XRP is back in the spotlight after macro analyst Jim Willey said that XRP's neutral positioning and abundant liquidity could make it even more attractive to large financial institutions amid mounting speculation about a closer relationship between Ripple and BlackRock.
In a recent discussion, Willey described XRP as “neutral” compared to other cryptocurrencies, saying this property allows for a wide range of flexibility. He said XRP's liquidity is outstanding because its underlying infrastructure is already widely distributed across global markets.
Talk about collaboration behind the scenes
Willie also suggested that there may be more going on privately between Ripple and BlackRock than is publicly known. He said these comments were speculative and not based on official announcements, but said discussions he has heard so far suggest a collaboration that could be positive for XRP's long-term role in finance.
“I don't want to overstate things because I've heard things, but a lot of Ripple's development may have been behind the walls of BlackRock. Ripple is now the face of public equity, while BlackRock is the face of private equity,” he said.
He described a possible structure in which Ripple would function as a public-facing technology company, while BlackRock would operate more quietly as a partner to institutional investors. Neither Ripple nor BlackRock have confirmed any such arrangement.
Why the BlackRock name matters
BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager and has steadily expanded its presence in digital assets, including crypto-related investment products. Given BlackRock's influence in global capital markets, deeper involvement in XRP-linked infrastructure will be closely monitored.
Willey said that if major institutions eventually support XRP-based systems, it could have a significant impact on how tokens are used in payments and settlements over time. However, he cautioned that such results remain hypothetical.
