XRP has risen by 1% today, with its move to $2.47 coming after Ripple confirmed that the SEC will return $75 million to the crypto firm as part of a final agreement with the regulator.

Ripple had paid a penalty of $125 million last year, but the SEC’s dropping of its appeal last week means that the cryptocurrency firm will ultimately pay only $50 million of this fine.

This has put XRP in a strong position going forward, with the altcoin up by 7% in a week and by 10% in a fortnight, as well as by 280% in the past year.

And with Ripple now able to grow its business without any fear of regulatory friction or blowback, XRP’s long-term price prediction looks very bullish.

Could This Be the Catalyst XRP Bulls Were Waiting For? Legal Deal Nears Final Approval

Posting on X, Ripple’s Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty triumphantly declared that he was sharing his “last update on SEC v Ripple ever.”

In it, he revealed that Ripple would have to pay only $50 million of the aforementioned fine, and that the only thing left to do is for the SEC to vote on accepting the final settlement.

The final crossing of t’s and dotting of i’s – and what should be my last update on SEC v Ripple ever…Last week, the SEC agreed to drop its appeal without conditions. @Ripple has now agreed to drop its cross-appeal. The SEC will keep $50M of the $125M fine (already in an…

— Stuart Alderoty (@s_alderoty) March 25, 2025

Given that the regulator has already agreed to drop its appeal without conditions, the acceptance of this legal deal should be a mere formality.

As such, Alderoty’s update provides further confirmation that the long-running legal tussle between Ripple and the SEC is now over, with Ripple coming out the victor.

This is highly bullish for Ripple and XRP in the near and more distant future, with the coin’s chart today signalling an increase in momentum.

Of particular note is its relative strength index (purple), which after plunging close to 30 at the end of February has worked its way back above 50.

Source: TradingView

We also see XRP’s 30-day average (orange) resuming its climb above the 200-day (blue), another sign that the token is in a phase of growth.

However, it’s arguable that the 30-day has been elevated for too long, and that XRP is actually due a correction in the not-too distant future.

This could come in the next few weeks, given that the wider market still remains somewhat skittish as a result of the ongoing tariff dispute between the US and various other nations.

But if the macroeconomic situation does stabilize in the coming months, XRP is in a great position to wide any wave of renewed optimism.

Indeed, it could hit $3 by H2, and possibly climb all the way to $4 by the end of the year.

New Presale Coins Can Bring Fast Gains During Bearish Periods

While XRP will have to wait for the wider market before it can enjoy a sustained rally, there are smaller alts that have the potential to surge even during the current period.

Some of these are presale coins, which in the right conditions can generate enough momentum during their sales to rally strongly once they list.

For example, Meme Index (MEMEX) is an ERC-20 token that has now raised more than $4.2 million in its popular sale, which will end in only five days.

There's only ONE way to get those summer gains and that's with $MEMEXGet ready for the Frenzy! https://t.co/7P9aYCaBEn pic.twitter.com/0Vi8IBvyyG

— Meme Index (@memecoin_index) March 26, 2025

What has enabled Meme Index to attract interest is the fact that it will launch a decentralized meme coin index platform, through which investors can gain diversified exposure to the meme token market.

That is, it will offer four meme coin indexes at launch, with each tailored to different risk profiles.

Its Titan index will track coins with market caps of at least $1 billion, catering to investors who’d prefer a bit more stability.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Frenzy index will track the newest meme tokens in the market, something which carries more risk but may provide more exposure to strong upside.

To invest in these indexes, traders will need to hold MEMEX, meaning that the token could experience considerable demand.

They can buy the coin now by going to the Meme Index website and connecting a compatible wallet, such as Best Wallet.

MEMEX is selling at its final presale price of $0.0166883, although its popularity is such that it could eclipse this price once it lists next week.

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