Crypto commentator Levi Rietveld sparked a debate on Sept. 1, 2025, with a bold prediction that Ripple’s XRP could reach $50,000 in the long term. His video, titled “$50,000 XRP Prediction Shocks Wall Street!”, highlighted this outlandish target and garnered significant attention from analysts and investors alike. This forecast hinges on the growing prevalence of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and their potential to revolutionize global finance. 2021 already saw some XRP bulls speculate about prices reaching $25,000 to $37,500 per coin based on its cross-border payment utility. However, recent developments have shifted this landscape significantly. Analysts note that the world economy has expanded dramatically in the past two years. Since 2021, trillions of dollars have flooded global markets via stimulus and loose monetary policy, fueling asset price increases across the board. This surge in liquidity has amplified the potential for XRP to play a key role in CBDC-based financial systems. Rietveld’s prediction is built on three pillars: (1) the global adoption of CBDCs, which could create demand for neutral and interoperable settlement layers; (2) XRP’s blockchain technology via Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity service being positioned as a prime candidate for this role; and (3) the massive liquidity surge since 2021. The new estimate is essentially a re-run of earlier price models, with an increased scale due to the added capital flows. Critics remain skeptical, pointing out that XRP’s market price and unresolved regulatory issues make such high valuations unlikely. While some view it as a bold thought experiment, others see it as unrealistic hype. Rietveld himself emphasizes the importance of XRP in global finance, and his video reignites discussions on the long-term vision of crypto’s role in a digitized monetary system.