According to the article, XRP held the #3 spot among non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization as of mid-December, with its network originally launched in June 2012 to facilitate large international transfers. The author compares a potential 20x upside to Bitcoin's peak market cap and explores projections that XRP could capture 14% of SWIFT's $150 trillion payments volume by 2030, alongside surging activity on the XRP Ledger as a smart contract platform.

XRP is trading near $2.08 as three distinct AI-based models outline potential paths for its next price move. A trend-focused neural network, an LSTM designed for cyclical patterns, and a multi-factor AI all flag rising odds of volatility, with some scenarios tilted toward the upside. Their projections point to a possible 18% move in the near term and highlight resistance zones between $2.22 and $2.28. The analysis was conducted using models run through ChatGPT’s engine.

Bitcoin fell approximately $6,000 within hours, declining from over $91,000 to around $85,000 on Binance. The drop triggered more than $650 million in liquidations, a 390% increase from the previous 24-hour period. Total cryptocurrency market capitalization decreased to $3 trillion, according to CoinGecko.

Bitcoin dropped below $82,000 on Binance during early European trading Friday, trading near $84,000 at press time. The decline triggered extensive liquidations totaling $2 billion across exchanges over 24 hours, according to Coinglass. Long positions approaching $1 billion were liquidated within a single hour as selling pressure accelerated.