Kraken Notifies XRP Holders Of Potential Benefits From Zakinov Case

Crypto exchange Kraken started notifying affected XRP holders about the potential monetary benefits they could receive from the class action lawsuit against Ripple.

The exchange recently emerged victorious in the Zakinov v. Ripple Case. The exchange successfully intervened to protect its customers’ data from being shared without their consent.

Kraken Begins The Notification Process

Kraken, one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world, intervened in the Zakinov v. Ripple lawsuit, seeking to protect its customer’s privacy and data. The court ruling allowed Kraken to inform the affected users about the class action against Ripple, ultimately giving the customers the option to decide whether to participate in the lawsuit.

Kraken has now begun to notify eligible customers about the potential monetary benefits from the Zakinov v. Ripple lawsuit. The notification is aimed at Kraken users who purchased XRP during the previously established period, as the email stated:

Our records indicate that you have purchased XRP on Kraken between July 2, 2017 and June 30, 2023, which means that it might be within your rights to receive money or benefits that come from the lawsuit, depending on the outcome.

Yassin Mobarak, Dizer Capital Founder, was among the recipients, and he shared part of the email on X (formerly known as Twitter), expressing his surprise about the notification and the possibility of earning a profit from his XRP holdings through the class action lawsuit.

Mobarak expressed his initial disbelief in the email’s legitimacy, as recent phishing attacks exploited official email accounts of actors in the Web3 industry and exposed users to a massive and sophisticated phishing campaign.

The legitimacy of the emails was doubted by several Kraken customers who sought confirmation from the exchange’s official X account. Kraken’s support team confirmed the email as safe and authorized by the exchange.

Next Steps For XRP Holders

Following the notification, Kraken has updated its support page to provide customers with further details about the class action lawsuit.

The exchange addressed doubts such as who the affected parties are, clarifying that it “only applies to class members who purchased XRP within the United States during the relevant class period” and offering further information about the lawsuit:

The lawsuit also claims that persons or entities who purchased XRP during the class period (July 3, 2017, to June 30, 2023) have the right to recover (a) the consideration paid for the XRP, with interest, if they retained the XRP, less the current price of the XRP or upon tendering the XRP, or (b) damages if they sold the XRP at a loss.

Lastly, the exchange presented two options for the affected customers: do nothing or ask for an exclusion from the lawsuit.

If the customer decides to do nothing, they will keep the possibility of getting the money or benefits from the lawsuit’s resolution. However, they automatically give up on any rights to sue Ripple separately in the future.

If they decide to be excluded from the class action and the potential benefits, XRP holders maintain the right to sue the defendant and must send a signed “Exclusion Request” statement by April 5, 2024.

XRP, XRPUSDT, Ripple, Kraken

XRP Price Projection: Analyst Envisions Potential 50X Surge To $14, Here’s Why

Since the beginning of December, the XRP price has been range-bound between $0.5762 and $0.6565, lagging behind other altcoins that have seen significant gains due to increased market capital inflows. 

However, recent developments surrounding the potential rejection of Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have added to market uncertainty and triggered a 10% drop in the XRP price, pushing it toward the $0.500 level.

XRP Price Legal Catalyst 

Despite these challenges, a significant catalyst could potentially propel XRP to new heights—the ongoing legal clash between Ripple Labs and the SEC regarding XRP sales. 

Crypto analyst Egrag Crypto has expressed optimism, stating that a 40X or even 50X boom is possible for XRP, citing the impressive performance of the cryptocurrency in the previous cycle despite the SEC lawsuit. Egrag Crypto stated:

Last cycle, despite the pesky SEC lawsuit, XRP surged almost 20X. This time, with its unparalleled legal regulatory clarity, the potential for a 40X or even 50X boom seems promising

By the numbers, according to Egrag Crypto’s analysis, at its cycle low of $0.28, a 40X surge could potentially push the price to around $11. 

Taking it further, a 50X leap might see XRP soar to around $14. To put this into perspective, Egrag, compared with Ethereum’s (ETH) previous cycle multiplier of 58X, XRP at $0.28 could reach an astounding $16. 

While XRP’s future holds promise, the Ripple vs. SEC lawsuit remains a focal point for investors. Understanding the key dates in the legal proceedings is crucial. Here is a breakdown of the upcoming milestones:

Key Dates Revealed For Ripple-SEC Legal Battle In 2024

12th February 2024: Remedies briefing begins: Ripple and the SEC will present their respective arguments and proposals regarding potential remedies for the legal dispute on this date. This briefing will provide insights into the parties’ positions and suggested resolutions.

13th March 2024: SEC files remedies brief: Following the remedies brief, the SEC will submit a remedies brief outlining their proposed solutions to address the alleged violations committed by Ripple. This filing will further clarify the SEC’s stance and the actions they seek against Ripple.

12th April 2024: Ripple submits opposition: Ripple will have an opportunity to present their opposition to the SEC’s proposed remedies. They will outline their arguments against the SEC’s allegations and offer counterarguments and alternative solutions. 

29th April 2024: SEC replies: The SEC will be able to respond to Ripple’s opposition. They will address Ripple’s arguments and provide additional justification for their proposed remedies.

XRP price

Currently, the XRP price has recovered slightly to the $0.5715 level, with an eye on these key dates that could shape the future, the legal denomination of the token, and its impact on the future price action. 

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com 

XRP Derivatives Volume Soars by over 200%, Could This Signal A Price Breakout?

In a remarkable turn of events, XRP derivatives trading volume has experienced an astonishing surge of 204% within a mere 24-hour period. This surge coincides with the recent disclosure by Judge Torres regarding the denial of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) interlocutory appeal against Ripple Labs

Judge’s Ruling Against SEC Boosts XRP Sentiment

According to data from Coinglass, a leading cryptocurrency analytics platform, XRP derivatives trading volume has witnessed an unprecedented spike, reflecting a significant increase in market activity. 

XRP

This surge in trading activity suggests a growing interest in XRP among investors eager to capitalize on the recent legal developments surrounding Ripple Labs.

To provide further context, derivatives trading refers to the buying and selling financial instruments that derive value from an underlying asset, such as a stock, bond, commodity, or cryptocurrency. 

These instruments, known as derivatives, include futures contracts, options, swaps, and other financial contracts. Derivatives allow investors to speculate on the underlying asset’s price movements without owning it directly.

A surge in derivatives trading volume can have significant implications for XRP. Firstly, it indicates higher market participation and interest in the cryptocurrency. 

When more investors and traders actively engage with XRP through derivatives, it can lead to increased liquidity and price discovery.

Derivatives trading can also contribute to increased price volatility in XRP. As traders speculate on the future price of XRP through derivatives contracts, it can amplify price swings. 

With higher trading volume, there is a larger number of participants taking positions on XRP’s price movement, which can result in more pronounced price fluctuations.

Furthermore, a surge in derivatives trading volume can reflect growing market sentiment and investor confidence in XRP. When trading activity increases, it suggests a higher level of interest and engagement from market participants. 

XRP

With XRP currently trading at $0.5347, the cryptocurrency has experienced a notable 4.3% surge in the past 24 hours. 

The surge in derivatives trading volume further adds to the growing evidence that the token could be on the cusp of a significant breakout if the bullish momentum continues.

Poised For Upward Movement?

Renowned crypto analyst Dark Defender recently highlighted that XRP has exhibited signs of breaking out from its ongoing consolidation phase given the recent win against the SEC.

This occurrence draws parallels to a previous instance on July 13, with the first ruling of Judge Torres, during which the token experienced a remarkable rally of 80%, reaching as high as $0.9343

XRP

Drawing insights from this historical precedent, it is plausible to speculate that XRP might be gearing up for another upward movement. Dark Defender emphasizes that traders should keep a close eye on the next Fibonacci level, which is $0.66. 

However, XRP must maintain support above $0.50 to attain this level. This support level is of particular significance as XRP remained relatively stagnant around it for most of September.

Overall, the recent disclosure by Judge Torres, denying the SEC’s appeal, has provided a significant boost to Ripple Labs and its supporters. 

Furthermore, the news has instilled renewed optimism within the XRP community, leading many investors to believe that a total victory for Ripple Labs is now within reach, possibly just months away.

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com 

Pro-XRP Lawyer John Deaton Says He Is Willing To Bet That Ripple Will Win SEC Appeal

Popular XRP advocate and notable attorney John Deaton recently predicted a comfortable appeal victory by Ripple against the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Managing Partner of ‘The Deaton Law Firm’ says he is willing to bet big on the exchange emerging victorious on appeal.

Founded Belief Or Mere Speculation?

John Deaton’s willingness to bet on an uncertain court judgment follows a recent thread penned by digital asset enthusiast and Australian-based lawyer Bill Morgan. According to the thread, Judge Analisa Torres did not err in her summary judgment decision. 

Morgan was of the opinion that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) classified sales of XRP by Ripple into three unique classes; institutional sales, programmatic sales, and other XRP distributions. Following the classification, Judge Torres evaluated each class by applying the popular Howey test. 

After evaluation, the Judge discovered major differences in each class. For instance, the Judge discovered that every institutional investor signed agreements with Ripple and expected to earn profits from the firm’s activities. 

While institutional investors entered contracts with Ripple, programmatic sales on exchanges did not require the signing of contracts, and purchasers, therefore, did not expect to make profits directly from Ripple’s efforts. 

Therefore, according to Morgan, Judge Torres ruled that the sale of XRP to institutional investors amounted to a sale of securities, while that of programmatic sales on virtual exchanges was not. 

Ripple (XRP) price chart from Tradingview.com

Deaton Ready To Go All In For Ripple

Reacting to the thread, John Deaton commended Bill Morgan and noted that Judge Torres did not differentiate between Ripple’s XRP sales merely out of “thin air.” He stated that the Judge considered each sale the SEC alleges as securities “and applied the Howey test.” Therefore, given his confidence in the decision, he was willing to wager “significant funds that she doesn’t get reversed on appeal.”

While Deaton may have cause to believe in a favorable appeal outcome, recent developments may instigate some doubts in his prediction. Recently, US District Judge Jed Rakoff, who oversees the SEC’s lawsuit against Terraform Labs, rejected the approach used in Judge Torres’s ruling. This creates a certain unpredictability in the outcome of the upcoming SEC appeal. 

In the interim, SEC’s Chair, Gary Gensler, has suggested that an appeal against the decision in the Ripple lawsuit is under strong consideration. While Gensler’s comment does not expressly guarantee an appeal, however; it indicates that the US SEC has not conceded a partial defeat in the suit. 

Here’s The Total Number Of XRP That Ripple Currently Holds

Ripple Labs Inc., the company behind the XRP token, has released its Q2 XRP Markets report. As part of the report, the company shared its XRP holdings as of March 31, 2023, and June 30, 2023. 

Ripple’s XRP Holdings

Ripple revealed that its XRP holdings fall into two categories; wallet-held XRPs and ones in escrow lockups (Ripple releases one billion XRP monthly as part of its monthly token unlock). As of March 31, 2023 (representing the first quarter of the year), Ripple held  5,506,585,918 XRP and a further 42,800,000,013 XRP subject to on-ledger escrow. 

Meanwhile, as of June 30, 2023 (representing the second quarter of the year), the company held 5,551,119,094 XRP, and a further 41,900,000,005 XRP were subject to on-ledger escrow. 

From the report, Ripple grew its XRP holdings in Q2 as the Q2 figures are slightly up from the Q1 figures. However, its XRP tokens in escrow at the end of Q2 slightly reduced compared to the Q1 figure. 

Ripple (XRP) price chart from Tradingview.com

Ripple Addresses Popular Misconceptions

Ripple also addressed some misconceptions from the recent court ruling that XRP isn’t a security. On July 13, 2023, Judge Analisa Torres ruled in favor of Ripple in the ongoing case between the crypto company and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The first misconception Ripple addressed in the report was whether or not the ruling was a split decision, as several media outlets had tagged Ripple’s victory again the SEC as a ‘partial victory.’ The crypto firm has debunked this claim by categorically stating that the ruling isn’t a split decision. 

Ripple stated that the ruling was a big win for its firm and the crypto industry as it provides regularity clarity not only for Ripple but also to other token issuers, as they can now determine that their tokens, in and out of themselves, are not securities. 

The company also stated in the report that its XRP tokens were never a security. It admitted that there are instances where XRP (just like “an orange grove or a gold bar”) can be sold as an investment contract. However, such events don’t “magically transform” the token into a security. 

Ripple’s XRP enjoyed a significant rally following the court’s ruling, but there remain concerns that an appeal from the SEC could see the token lose most of its gains from the post-lawsuit rally. As of the time of writing, XRP is trading at $0.69, according to data from CoinGeko.

Featured image from iStock, chart from Tradingview.com

Ripple Attorney Withdraws From SEC Lawsuit, Will It Affect XRP?

A recent development in the ongoing showdown between the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has seen the withdrawal of another Ripple attorney from the lawsuit, recent court filings reveal. This comes after a motion was filed earlier in the month for Anna R. Gressel to withdraw as attorney of defendant Ripple Labs.

This recent withdrawal has cast a shadow of uncertainty as holders of XRP ponder on the likely impact of this development.

Ripple Remains Upbeat Despite Attorney’s Withdrawal

According to details in the filing made at the District Court for the Southern District of New York on July 27, Ripple is asking for the leave of the court to withdraw Lisa R. Zornberg as an attorney to the defendants in the ongoing XRP vs. SEC lawsuit. 

Ripple is appealing to the court to grant Lisa R. Zornberg of the popular Debevoise & Plimpton LLP permission to withdraw as an attorney in the lawsuit. This is in light of the fact that Lisa R. Zornberg will no longer be working with the law firm from July 31. 

The foremost federal prosecutor was appointed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams as City Hall’s Chief Counsel earlier this week. However, this move does not in any way affect Ripple’s relationship with Debevoise & Plimpton LLP as other attorneys of the firm will continue representing Ripple Labs in the case. 

Ripple has also reiterated that the withdrawal of Lisa R. Zornberg does not in any way affect its interests, including those of CEO Brad Garlinghouse and co-founder Chris Larsen.

It’s also important to note that the court had previously approved withdrawal motions for three attorneys Kylie Chiseul Kim, Clayton J. Masterman, and Anna R. Gressel to exit the lawsuit.  

Attorney Withdraws As Case Grinds to a Close

The withdrawal of Lisa R. Zornbergs comes in the wake of Judge Analisa Torres’ referral of the lawsuit to Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn. Magistrate Judge Netburn instructed the SEC and Ripple to reach an agreement on three mutually suitable dates to hold a settlement conference on issues like institutional sales of XRP.

XRP’s price witnessed a surge in the wake of the summary judgment entered in favor of Ripple. The plans unveiled by Ripple have also helped in bolstering investor confidence as the demand for XRP among institutional investors continues to surge.

XRP is currently trading at $0.071, down 0.5% in the last 24 hours according to data from CoinGecko. However, its current price puts it 33% higher than its July opening price of $0.47.

Ripple (XRP) price chart from Tradingview.com

Pro-XRP Attorney Shares Information That Could Be Bullish For Ripple

In a new development, a pro-XRP attorney has shared some startling information that could point toward victory for Ripple in its ongoing securities battle against the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This ruling in another case that was similar to what Ripple is currently fighting with the SEC shows there could be a positive outcome for the crypto firm after all of this.

A Case Similar To Ripple Gets Good Judgement

Attorney Jeremy Hogan took to Twitter to share a previous ruling by Judge Analisa Torres in another case involving a crypto mining company Rio Tinto and the SEC. In the cutout of the ruling posted by Hogan, it shows that the judge previously ruled that there was no liability on the part of Rio Tinto when “the sole basis for such claims is alleged misrepresentations or omissions,” something that is also present in the Ripple case.

Now, as expected, the SEC appealed the judgment by Judge Torres but the interesting thing is that the appellate court upheld the judgment. The crypto company emerged victorious in this case, as the judge did not see any evidence of scheme liability, saying that Rio Tinto only “failed to prevent misleading statements from being disseminated by others.”

What makes this important is that Judge Torres is also the presiding judge in the Ripple v. SEC case and such a judgment on a previously similar case could also translate to a similar judgment for Ripple. If so, then this is a positive for the company.

What A Victory Would Mean For XRP

The Ripple v. SEC case has dragged on for a couple of years now which has negatively impacted the price of XRP. In 2020 when the bull market was starting to roll around, Ripple was hit with a lawsuit that saw XRP’s price crash over 50%, and while other cryptocurrencies in the space went on to see new all-time highs in the next year, XRP suffered tremendously.

Even now, the token is yet to reach its full potential but a Ripple victory would turn the tide on this. An example of what kind of impact such a victory would have on the price was back in Q1 2023 when CEO Brad Garlinghouse said he expected the case to come to a close in the first half of 2023.

Ripple (XRP) price chart from TradingView.com

The price of XRP soared on this news and reached as high as $0.55 before correcting back downwards. However, it worked to show what such news could do to the price. It is entirely possible that a Ripple victory would push the digital asset to a new all-time high.

As for if the SEC would take such a judgment lying down, Hogan responded to a Twitter user that he does not think the SEC would appeal. Furthermore, he cited two other lawyers who are familiar with the case who also believe that the SEC would not appeal if Judge Torres were to rule in favor of Ripple. However, all of this remains to be seen.

At the time of writing, XRP’s price seems to be moving in tandem with the general market trend. It is trading at a price of $0.46, with a minor 0.43% increase on the 7-day chart.