First Ledger, a decentralized trade on the XRPL, drew a pointy comparability this week when it stated 401(ok) and XRP are “mainly the identical factor” of their goal to develop long-term worth.
In response to letters despatched to the Securities and Change Fee, 9 lawmakers — together with Home committee chairs French Hill and Ann Wagner — urged SEC Chair Paul Atkins to behave on an government order from US President Donald Trump that might make it simpler for retirement plans to carry crypto. The transfer would contact roughly 90 million Individuals who use 401(ok) accounts.
Lawmakers Push For 401(ok) Entry
Primarily based on stories, the push is aimed toward loosening particular investor guidelines so retirement plans can embrace different property reminiscent of Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP.
If plans get entry, even very small allocations might add huge sums to markets. A one % to 2 % allocation throughout the $12 trillion 401(ok) market has been put ahead as an inexpensive situation. That math interprets to roughly $120 billion to $240 billion flowing into crypto property.
401k and XRP are mainly the identical factor https://t.co/JqtkHF4ovy
— First Ledger (@First_Ledger) September 22, 2025
Massive Cash, Massive Comparisons
To provide that scale: Bitcoin exchange-traded funds drew $57 billion since January 2024. Over the identical interval, Bitcoin’s worth is reported to have climbed from $45,000 to $124,457, and the worldwide crypto market has grown from $1.65 trillion to greater than $4.17 trillion.
Stories additionally level out that public retirement methods are beginning to add crypto publicity — for instance, the State of Michigan Retirement System has elevated holdings in Bitcoin and Ethereum trusts. Analysts say such strikes make the 401(ok) debate greater than theoretical.
Retirement Allocation
Primarily based on an evaluation cited in August, if international retirement funds managing about $50 trillion allotted 1% — roughly $500 billion — to XRP, a easy linear estimate might place the value close to $12.
With wider multiplier results, projections talked about vary from $17 to $34. For context, one other evaluation estimates a 2% allocation to Bitcoin might raise its worth to about $175,000 and push Bitcoin’s market cap close to $3.4 trillion.
Retirement Funds May Add Billions
Market commentators argue that retirement cash would possible circulation into ETFs fairly than uncooked coin purchases. Paul Barron has prompt that 401(ok) capital would first head into crypto ETFs, and others have stated that ETF entry for XRP could possibly be transformational.
That view rests on the concept that ETFs are acquainted, regulated wrappers which many plans use already. First Ledger’s comparability frames XRP as a instrument for long-term worth switch, likening the token’s position in cross-border settlement to the regular purpose of retirement financial savings.
Featured picture from NWM, chart from TradingView
