XRP leads rally after Trump opens retirement accounts to Bitcoin, Ethereum originally appeared on TheStreet.

The cryptocurrency market rallied sharply Friday after President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing 401(k) retirement plans to include a wider range of investments, including digital assets.

The move, paired with the resolution of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s long-running case against Ripple, sent XRP to the top of the performance charts.

As per Kraken’s price feeds, Bitcoin rose a modest 1.3% to about $116,500, while Ethereum gained 4.6% to nearly $3,900. XRP, however, surged more than 12%, leading major altcoins.

The policy shift could reshape retirement investing. The order directs the Department of Labor and the SEC to issue new guidance, effectively clearing a path for retirement savers to allocate a portion of their portfolios to crypto.

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While crypto has not been formally banned from retirement accounts, prior federal guidance strongly discouraged fiduciaries from offering it due to concerns about volatility and investor protection. The executive order effectively reverses that stance.

Adding to the bullish sentiment, the SEC confirmed that its case against Ripple Labs—centered on whether XRP sales constituted unregistered securities offerings—has officially concluded. The end of the multi-year legal battle removed a cloud that has long pressured the token’s price and market perception.

Ethereum also benefited from positive regulatory developments. Earlier this week, the SEC clarified that certain liquid staking models do not qualify as securities under the 1933 Securities Act, reducing legal uncertainty for staking providers.

Traders were quick to reposition. Derivatives data showed $319 million in short positions were liquidated over the past day, compared with $91 million in longs, suggesting that the rally caught bearish traders off guard.

XRP leads rally after Trump opens retirement accounts to Bitcoin, Ethereum first appeared on TheStreet on Aug 8, 2025

This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared.