XRP Price History: From 2012 to 2026

Ripple (XRP) was launched in 2012 by David Schwartz, Jed McCaleb, Arthur Britto, and Chris Larsen as a faster, more energy-efficient alternative to Bitcoin. The native token XRP has undergone dramatic price movements over its history, driven by regulatory events, adoption milestones, and market cycles.

Key XRP Price History Milestones

• 2012–2017: XRP traded below $0.01 for most of its early history.
• January 2018: XRP reached its first all-time high near $3.84 during the crypto bull run.
• March 2020: XRP hit its all-time low of $0.1055 amid the COVID-19 market crash.
• December 2020: The SEC filed a lawsuit against Ripple Labs, causing XRP to drop sharply.
• April 2021: XRP recovered to approximately $1.96 during the broader bull market.
• August 2025: SEC and Ripple reached an agreement to drop appeals; XRP surged 23% to $3.38.
• July 18, 2025: XRP reached its current all-time high of $3.66.
• January 2026: XRP rose to $2.41 on positive market expectations, then dropped to $1.50.
• April 2026: XRP is consolidating in the $1.28–$1.40 range.

XRP Price Performance by Year

Over the past year, XRP has decreased by -35.27% from its 2025 peak, reflecting the broader crypto market correction. The month-over-month performance shows -2.18%, while the 7-day performance is positive at +4.18%. XRP's all-time high of $3.66 was set on July 18, 2025, while its all-time low of $0.1055 was recorded on March 13, 2020.

The SEC Lawsuit and Its Impact on XRP Price History

From December 2020 to August 2025, Ripple Labs was locked in a legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The lawsuit, which alleged that Ripple sold XRP as an unregistered security raising over $1.3 billion, significantly weighed on the XRP price throughout this period. The resolution in August 2025 was a defining moment in XRP price history, triggering a sharp rally and paving the way for institutional adoption.

XRP Price History: Technical Cycles

XRP has historically followed Bitcoin's halving cycles. The XRPBTC chart shows that every time XRP/BTC fell below the 0.00001 level (seen in 2017, 2020, 2021, 2024, and 2025), it ended its decline and subsequently began an epic recovery. This pattern is closely watched by long-term XRP investors as an indicator of cycle bottoms.