XRP's price has fallen below $2.50 in mid-October 2025, driven by significant whale sell-offs totaling over 440 million tokens and delays in SEC approval of XRP ETF applications. The decline comes despite earlier optimistic forecasts, including a prediction by analyst Zach Rector for a surge to $5–$12 by December 2025. The market has reacted negatively to ongoing regulatory uncertainty, with institutional and retail investors showing concern. Ripple co-founders have also contributed to the volatility by selling $120 million worth of XRP. Despite these challenges, the XRP ecosystem remains hopeful for long-term growth, highlighted by a $180 billion mutual fund's application for an XRP ETF and Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin nearing $1 billion in value.