Tria founder says XRP could flip Ethereum on payments growth

What happened

John Lilic, founder and chief strategy officer of Tria, said he expects XRP to eventually surpass Ethereum in market value as global payments shift onto the XRP Ledger. He made the case in an interview with XRP influencer Eri, as reported by The Crypto Basic and ZyCrypto.

Lilic's argument rests on Ripple combining its RLUSD stablecoin with payment cards and neobank-style money management services. He suggested Ripple could work with networks such as Visa or Mastercard to issue credit cards backed by RLUSD, then pair those cards with banking tools to draw in users and compete with established payment providers.

He estimated that Visa processes about $350 billion in payments each week. Capturing just 10% of that activity, in his view, would mean roughly $35 billion in weekly payments flowing through Ripple's ecosystem. Lilic also projected that the strategy would create at least $10 billion in new RLUSD over three years.

According to Lilic, those payments would settle on the XRP Ledger, putting XRP at the center of the activity. He contends that broader network use would lift demand for the token and its market value, eventually positioning it ahead of Ethereum. Notably, Lilic describes himself as an early Ethereum supporter, which the reports frame as making his XRP prediction stand out.

Why it matters

The remarks add a prominent voice to a long-running debate over whether XRP can challenge Ethereum's position as the second-largest cryptocurrency. For XRP holders, the appeal of the argument is that it ties the token's prospects to real payment flows rather than speculation alone.

The reports stress that the thesis depends on execution. Payment volume routed through the XRP Ledger would not by itself produce an equivalent rise in XRP's market value. The actual effect would hinge on how much the token is used for transactions, liquidity and settlement, and on whether RLUSD growth creates buying pressure for XRP. Ripple's expansion into payments is presented as a meaningful opportunity for the ledger, but one whose benefit to the token is indirect.

What the data shows

The reports lay out the scale of the opportunity Lilic describes. At $35 billion per week, payment volume would total about $1.82 trillion annually and $5.46 trillion over three years, according to ZyCrypto. The Crypto Basic notes that the $35 billion figure represents 10% of Visa's estimated $350 billion in weekly processing.

The valuation math is equally stark. Ethereum's market capitalization exceeds XRP's by $199.72 billion in The Crypto Basic's figures and by nearly $200.2 billion in ZyCrypto's. Both outlets caution that payment volume does not map directly onto market value, and that $10 billion in new RLUSD would not mean $10 billion flowing into XRP.

Background

Ethereum currently holds a far larger market value than XRP. The Crypto Basic put ETH at $2,282 per coin with a market capitalization of $278.85 billion, against XRP at $1.24 and $79.13 billion. ZyCrypto, citing CoinGecko, reported ETH at $2,287 and $279.4 billion, with XRP at $1.25 and about $79.2 billion.

On those figures, Ethereum leads by roughly $200 billion. The Crypto Basic calculated that XRP would need to reach about $4.40 to match Ethereum's current value, a gain of around 255%, assuming XRP's circulating supply is unchanged and Ethereum's market value holds steady. ZyCrypto put the required level near $4.41, or about 253% above the current price. Both reports note that Ethereum's value is unlikely to stand still, and each rise in ETH widens the gap XRP must close.

What to watch

Readers will want to watch whether Ripple announces any card partnerships with major payment networks, how quickly RLUSD supply expands, and how much settlement activity actually lands on the XRP Ledger. The size of Ethereum's lead, and any further gains in ETH, will also shape how realistic a flip remains.

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