Crypto lawyer Bill Morgan has said that the stagnant price of XRP can no longer be blamed on Ripple’s long-standing legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). His comments come after confirmation that Ripple paid off its $125 million penalty to the U.S. Treasury in August, concluding what was a five-year case, as reported by Cryptopolitan. Yes the lawsuit excuse has run its course for any further lack of XRP adoption or flat price action. https://t.co/Gl2U8Z7Ui9 — bill morgan (@Belisarius2020) September 22, 2025 Despite this clarity, XRP has failed to produce the explosive rally many anticipated. On the day that Ripple made the settlement payment, the price of XRP was at $3.09, and it has since dipped back to $2.82. For the latter case, market data reveals continuous rejections at $3, with a token cap. XRP price now depends on institutional growth and ecosystem expansion Ripple’s settlement came along with new developments in its ecosystem. Flare Network launched a stablecoin backed by the XRP token using Liquity V2 and is focused on enabling greater adoption of DeFi and enhancing liquidity. In Japan, blockchain gaming firm Gumi allocated 2.5 billion yen (about $17 million) to launch an XRP treasury, boosting corporate interest in the asset. Ripple also has expansion plans through its U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, RLUSD . The company declared collaborations with African fintechs Chipper Cash, VALR, and Yellow Card to inject $700 million into cross-border payment infrastructure. This project will enhance Ripple’s presence in new markets and push its network’s transactional applications. These activities indicate increased institutional participation, though it has not been converted into a sharp breakout in price. According to the analysts, the future of XRP is now determined by its wider use, not legal clarity. XRP has failed to maintain its momentum following a short-lived rally in the year. The token at the time of writing has dropped 5% in the last 24 hours and has also recorded a 30-day decline of over 7%. The end of the firm’s litigation woes eliminates one of the biggest impediments that have burdened XRP over the years. Members of its community who had long linked the underperformance of the token to regulatory uncertainty now face a new reality : future growth relies on adoption, utility, and innovation. Want your project in front of crypto’s top minds? Feature it in our next industry report, where data meets impact.