On March 18, Bitcoin price retreated to $72,300, declining approximately 2%. Ethereum, Solana, and XRP experienced declines close to 3%. U.S. President Trump took a hardline stance toward Iran, with geopolitical tensions driving WTI crude oil prices higher. U.S. February PPI data exceeded expectations, with markets focusing on the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision and Powell's remarks.

Gate News reports: On March 18, data shows that XRP is currently priced at approximately $1.50, slightly higher than the $1.40 strike price of the options cluster on Deribit. This cluster is valued at $14.6 million, accounting for about 25% of the total XRP options volume on Deribit, with an expiration date of March 27.

On March 18, Ripple Chief Technology Officer David Schwartz shared the first email he received in 2013 mentioning XRP, showcasing XRP's early development. In the email, Vinnie Falco requested an XRP transfer, revealing the preliminary state of the crypto market at that time and the spirit of technical exploration. Falco later joined Ripple and made significant contributions to system development. This email reflects the early culture of the XRP community and technical accumulation, highlighting XRP's evolution from its inception to the present day.

According to Gate News, on March 18th, a certain CEX's trading volume was $1.443 billion, down 42.67%. The top five tokens were XRP, BTC, ETH, POLYX, and BTT, with trading volume shares of 12.90%, 7.95%, 6.91%, 6.10%, and 4.90% respectively.

Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty welcomes the SEC's latest guidance, classifying XRP as a digital commodity rather than a security, ending regulatory disputes. The document provides a clear framework for the digital asset market, boosting market confidence, promoting long-term XRP adoption, and supporting the development of the Ripple ecosystem.

A latest research report indicates that XRP remains the core of Ripple's cross-border payment infrastructure, serving as a liquidity bridge. Even with the launch of the stablecoin RLUSD, XRP remains irreplaceable in value exchange and transaction speed. Ripple is positioning it as a bridge for central bank digital currencies, enhancing long-term market confidence.

Recently, Korean middle-aged retail investors have driven a surge in XRP trading activity, with transaction volumes rising significantly. Analysts indicate that enthusiasm from investors aged 40 to 50 and interest in XRP ETFs continue to increase, with expectations that XRP prices may rise in the short term, solidifying its position in the Asian market.

According to SoSoValue data, on March 17, the US XRP spot ETF recorded a single-day net inflow of $4.6369 million, with a historical cumulative net inflow reaching $374 million and total net assets of $1.077 billion.

As blockchain activity recovers, XRP Ledger non-empty wallets break through 7.7 million for the first time, with user activity climbing to a five-week high, driving XRP price up to $1.60. Analysts anticipate that user growth and network activity will support further XRP appreciation in the future, enhancing its position in the crypto market.

The dispute between Chainlink and XRP has escalated again over "whether XRPL possesses core value," with technical positioning and value capture mechanisms becoming the focal point. Chainlink representatives have questioned XRPL's development, while the XRP camp has fought back, emphasizing the transparency of its token distribution. Despite obvious market cap differences, the two sides have no direct product competition yet community tensions and "narrative competition" persist.