crypto market.

US BTC-spot ETFs Target Twelve-Day Inflow Streak

While Wednesday’s Federal Housing FHFA directive was a milestone, US BTC-spot ETF flow trends continued driving BTC toward its all-time high of $111,917. According to Farside Investors, key inflows for June 25 included:

• Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) had net inflows of $115.2 million.
• ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) registered net inflows of $70.2 million.
• Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) saw net inflows of $12.9 million.
• VanEck Bitcoin ETF (HODL) reported net inflows of $9.1 million.

With BlackRock’s (BLK) iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) flow data pending, total US BTC-spot ETF inflows reached $207.4 million. Notably, the US BTC-spot ETF market may extend its net inflow streak to twelve sessions. Despite a shaky start to June, BTC-spot ETF issuers have registered total net inflows of $3,201 million in the month, after net inflows of $5,232.1 million in May.

Bloomberg Intelligence Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas remarked on the impact of the US BTC-spot ETF market on bitcoin’s price trajectory, stating:

“Let me also remind you that BlackRock filed for BTC ETF exactly two years ago. The return since then is 234%!”

IBIT has been crucial for the US BTC-spot ETF market, reportedly ranking #4 on the year-to-date flow leaderboard and #5 in three-year inflows despite only launching in January 2024.

BTC Price Outlook: Trade developments, US Data, and ETF Flows

BTC rose 1.18% on Wednesday, June 25, following Tuesday’s 0.66% gain, closing at $107,393.

The near-term price trajectory depends on several key drivers, including US economic data, trade headlines, the Iran-Israel ceasefire, and ETF flows.

Potential scenarios:

• Bearish Scenario: Renewed Middle East tensions, legislation roadblocks, US tariff threats, weak US economic data, and ETF outflows. A combination of these could push BTC toward the 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA), bringing sub-$100,000 levels into play.
• Bullish Scenario: Easing Iran-Israel tensions, bipartisan support for the Bitcoin Act, positive trade developments, and ETF inflows. Under these scenarios, BTC could target its all-time high of $111,917.

What to Watch

Investors should look out for rulings in the Ripple case, legislative news, Middle East chatter, trade developments, and ETF flows. These factors remain crucial for near-term price trends. They could dictate if XRP or BTC revisits record highs.

See where analysts expect XRP and BTC to head as legal and political risks evolve.