- Dave Portnoy says he regrets selling XRP at $2.40, missing out on a rally that sent the token to $3.60.
- The XRP surge came as Ripple filed for a national bank charter and $68M in shorts were liquidated.
- U.S. lawmakers passed three major crypto bills, sparking a broader rally across digital assets.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is not having the best day. After dumping his XRP stash weeks ago, the coin just ripped to new year-to-date highs—and he’s feeling the sting. “I would’ve made millions, and I want to cry,” he admitted in a video posted on X Thursday. “I don’t own it anymore, even though I was the leader of the XRP army.”
That confession came not long after XRP jumped past its previous 2025 high of $3.29 and shot up to $3.60—a 19.6% spike in just 24 hours, per data from Nansen.
“I Sold at $2.40… and It Hurts”
Portnoy explained that he bailed when XRP hit $2.40. Why? Apparently, the same person who convinced him to buy it later told him to sell. The reason? Concerns that Circle might end up competing with Ripple. “I didn’t really have some grand belief,” Portnoy admitted. “I just bought it ‘cause I had FOMO. What if it was the next Bitcoin?”
Oof.
Ripple’s Bank Move and the Broader Market Push
Interestingly, Ripple Labs filed for a national bank charter on July 2, just days after Circle did the same. That news seems to have added fuel to XRP’s run-up, helping boost confidence among traders.
At the same time, the entire crypto market’s been surging since July 9, when Bitcoin broke past its May peak of $112K. XRP’s rally stood out, though—CoinGlass reports $68 million in short positions got wiped out in just 24 hours.
U.S. Lawmakers Give Crypto a Big Win
Part of this week’s wild momentum came from the policy side. On Thursday, the U.S. House passed several major bills that reshaped sentiment across the board:
- The CLARITY Act (294–134) set new market structure rules
- The GENIUS Act (308–122) brought guidance for stablecoins
- The Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act (219–210) limited federal control of digital dollars
That kind of legislative clarity doesn’t come often—and it hit at the perfect time.
