Ripple's cryptocurrency XRP has captured significant attention, surging over 300% over the last month amid renewed investor interest.

Roundtable anchor, Rob Nelson, sat down with Armando Pantoja, Futurist and Founder at Quant Index, to discuss the dramatic rise of XRP and its implications for the broader crypto market.

"It's funny, the last couple weeks, so many people have been talking to me about XRP, pay attention to XRP," Nelson remarked, highlighting the buzz surrounding the digital asset. This surge prompted a deeper examination of what's driving XRP's extraordinary performance.

Pantoja acknowledged the impressive gains, stating, "XRP has went up over 300%, I think even more than that in the last couple of weeks. It's done extraordinary things." He attributed this growth to the anticipation that "Once the government stopped their lawsuit, we would see big things come from XRP." He viewed the situation as a classic "Blood in the streets investment," where temporary setbacks present buying opportunities.

Ripple's surge makes sense. Out of all the blockchains, Ripple had faced the largest offensive from SEC Chair Gary Gensler and had drawn the bulk of the agency's attention. After President Trump's victory, and news that Gensler is said to be stepping down at the beginning of his term — the bite of that lawsuit looks all but gone.

Reflecting on his early skepticism, Pantoja admitted, "I believed in complete decentralization. I didn't believe in anybody having any kind of influence over a blockchain." Initially, he was critical of XRP, saying, "It was against all of that, the ethos of bitcoin, I was very angry at XRP for years." However, a conversation with a banker shifted his perspective. "I realized that mainstream America would never accept a cryptocurrency like bitcoin because they don't have the traditional structure of a corporation. Ripple and XRP does," he explained.

Regarding the SEC's lawsuit against XRP, Pantoja saw it as an opportunity rather than a setback. "When the SEC attacked XRP, I saw it as an opportunity. It was artificially pushed down. I thought that whole lawsuit was a bunch of garbage," he asserted. Confident in his long-term outlook, he believed that once the "Artificial barrier came off, the price was going to explode up," a prediction that appears to be unfolding.