The Best Crypto to Invest in Now: Why XRP Deserves Your $100

Finding the best crypto to invest in now requires looking beyond the headline prices of Bitcoin and Ethereum. While BTC currently trades around $67,330 and ETH hovers near $1,960, there’s a compelling opportunity hiding in plain sight: XRP, currently trading at just $1.43. For investors looking to deploy $100 into the cryptocurrency market, XRP represents one of the most intriguing asymmetric risk-reward opportunities available.

Why XRP Stands Out Among Today’s Best Crypto Options

XRP’s value proposition hinges on its unique role in global finance. Known as the banker’s coin, XRP functions as a bridge currency designed to facilitate fast, efficient, and low-cost cross-border payments—a massive $150 trillion annual market that remains ripe for digital disruption.

What makes XRP genuinely compelling as an investment choice is the fundamental shift in adoption patterns. For years, XRP was primarily used by individuals sending remittances to family overseas. Western Union was among the first to recognize its potential. But the narrative is evolving dramatically. Today, it’s Wall Street banks and global financial institutions that are increasingly deploying XRP infrastructure for seamless money transfers. This institutional pivot represents the core thesis driving price appreciation expectations.

Recent developments have accelerated this trend. After the SEC lawsuit concluded in August 2025, regulatory clarity improved meaningfully. Then in November 2025, the first spot XRP ETFs launched, opening institutional investment channels previously unavailable. This combination of legal resolution and infrastructure expansion addresses two critical barriers that had constrained XRP adoption.

Price Potential: From $1.43 to the Upside

The mathematics of XRP’s price potential justify why it remains the best crypto to invest in now for opportunistic traders. XRP previously reached $3.65 in 2024—representing a 155% gain from current levels. More ambitiously, Standard Chartered Bank issued a $12.50 price target by 2028, which would translate to an 775% return.

These projections aren’t fantasy. They’re grounded in adoption trajectory analysis. As institutional usage accelerates, demand for XRP tokens should increase proportionally. This direct relationship between network utility and token demand forms the foundation of long-term valuation models. Consider the contrast with other assets: while Bitcoin trades 47x higher at $67,330 and Solana sits at $83.32, both face their own competitive pressures. XRP’s low entry point combined with exploding institutional adoption creates a window of opportunity.

The 24-hour trading volume of $63.48 million and market capitalization of $87.07 billion demonstrate that XRP maintains substantial liquidity—critical for investors seeking to move meaningful positions without slippage.

Investing $100 in XRP: Your Available Routes

Prior to 2025, acquiring XRP involved friction: establishing accounts on cryptocurrency exchanges, navigating regulatory uncertainty, and managing custody directly. The SEC lawsuit created additional complications, with some U.S. exchanges delisting XRP out of caution.

Today’s environment is fundamentally different. Spot XRP ETF products launched in November 2025, including offerings from Bitwise, Grayscale, Canary Capital, and 21Shares. These ETFs provide direct 1:1 exposure to XRP’s price movements through standard brokerage accounts—no exchange account needed, full regulatory blessing included.

This structural change means your $100 deployment has flexibility. You could purchase roughly 70 XRP tokens in the spot market, or acquire shares of a Bitwise XRP ETF through your existing brokerage. Both paths deliver identical underlying exposure with different custody mechanics. Additional ETF products are expected throughout 2026, further democratizing access.

The Risk Equation: Why XRP Remains Volatile

For all its promise, XRP remains fundamentally speculative. The current $1.43 price represents a 61% discount to its 52-week high, reflecting broader cryptocurrency volatility and lingering sentiment from the five-year SEC dispute.

Real competitive headwinds exist. Stablecoins—digital currencies pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar—offer simpler payment solutions for many cross-border use cases. Meanwhile, newer blockchain networks claim faster and cheaper transaction speeds than XRP’s existing infrastructure.

This is not a risk-free investment. A 24-hour price swing of -0.14% understates the potential for larger drawdowns in bear markets. XRP has never traded above $3.84 in its entire decade-plus history, suggesting that even bullish narratives face historical caps. The combination of regulatory risk, competition, and market sentiment volatility demands that investors treat XRP as a high-risk allocation suitable only for capital they can afford to lose.

Making Your Decision: The Best Crypto to Invest In Now

Deploying $100 into XRP represents a calculated bet on institutional adoption acceleration. The infrastructure is improving, the regulatory environment has cleared, and the price offers meaningful upside if adoption thesis plays out.

But recognize what you’re actually buying: a high-risk, high-reward position in a digital asset attempting to transform global payment infrastructure. The opportunity is real. The risks are substantial. Neither should be understated when evaluating whether XRP belongs in your portfolio.