JUST

Bitcoin

Billion

digital gold

<ul>
 <li>CNBC interviews spotlight XRP as capital shifts away from Bitcoin.</li>
 <li>Regulatory clarity and payments utility drive renewed institutional interest in XRP.</li>
 <li>Market rotation favors XRP amid selling pressure on Bitcoin and Ethereum.</li>
</ul>
CNBC commentators said during recent on-air interviews that XRP has emerged as the most compelling crypto trade, drawing attention to its recent price strength and growing institutional relevance. The remarks redirected focus away from Bitcoin and Ether toward assets tied more closely to transaction utility. 
Those comments quickly circulated across social platforms, pushing XRP into wider market discussions beyond crypto-native audiences. Market performance reflected that momentum as XRP gained more than 20%, overtaking BNB to become the third-largest cryptocurrency by market value. 
CNBC <a href="https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/2008681610930253835" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">described XRP</a> as the hottest crypto trade of the year, stating clearly that it was not Bitcoin or Ether. The commentators went further by explaining why XRP drew that distinction, shifting focus away from scarcity narratives toward its payments-driven design. 
<div class="embed-twitter">
 <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
 JUST IN: CNBC says XRP is the "hottest" crypto trade of this year. 
 "It is not Bitcoin, it is not Ether." <a href="https://t.co/kCJF6VOM10" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">pic.twitter.com/kCJF6VOM10</a> 
 — Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) <a href="https://twitter.com/WatcherGuru/status/2008681610930253835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">January 6, 2026</a> 
 </blockquote>
 
</div>
Ripple built XRP to function as a bridge asset for cross-border settlements, allowing financial institutions to move value between fiat currencies efficiently. By using XRP as an intermediary, banks and payment providers can complete transfers within seconds, aligning the asset more closely with financial infrastructure than speculative positioning. 
Also Read: <a href="https://36crypto.com/breaking-ripple-acquires-gtreasury-in-1-billion-deal-to-enter-corporate-treasury-market/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Breaking: Ripple Acquires GTreasury in $1 Billion Deal to Enter Corporate Treasury Market</a> 
<h2 id="payments-utility-reshapes-xrp-s-market-perception">Payments utility reshapes XRP’s market perception</h2>
The interviews highlighted <a href="https://36crypto.com/xrp-supply-shock-only-one-year-left-before-xrp-goes-parabolic-heres-why/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">XRP’s role in global payments</a>, a positioning that separates it from Bitcoin’s digital gold framing and Ethereum’s smart contract focus. Institutional participants increasingly prioritize settlement speed and cost efficiency, and XRP’s structure directly addresses those operational needs. 
This focus becomes more relevant during periods of broader market volatility, as assets tied to infrastructure often attract attention when speculative trades unwind. XRP’s payments-driven use case also appeals to firms expanding cross-border operations, which keeps adoption discussions central to its current valuation narrative. 
<h2 id="regulatory-clarity-and-capital-rotation-influence-sentiment">Regulatory clarity and capital rotation influence sentiment</h2>
Regulatory developments also featured prominently in the CNBC interviews, as Ripple’s resolved dispute with the SEC removed a long-standing source of uncertainty. That shift improved XRP’s appeal among institutions previously constrained by legal risk, allowing the asset to trade without the regulatory overhang that affected sentiment in prior cycles. 
Furthermore, the CNBC interviews <a href="https://x.com/AltcoinDaily/status/2008775222712054253" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">noted that XRP</a> accumulation continued even during recent market pullbacks, contrasting those inflows with weakening Bitcoin ETF activity. The discussion also addressed pressure facing Bitcoin and Ethereum due to their links with digital asset treasury strategies, where corporate balance sheets and index considerations can trigger selling unrelated to direct crypto demand. 
<div class="embed-twitter">
 <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
 CNBC is desperate for you to buy XRP. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f633.png" alt="😳"> 
 "Money is moving into <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24XRP&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$XRP</a> for three big reasons." <a href="https://t.co/AaLG7CgSlK" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">pic.twitter.com/AaLG7CgSlK</a> 
 — Altcoin Daily (@AltcoinDaily) <a href="https://twitter.com/AltcoinDaily/status/2008775222712054253?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">January 7, 2026</a> 
 </blockquote>
 
</div>
XRP remains outside that framework, which leads some investors to view it as less exposed to structural selling dynamics. 
Fund flow data referenced during the interviews showed XRP-focused products maintaining steady interest, while broader market uncertainty continued to weigh on larger assets. This contrast reinforced XRP’s position as a less crowded trade during recent market adjustments and reflected a broader reassessment of how capital moves within the digital asset sector. 
Also Read: <a href="https://36crypto.com/xrp-surge-not-done-see-what-analysts-are-saying-is-coming-next/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">XRP Surge Not Done? See What Analysts Are Saying Is Coming Next</a> 
The post <a href="https://36crypto.com/not-bitcoin-not-ether-cnbcs-xrp-declaration-ignites-excitement-details/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">“Not Bitcoin, Not Ether” – CNBC’s XRP Declaration Ignites Excitement: Details</a> appeared first on <a href="https://36crypto.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">36Crypto</a>.

“Not Bitcoin, Not Ether” – CNBC’s XRP Declaration Ignites Excitement: Details

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