XRP News Today: ETF Bets and Legal Clarity Keep XRP Above $2; BTC Holds at $104k

SEC vs. Ripple Case: Ruling Could Trigger Appeal Withdrawals, Unlock XRP ETF Path

It was another day of speculation as the legal community and investors considered the latest filings in the SEC vs. Ripple case filings. On June 12, the SEC and Ripple filed a renewed joint motion for an indicative ruling on settlement terms. The SEC and Ripple would withdraw their appeals if Judge Torres grants the motion to lift the injunction prohibiting XRP sales to institutional investors and reducing the $125 million penalty,

Ripple filed a Supplemental Letter on June 16, reinforcing the joint motion’s arguments for a settlement. With Judge Torres’ ruling pending, the parties requested the Second Circuit to continue to hold the appeals in abeyance, with the SEC having to file a status report by August 15.

Pro-crypto lawyer Bill Morgan laid out the settlement process on June 17, clearing market speculation. The process is as follows:

• Parties obtain an indicative ruling.
• If obtained, the parties file motions to the US Court of Appeals for a limited remand to seek the relief agreed between the parties from Judge Torres.
• Upon granting the limited remand, the parties will file a motion with Judge Torres seeking the relief agreed between the parties.
• After lifting the injunction and paying the reduced $50 million fine, the parties will file a motion with the Second Circuit for the Appeal and Cross-appeal to be dismissed.

As detailed, the crucial step in the process is Judge Torres’ indicative ruling.

XRP dropped from $2.5712 to a low of $2.0607 after Judge Torres rejected the first request for an indicative ruling. While briefly climbing to a post-ruling high of $2.3331, XRP continues trading well below the 2025 high of $3.3999, reflecting market caution ahead of the next ruling.

XRP-Spot ETF Approvals Hinge on Appeal Withdrawals

A resolution of the Ripple case will deliver greater legal and regulatory clarity to the US digital asset space. Significantly, the SEC may also approve pending XRP-spot ETF applications if Judge Torres grants the indicative ruling and the parties withdraw their appeals.

While the timelines for a resolution remain uncertain, Bill Morgan believes the case should conclude within several weeks after a favorable indicative ruling. This means the SEC may approve the pending XRP-spot ETFs before the final deadlines in October.

In the meantime, XRP remains in limbo, with optimism over a favorable ruling, and ETF prospects propping XRP above $2.

XRP Price Outlook: Court Rulings and ETF News

XRP rose 0.48% on Wednesday, June 18, partially reversing Tuesday’s 3.43% slide to close at $2.1710. The token tracked the broader market, which gained 0.25%, lifting the total crypto market cap to $3.22 trillion.

The near-term XRP price trajectory hinges on Judge Torres’ settlement ruling and progress toward an XRP-spot ETF market.

A breakout from $2.2 could retest the June 16 high of $2.3376 into play. A sustained move above $2.3376 may pave the way to $2.50 and the May 12 high of $2.6553. However, a drop below the 200-day EMA could expose the $1.9299 support level.

For a deeper dive, see our full XRP forecast here.

Bitcoin Advances on Spot ETF Inflows

While XRP edged higher on hopes of a resolution to the Ripple case, bitcoin (BTC) benefited from spot ETF inflows. According to Farside Investors, key flows for June 18 included:

• Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) had net inflows of $104.4 million.
• Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) saw net inflows of $11.3 million.
• Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC) reported net inflows of $10.1 million.
• Meanwhile, Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) saw net outflows of $16.4 million.

Excluding pending flow data for BlackRock’s (BLK) iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), BTC-spot ETF issuers saw total net inflows of $109.4 million, potentially extending the inflow streak to eight sessions.

The extended inflow streak is significant when considering the impact of the Iran-Israel conflict on risk sentiment. Market intelligence platform Santiment commented:

“The ongoing conflict between Israel & Iran has led to a visible increase in volatility across crypto. Sentiment data showed major bearish sentiment coming in between June 12th to 15th, in particular, coinciding with a 4–6% drop in Bitcoin’s price and erasing over $200B from crypto’s total market cap.”

Santiment highlights the importance of spot ETF inflows on BTC’s price stability, adding:

“Despite the initial panic, Bitcoin has remained in the $104K-$105K range, aided by consistent ETF inflows and a lack of follow-through in military actions, mirroring the typical “risk-off, then stabilize” pattern seen in previous geopolitical crises.”

BTC Price Outlook: Geopolitical Risks and ETF Flows

BTC gained 0.35% on June 18, partially reversing Tuesday’s 2.14% loss to close at $104,885. The near-term price trajectory hinges on the Israel-Iran conflict, tariff-related news, legislative headlines, and ETF flows.

Potential scenarios:

• Bearish Scenario: Escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict, legislation roadblocks, adverse tariff developments, and ETF outflows. A combination of these could drag BTC below the 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA), bringing $100,000 into sight.
• Bullish Scenario: An end to the Israel-Iran conflict, continued bipartisan support for crypto bills, easing trade tensions, and ETF inflows. Under these scenarios, BTC could retest its all-time high of $111,917.

What to Watch

Investors should continue tracking developments in the Ripple case, legislative headlines, Israel-Iran-related news, tariff headlines, and ETF flows. These factors are crucial for XRP and BTC price trajectories and may determine whether either token revisits record highs.

Explore analyst forecasts on where XRP and BTC may head next as legal and political factors unfold.