BlackRock could soon join the XRP ETF race as Ripple’s legal battle with the SEC officially wraps up, removing a major regulatory cloud. The sudden shift in sentiment has fueled speculation that the world’s largest asset manager was simply waiting for the right moment.
Nate Geraci, president of the ETF Store, said, “Yes, I think BlackRock was waiting to see this before filing for iShares XRP ETF.” He added, “Makes zero sense for them to ignore crypto assets beyond BTC & ETH.”
This comes as XRP surged to $3.28, rising 7.31% in 24 hours with over $13 billion in trading volume. The momentum followed Ripple and the SEC’s joint move to dismiss appeals, effectively closing a long-standing case.
Analysts Disagree on BlackRock’s Timing
Despite growing optimism, not all analysts see a BlackRock filing as inevitable. Bloomberg ETF expert Eric Balchunas pushed back, saying, “I think they’re happy with the two.” He cited limited upside beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum. However, he admitted his stance was more gut than data-driven.
DCinvestor weighed in, noting that many long-time crypto participants share this BTC-ETH-only mindset. Geraci responded by asking if BlackRock shared that same narrow view.
Meanwhile, seven other asset managers—including Grayscale, 21Shares, and Bitwise—have already filed for XRP ETFs. Bloomberg analysts now estimate a 95% chance of approval this year. On Polymarket, a decentralized event trading platform, traders give a 82% chance of an XRP ETF launching before year-end.
The end of the Ripple-SEC legal battle has paved the way for a new venture. Hence, the addition of BlackRock would give the asset institutional approval and open up new markets for cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds.
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