BlockTempo reports that in the past 24 hours, the price of XRP has broken through $3 for the first time since 2018, continuing to lead the cryptocurrency market in 2025. The 15-day gain has reached 41%, outperforming the top 10 cryptocurrencies. According to Coinmarkcap data, the current XRP price is only 17% away from its all-time high of $3.84, and with a current market capitalization of $170 billion, the token's market value has surpassed that of asset management giant BlackRock. This surge is driven by expectations of crypto-friendly policies and digital asset regulatory reforms in the United States, as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Ripple have been engaged in a multi-year legal battle over the sale of XRP tokens. Abra's over-the-counter trader Diego Cardenas said in a report that this surge is driven by an increasing number of partnerships, the launch of the Ripple stablecoin RLUSD, and speculation about a potential XRP spot ETF. Ripple's President Monica Long said in an interview last week that she expects a spot ETF to be "soon" approved, as the new government's approval will accelerate the process. In addition, Ripple's leadership has had direct contact with the incoming U.S. government, with CEO Brad Garlinghouse and General Counsel Stuart Alderoty recently meeting with Trump, indicating that the two sides may cooperate in shaping a regulatory environment favorable to digital assets. Furthermore, the current surge in XRP price is in line with the continued accumulation by "whales" holding between 1 million and 10 million tokens. Santiment analysis shows that since November 12, addresses holding between 1 million and 10 million tokens have added 140 million XRP, worth about $380 million, even during the price consolidation period after the all-time high in early December 2024. XRP's Google search interest has surpassed Bitcoin. Google Trends data shows that on January 15, the global Google search volume for XRP exceeded that of Bitcoin. Over the past year, XRP has led Bitcoin in search volume twice, the most recent being in November 2024. Analysts say the XRP rally is driven by spot investors. In 2024, the open interest in futures contracts for major assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum reached record highs, highlighting the importance of the derivatives market during bull markets. However, the recent XRP rally has been primarily driven by spot investors. Order flow analyst Dom said the XRP retest of $3 was entirely driven by spot buying pressure. He pointed out that during the 15% weekly gain in XRP, the funding rates and spot buying premiums did not rise significantly. Dom said, "If this happened to Bitcoin, I would straight up say we're about to see a massive rally." Sovrun co-founder Jeth said there is "no reason" to hold Ethereum now. Although Ethereum has better "fundamentals," XRP is receiving positive regulatory support as the first pro-crypto U.S. government is set to take office on January 20. Technically, XRP has shown strong growth indicators, breaking out of its bullish pennant formation after a 105% rally at the end of 2024. However, its Relative Strength Index (RSI) is at 79.5, indicating the token is overbought and may see a short-term pullback or consolidation. Technical analyst Dark Defender on the X platform highlighted the "bullish breakout" on XRP's monthly chart, drawing a parallel to the 2017 bull market when XRP surged 1022%. The analyst believes that based on the Fibonacci retracement levels of the 2017 rally, XRP's price could potentially reach $10.23 or even $18.23 in the near term, whether it's "going to the moon" or "going to Mars," these two target values could be achieved by 2025.