Bitcoin (BTC) is poised to make its debut on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) by the end of February 2026, according to analyses shared by market experts. Crypto analyst Ripple Bull Winkle detailed that Ripple Custody, a bank-grade digital asset management service, will hold the underlying Bitcoin in secure storage and issue tokenized versions on the XRPL. For every BTC held, an equivalent amount of tokenized Bitcoin will be minted, creating a representation of the asset on the faster XRPL network.
The move is seen as a significant milestone that automatically expands XRPL's institutional use case and could position it as a leading network. Proponents highlight key advantages: transactions would settle in approximately 3-4 seconds compared to Bitcoin's 10 minutes, and fees would be reduced to mere pennies. This tokenization does not mean Bitcoin is migrating blockchains; rather, it creates a usable tokenized version on XRPL that represents the real BTC held in custody.
Looking beyond Bitcoin, Ripple Bull Winkle stated intentions to expand asset tokenization to other leading cryptocurrencies like Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL). This would transform the XRP Ledger into a "universal settlement layer" for fast and affordable movement of multiple digital assets.
In a related discussion, crypto expert Vincent Van Code explored the potential for this framework to eventually include fiat currencies and stablecoins, though he noted custody and profitability challenges. Separately, a renewed debate about XRP's fundamental utility versus Bitcoin has emerged following legal analyst Bill Morgan's reference to a hard-to-find 2013 article by journalist Felix Salmon. The article praised Ripple's technology as a faster, more practical payment system compared to the then-experimental Bitcoin.
Market data in 2026 shows Bitcoin maintaining dominance, but XRP continues to see growth in cross-border payments and institutional corridors, with corporate use of Ripple services reportedly increasing by over 20% in the past year. The evolving regulatory landscape in the U.S. and Europe is also seen as a factor shaping the adoption and utility contest between the two assets.
