XRP Flips BNB, Scores Regulatory Win as SEC Labels It a Digital Commodity

Altcoins

XRP is having a great week – the token surged more than 10% over seven days, pushing its market cap past $93 billion and displacing BNB from the fourth position on CoinMarketCap.

Key Takeaways

XRP climbed over 10% on the week, flipping BNB to claim the #4 spot on CoinMarketCap
SEC and CFTC signed a joint MOU, ending years of jurisdictional conflict over crypto
XRP officially classified as a digital commodity – not a security – in a landmark regulatory release
Bitwise XRP ETF pulled in $3.01M in inflows on March 17, snapping a two-week outflow streak

The move wasn’t driven by hype alone – it came against a backdrop of one of the most significant regulatory developments in the asset’s history.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission this week signed a Memorandum of Understanding, formally delineating their jurisdictional boundaries over digital assets. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins framed the agreement as the end of what he described as decades of regulatory turf wars between the two agencies – a dynamic that had long created legal ambiguity for crypto projects operating in the United States.

More pointedly, the two regulators jointly released a token taxonomy that explicitly names XRP as a digital commodity. The framework defines digital commodities as assets whose value derives from a functioning blockchain ecosystem and basic supply-and-demand forces. Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Dogecoin were all listed as examples under the new classification.

Why This Matters for XRP

The legal cloud that has followed XRP for years was never really about the technology. It was about whether the token constituted an unregistered security – a question that fueled years of litigation between Ripple and the SEC, rattled institutional confidence, and kept a segment of U.S. exchanges from listing or relisting the asset.

That question now has a formal answer. By placing XRP in the digital commodity category alongside Bitcoin and Ethereum, regulators have effectively removed the legal risk that kept many institutional players on the sidelines. The implications are significant: cleaner compliance posture for exchanges, a clearer path for financial products, and reduced legal liability for firms holding or facilitating XRP transactions.

It also validates years of Ripple’s legal argument that XRP functions as a medium of exchange in a decentralized network rather than as an investment contract in a common enterprise. The taxonomy doesn’t just clear XRP – it signals a broader regulatory shift toward treating established crypto assets as commodities rather than securities, a framework the industry has long pushed for.

The institutional response was already visible. According to data from Coinglass, on March 17, Bitwise’s XRP ETF recorded $3.01 million in inflows – the entirety of XRP ETF flows that day – ending nearly two weeks of consistent outflows. It’s a small number in absolute terms, but the directional shift matters. Capital had been leaving. Now it’s coming back.

Technical Picture

The daily chart on Binance shows XRP trading around $1.52, up from lows near $1.20 hit in early February. The 50-day SMA sits at $1.45, which the price has now crossed and is attempting to hold above. The 100-day SMA remains overhead at $1.71, acting as the next meaningful resistance level.

RSI on the daily is at 60.66, up from oversold territory seen in February. It’s in bullish momentum territory without being overbought, leaving room for further upside. The MACD shows a fresh bullish crossover with the histogram turning positive – a confirmation of the recent shift in trend direction.

Popular crypto analyst EGRAG CRYPTO flagged on that XRP appears to be testing the breakdown structure around $1.65. The analysis identifies $1.40 as the first line of support on any pullback, with $1.22 as a deeper floor if that level fails.

Invalidation of the bearish case, per the analysis, would be a break back inside the prior white range combined with a breakout above the descending channel formation – something the current price action is beginning to threaten.

The confluence of the regulatory catalyst, renewed ETF inflows, and improving technicals puts XRP in a more constructive position than it has been at any point in the past several months. Whether the move sustains itself above $1.65 and challenges the 100-day SMA will be the key test in the sessions ahead.

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Author

Alex is an experienced financial journalist and cryptocurrency enthusiast. With over 8 years of experience covering the crypto, blockchain, and fintech industries, he is well-versed in the complex and ever-evolving world of digital assets. His insightful and thought-provoking articles provide readers with a clear picture of the latest developments and trends in the market. His approach allows him to break down complex ideas into accessible and in-depth content. Follow his publications to stay up to date with the most important trends and topics.