XRP was created in 2012 when David Schwartz, Jed McCaleb, and Arthur Britto launched the XRP Ledger. The token was initially called "ripples" (ticker: XRP) and was designed as a faster, more energy-efficient alternative to Bitcoin. Understanding Ripple price history helps investors contextualize the current XRP price against historical cycles and adoption milestones.
The most dramatic period of Ripple price history came in late 2017 and early 2018, when XRP surged from under $0.25 to an all-time high of $3.84 on January 4, 2018. This represented a gain of over 36,000% in approximately 12 months, making it one of the most explosive price movements in cryptocurrency history. However, the bear market of 2018-2019 saw XRP retrace 95% from its highs.
In December 2020, the SEC filed a lawsuit against Ripple Labs, sending XRP price crashing from $0.65 to as low as $0.17. However, on July 13, 2023, Judge Analisa Torres ruled that XRP is not a security when sold on exchanges to retail investors, a landmark decision that triggered a new bull run. XRP reached a new all-time high of $3.66 on July 18, 2025, surpassing the previous 2018 record. The current Ripple chart live shows XRP trading at $1.46, approximately 60% below its 2025 peak.