New York: Ripple has agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the latter's four-year-old lawsuit, with the amount settled reduced to $50 million from a penalty fine of $125 million imposed in 2024. It appeases the allegations that Ripple has an unauthorized securities offering from its sales of XRP, as both parties dropped their appeals. Ripple is recouping $75 million from escrow funds, while the SEC is seeking to lift the injunction barring Ripple from selling XRP to institutional investors.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, this is a major change in crypto regulation by the SEC, which has become more favorable under the state chair toward the new blockchain innovation. The case has become a bellwether on U.S. cryptocurrency developments and the asset's use in classifying and trading it. Ripple's settlement will thus pave the way for ETF products associated with XRP and set the stage for its global expansion. With regulatory clarity coming into its own, this settlement can increase the acceptance of cryptocurrencies among institutional actors, not to mention redrawing the landscape of digital asset regulation in the U.S.

The price of XRP has dropped from last month's consolidation zone and now is around $2.07, above the critical support level of near $2.06, which is symmetrical on a chart pattern such as the XRP/USDT 5-minute versatility of bearish. Earlier, it attempted to break the resistance level of around $2.20 before strong selling pressure pushed the price down and led to a downward movement. It re-crossed again into the lower demand zone.

Now, RSI is hovering around 35 and is in the oversold territory, which means it is currently weak. This will experience a brief flatline or short rebound should buyers come in, and then with the ongoing lower highs and lower lows typical of the bearish market structure. If XRP cannot recover above this critical $2.12 level, this price can easily go down to target the critical support zone at the $2.06 target. These technical signals are also substantiated by the news bits released because the price continues to be pressured despite the breakthrough in regulatory terms from the SEC settlement. The cautious investor remains, along with more bullish attempts to pump some positive momentum into the status.

The recent SEC settlement was a moment for XRP, although experts have noted that the market could largely discount any price surge. With $50 million settled and the SEC's withdrawal of appeals, significant regulatory uncertainty has been lifted; however, XRP should not expect immediate fireworks at that price. Instead, the XRP price depends largely on market sentiments, institutional interests, and crypto regulations. According to analysts, XRP prices could test resistance upwards from $3 to $3.5, and some optimistic forecasts put this price at $5 if bullish momentum persists. However, there is still very cautious investor sentiment as the market digests the implications of the legal resolution and awaits further concrete actions from crypto regulations.