Will Bitcoin or XRP (Ripple) be the better buy in 2025?

Cryptocurrency investors are having a great year in 2024. The total value of all coins and tokens across the industry currently stands at $3.5 trillion, more than doubling from where it ended in 2023.

Industry-leading cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) are responsible for most of that added value, but many tokens at the more speculative end of the market have also delivered solid gains. Even XRP (CRYPTO: XRP), which was under a dark regulatory cloud until recently, is up by 250% in 2024.

Falling interest rates are driving demand for growth assets like stocks and cryptocurrencies. Investors are also hopeful that the incoming Trump administration will be more crypto-friendly than previous administrations. That could set the stage for new opportunities for the industry to create value.

XRP could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of that regulatory shift, but will it be a better buy than Bitcoin in 2025?

The case for XRP (Ripple)

Global banking is complicated. Sending money around the world can take days. Some financial institutions use the SWIFT payment network, whereas others don't, which means they need an intermediary to act as a middleman for each transaction.

The case for Bitcoin

Unlike XRP, Bitcoin isn't backed by any individual or company that can issue more supply. There are 19.8 million Bitcoins in circulation right now, but there will only ever be a maximum of 21 million. The total supply is expected to be fully mined by the year 2140.