Story Highlights Ripple's quiet acquisition of Hidden Road ties XRP to a $11T clearinghouse, hinting at massive institutional integration potential. XRP could hit $10–$20 by 2030 if even 1% of FICC volume runs through XRPL; RLUSD handles settlements, XRP fuels and burns fees. XRP price is currently trading around $2.45, maintaining a steady pace while Bitcoin consolidates under $111K. But beneath this calm surface, a powerful wave might be building for XRP, thanks to Ripple’s recently uncovered acquisition of Hidden Road, a prime brokerage registered with the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation (FICC), which processes a staggering $11 trillion in daily transactions. Ripple’s Silent Power Play Though not widely publicized by Ripple, the Hidden Road acquisition has sent ripples through the XRP community. FICC’s Government Securities Division (GSD) is one of the world’s largest financial clearinghouses. As per a community member, if Ripple integrates any part of this $11T volume through its infrastructure and be it the XRP Ledger (XRPL), the RLUSD stablecoin, or XRP itself, the price implications could be game-changing. Interestingly, this setup could work like magic for XRP. While RLUSD, Ripple’s new stablecoin, will manage USD settlements, XRP will still be used to pay transaction fees, and those fees are burned. This means that even if XRP isn’t the primary asset for settlement, its supply will gradually shrink, potentially increasing its value over time as adoption grows. How RLUSD and XRPL Fit In Ripple plans to use RLUSD for USD settlements, but XRP remains crucial. Each transaction burns a tiny amount of XRP, and while the daily burn (even at high adoption) may be negligible, it’s the usage that matters. If institutions adopt XRPL for even 1% of FICC’s daily volume, XRP’s utility and liquidity demand could spike, opening the door for major price appreciation. A $20 XRP? Here’s the Case Despite a 58 billion circulating supply, analysts argue XRP could reach $10–$20 by 2030 if network effects take hold. Just as Bitcoin’s ETF-fueled rally pushed it above $100K, XRP could see a similar surge if it becomes a standard bridge currency in institutional finance. However, regulatory uncertainty and macroeconomic shifts remain as potential hurdles. What happens when just a fraction of that $10B daily volume starts settling through XRP? Demand skyrockets. These aren't retail traders—these are hedge funds and market makers who need XRP to power their operations. And they'll be buying lots of it. 3/19🧵 — Jake Claver, QFOP (@beyond_broke) April 8, 2025 Crypto analyst Jake Claver highlighted massive potential for XRP adoption, stating that if even a fraction of the $10B daily volume starts settling through XRP, demand could surge. In short, Ripple’s Hidden Road connection is real, and the $11T opportunity is massive. But XRP needs large-scale adoption and infrastructure usage to turn that into a $20 reality.