SEC Calls XRP a Commodity, Franklin Templeton Says It’s the Next Bitcoin: What Comes Next?

$XRP is making headlines again. According to recent reports, Franklin Templeton’s research team says $XRP is “moving toward Bitcoin and Ethereum-level institutional adoption.”

$BTC and $ETH have long dominated regulated investment products, making this comparison notable and signaling growing institutional interest in $XRP. The firm points to $XRP’s role in cross-border payments as its core utility.

One of the executives also reportedly said that the token’s price is “critical to cross-border payments,” linking its market value directly to its function in international transfers. Unlike typical altcoin coverage, this perspective focuses on real-world utility rather than speculative gains.

Turning Research Into Action

Franklin Templeton didn’t stop at research. The firm launched the Franklin $XRP ETF (XRPZ), giving investors regulated exposure through traditional brokerage accounts. With $1.6 trillion in assets under management, creating a standalone $XRP product reflects a serious commitment to the token’s adoption beyond speculation, showing that it is being recognized as a functional asset for financial operations.

Network data supports this growing adoption. According to Santiment, the $XRP Ledger continues to expand, with over 5.6 million wallets holding less than 100 $XRP, 2 million wallets holding between 100 and 100,000 $XRP, and more than 32,000 wallets holding over 100,000 $XRP. This distribution indicates increasing institutional and high-net-worth participation on the network.

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Regulatory Clarity Boosts Growth

On March 17, the SEC and CFTC classified $XRP as a commodity alongside $BTC, $ETH, Solana, and Cardano. This designation provides custodians like Northern Trust, State Street, and Citi clarity on which assets to support and how to manage them, reducing uncertainty for institutional players.

$XRP Price Outlook

Despite a broader downtrend since October 2025, $XRP remains above its multi-year ascending triangle breakout level confirmed in November 2024. Analyst CasiTrades says $XRP is showing a small bounce, but the overall trend still looks weak. The price keeps hitting a line that’s acting like a ceiling, making it hard to go higher. In the short term, it could rise to around $1.40–$1.41 and then maybe $1.51–$1.55.

But if it can’t break above $1.65, the next move could push it down toward $0.87. The analyst advises keeping an eye on these levels and not getting caught up in the small ups and downs.