XRP Leaving Retail Investors Behind: Here’s Why

XRP, Ripple’s native digital asset, is becoming increasingly difficult for retail investors to accumulate in significant quantities. A growing number of market analysts and community voices now believe financial pressures and surging token values may be locking out everyday investors.

Leading the discussion is Edoardo Farina, founder of Alpha Lions Academy, who recently shared a video assessing why most XRP holders are falling farther behind. Farina, known for global crypto outreach, noted his evolving perspective: once he believed only 95% of users would miss out, but now estimates that 99% of people may never own significant amounts of XRP.

His perspective comes from talking to people across more than 20 countries, including South America and Europe. What he has consistently seen is a growing struggle among regular people to retain or accumulate crypto. High living expenses, stagnant income, and dwindling personal savings are forcing individuals to liquidate their holdings—not for luxury, but for survival. “It’s not about buying cars anymore,” Farina explained. “People are selling crypto just to buy groceries or cover rent.”

In the United States, one of the world’s most advanced economies, many households don’t have $10,000 in savings. Given today’s XRP valuation, acquiring 10,000 tokens means spending upwards of $20,000. Even buying 1,000 XRP costs more than many can afford comfortably—a shift from just a few years ago when it seemed well within reach.

Farina questioned whether crypto prices are genuinely soaring or whether fiat currencies are simply losing value due to persistent inflation. As traditional currencies weaken, consumer spending power diminishes, adding to the difficulty of holding onto digital assets. For many, the only way forward is liquidation.

Despite that, XRP’s trend points upward. Farina warns that those offloading their holdings now will face a nearly impossible challenge in trying to reenter the market later at similar acquisition levels.

To combat this financial squeeze, Farina encourages a creative approach. He cited his personal journey of relocating from Northern Italy to Greece, significantly reducing his living expenses. That move allowed him to redirect funds into crypto investments. Farina advises exploring side hustles, leveraging online opportunities, or considering relocation to more affordable regions as potential strategies. According to him, such decisions could determine whether an investor achieves financial independence or gets left behind.

However, not everyone agrees with his outlook. Bill Morgan, an Australian lawyer engaged in the Ripple community, challenged Farina’s assertion. On social media, Morgan emphasized that XRP remains freely tradable at any volume. “Whether it’s today, tomorrow, or next year, people can still buy $100 worth of XRP,” he argued in a Twitter post.

But that perspective was met with counters of its own. Nick, a crypto investor and the mind behind Web3Alert, pointed out the declining purchasing power of each dollar invested. He explained that in 2020, he purchased 10,000 XRP for as little as $1,100. At current rates, that same XRP amount would cost over $20,000. His argument is that while small-scale transactions are possible, life-changing opportunities are being priced out—very few can afford to build meaningful positions anymore.

Providing further support for this view, XRP advocate Alex Cobb echoed concerns about diminishing returns. Cobb recalled purchasing 400 XRP for $100 in the past, a sum that today only nets around 43 tokens. He believes this trend will accelerate, and the retail window to build wealth via XRP might close by the end of the year.

Related: Expert Advice: Sell XRP If You’re Confused

As the asset grows tighter in availability and price, the debate within the XRP community continues. Whether the issue stems from economic decline, rising asset value, or both, one thing is clear: for most retail investors, building a substantial XRP portfolio is becoming increasingly out of reach.