Rumors fly in the crypto world and they are difficult to ignore. Ripple would have increased his offer to acquire Circle, the company behind the USDC Stablecoin, from $ 5 billion to A stunning $ 11 billion.
Although neither of them has confirmed anything, the news has raised big questions: does Ripple make a brilliant movement, or is this a sign of despair?
Why is Ripple Chasing Circle?
Last month, Ripple reportedly made a range of $ 4-5 billion to circle, which was rejected. Now that the competition is warming up, especially with Coinbase that may enter the race at the acquisition of Circle, Ripple may have created its offer to a huge $ 11 billion.
If it is true, this could be one of the most brave acquisition -attempts that the crypto world has seen since the fall of FTX.
There are a few reasons why this deal suddenly became a big problem. One is the Stablecoin USDC of De Cirkel, with a market capitalization of $ 61 billion, which is seen as a golden property in the crypto space.
Moreover, the American regulations under Trump have improved because the crypto dinner will keep for the top 220 holders of the Trump Meme Coin.
Ripple’s wallet is deep
According to Ripple’s Q1 2025 market report, the company has a huge amount of XRP, around 4.56 billion XRP worth $ 10.72 billion in its blockchain addresses. It also locked 37.13 billion XRP in Escrow, with a value of no less than $ 87.25 billion. With that type of reserve, Ripple has the financial muscle to make large movements.
Some experts, such as Engel Investor Paul Barron, believe that Ripple has the upper hand over Coinbase in this race.
He said that Ripple might push his offer to somewhere between $ 9 billion and $ 11 billion, hoping to stay first.
What about Coinbase?
Ripple is not the only one interested. Coinbase is also in the race and also has a strong financial power. The reported $ 8 billion in cash in Q1 2025. And because Coinbase is a public company, it can collect even more money from investors if necessary.
This gives Coinbase some flexibility. It can use a mix of cash and stock to try to bridge Ripple.
Is Circle even for sale?
Here things become interesting: Circle has not confirmed any interest in sales. The company is even clear that it is aimed at long -term goals, including a planned IPO. It also has support from giants such as JPMorgan and Citi, giving confidence and leverage in all negotiations.
Circle can simply be entertaining offers to increase its value or gain strategic insight from rivals.
Credit : coinpedia.org
