Can a cryptocurrency actually change lives? It can be easy to get bogged down in the charts and TA. All these predictions about XRP’s future can be just as exciting, and just as confusing. We see upside breakout risk at $2.63. On the bullish side, a reversal from $2.24 and $2.82 targets piqued our interest. Market cap $140.26 billion, 24h trading volumes up $2.29 billion – it’s a million metrics, a million dollars. But where are the people behind those numbers going? And what of those communities that stand to truly benefit from a meaningful change in how we move our money?

Financial Inclusion Beyond Speculation?

Let’s face it, the majority of crypto hype is about making money fast. What if we flipped the script? What if XRP’s real value is more than putting money in the pockets of rich speculators? Now picture it leveling the playing field for people and neighborhoods that have been locked out of mainstream finance. I want to discuss the impact on the unbanked and underbanked. For millions of people in those often overlooked corners of the world, an innocuous international money transfer becomes a bureaucratic gauntlet that can empty their wallets.

Think about remittances. Millions of people work tirelessly overseas, sending money back home to support their families. The traditional remittance services take a massive chunk – siphoning off the little disposable income that these people earn. Combined with the speed and low transaction fees on its network, XRP provides a true alternative. Imagine the impact of even a small percentage decrease in remittance fees – that's more money for food, education, healthcare. That's life-changing.

I’m not even going to pretend that XRP is a magic bullet. There are risks. Volatility has got to be the biggest concern and that’s why financial literacy is so important. Members of the public should know what they’re signing up for. The potential is undeniable. If this latest 9.06% weekly spike can become something more tangible that could improve real-world usefulness, we could be in for a real change.

Blockchain: A Key To Supply Chains?

Beyond remittances, consider supply chain management. In much of the developing world, supply chains are a black box of inefficiency that contributes to corruption, waste and exploitation of producers through unfair prices. Blockchain technology, which XRP is built on, can help provide transparency and accountability in these systems. Now picture those same farmers in rural Africa following their produce from farm to market. Only then can we guarantee that they will be paid a fair price and exploitation will be eradicated. This isn't some pie-in-the-sky dream. But pilot projects are already in progress, showing how blockchain can make supply chains more transparent and help producers take back their power.

  • Transparency: Track goods from origin to consumer.
  • Efficiency: Reduce delays and paperwork.
  • Fairness: Ensure fair prices for producers.

Forgotten Voices: A Johannesburg Perspective

Now living in Johannesburg, I’ve experienced the same issues that underserved communities face on a daily basis. The lack of access to financial services, the high cost of remittances, and the inefficiencies in supply chains are all too real. Industry titans such as financial guru Ric Edelman have been calling for aggressive investments in speculative ETFs to hedge against losses and profit through volatility. We need to move the conversation beyond investment strategies. We need to be asking: How can we leverage this technology to address the social and economic challenges facing these communities? How do we make sure the windfall from XRP’s moonshot flows both fairly and broadly to everyone?

It’s very easy for everyone to jump on the Fear and Greed Index right now, which by the way has just gone into “Greed.” We have to keep in mind that underneath every chart, every trading volume and every market cap, are people. The deserving poor, those who need jobs with a fair wage and labor protections.

Clearly, we need to hear from the civil society organizations working on the ground. So, let’s hear from entrepreneurs building blockchain solutions to strengthen their communities and from the people spending their XRP to send money back home to their families. Their voices need to be amplified.

This is a lot more than just the bottom line. It’s about saving lives and improving quality of life. And perhaps more importantly, it’s about using the promise of new technology to make the world safer, fairer and more equitable. And as any revolutionary currency, it’s all about looking past the global hype and focus on the real potential of XRP to empower underbanked communities. As you know, tech is really just a means to an end. It’s up to us to determine how we want to maximize it. Are we going to let it continue letting the few get richer, or are we going to use it to empower the many?