The XRP community has remained consistently optimistic, even as the coin trades around the $2 mark.

While still below its $3.39 peak earlier this year, which nearly approached the all-time high of $3.84 in early 2018

Members of the XRP community remain optimistic even as the coin is trading around the $2 mark.

Still below its $3.39 peak earlier this year-which nearly approached the all-time high of $3.84 in early 2018-this level represents one of XRP’s strongest performances since the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed its lawsuit against Ripple Labs in December 2020.

With Ripple scoring recent legal victories, institutional adoption growing, and the company expanding its global footprint, speculation has been heating up over when XRP might eventually break the $100 barrier and potentially surge even higher.

The latest catalyst for this discussion came from crypto analyst “BarriC,” who broke down why he sees XRP reaching a 3-figure price tag or more.

“When banks start using $XRP, we will know because of the insane price per $XRP,” he said in a Sunday tweet. “We will see prices like $100, $500, $1,000 per XRP. The fact that we can still accumulate XRP at approx $2 means that banks aren’t utilizing XRP… YET.”

According to the analyst, the current price levels reflect a market that is still waiting for real institutional utility. But once banks and global financial institutions begin to use XRP for high-volume cross-border settlements, then the price could quickly outgrow three-digit figures.

Ripple has been working on building the necessary infrastructure for this vision for several years now. RippleNet and its On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) product already process billions of dollars annually, with XRP used to eliminate pre-funded accounts in cross-border transactions. Ripple has also forged strategic partnerships with financial giants like Santander, SBI Holdings, Tranglo, and Novatti. In Southeast Asia and Latin America, Ripple’s solutions are already being used to facilitate real-time remittances.

Earlier in 2023, Ripple acquired Metaco, a Switzerland-based digital asset custody provider, for $250 million. This acquisition gave Ripple a strong foothold in institutional-grade crypto infrastructure, a move that was widely seen as part of a broader strategy to attract banks and asset managers to the XRP ecosystem.

In parallel, Ripple has been engaging with central banks to explore how XRP could be used within central bank digital currency (CBDC) frameworks. The company has at least four pilot programs that are currently ongoing, and it’s building a reputation as a trusted partner in tokenized finance.

On the legal side, Ripple’s Chief Legal Officer, Stuart Alderoty, confirmed on May 3 that the SEC had formally abandoned its appeal in the case over XRP’s classification. Speaking via Ripple’s “Crypto in One Minute” series, Alderoty called the decision a “positive shift” in U.S. crypto policy. He argued that the outcome provides Long-awaited clarity for the market, and suggests that Ripple is now free to pursue deeper institutional integration, which could help boost XRP.

At press time, XRP was trading down 1.24% over the past 24 hours at $2.36.