After years of Gary Gensler's "regulation by enforcement" rampage, the SEC is suddenly playing nice with crypto.

The commission is now dropping cases left and right, and XRP holders are watching with laser eyes, wondering if their long regulatory nightmare might finally be coming to an end.

With Trump’s recent support on Truth Social, could this be the beginning of a new golden era for Ripple? 

The SEC's Surrender Tour

The list of cases the SEC is backing away from reads like a who's who of crypto.

They've completely dismissed their case against Coinbase – yes, the same Coinbase they've been hounding for years while inadvertently pushing all crypto ETF custody into its arms via its draconian SAB121 rule. 

Binance also got a 60-day timeout on their litigation, which is basically the SEC quietly quitting the suit. 

But that’s not all – investigations into ConsenSys, OpenSea, Robinhood, Uniswap, and Gemini were all closed without fanfare.

They even dropped charges against Richard Heart, the Hex founder who dresses like a supervillain from a B-movie.

When the SEC is dropping, on average, a major case per week, that signals a full-blown regulatory retreat more than a small pivot.

The XRP Army's New Hope

But where does this leave Ripple and XRP?

John Deaton, the lawyer fighting for XRP holders, sees the writing on the wall and is pushing hard for a quick resolution.

He's directly appealing to SEC Commissioners Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda, as well as crypto heavyweights David Sacks and Bo Hines.

The XRP Army hasn't been this excited since Judge Torres ruled that XRP itself isn't a security back in 2023.

And after nearly four years of legal battles, the light at the end of the tunnel finally seems visible.

But, as always, opinions on the matter aren’t uniform – Former SEC lawyer Marc Fagel says the rumors about an imminent dismissal might be premature.

Meanwhile, pro-XRP attorney Bill Morgan is practically measuring the champagne bottles, citing Judge Torres' 2023 ruling as a precedent for the SEC's case.

The Trump Effect

The reason for this regulatory 180 is firmly in Washington – specifically, the White House.

Donald Trump's second term has brought a crypto-friendly breeze to Washington, and the SEC has changed its tune almost overnight. 

Acting SEC Chair Mark Uyeda and Commissioner Hester "Crypto Mom" Peirce are finally getting their way after years of being the lone voices of reason at the commission.

The new Crypto Task Force led by Peirce is actually focused on creating clear policies instead of just randomly suing companies.

Imagine that– regulation that actually explains the rules before punishing people for breaking them. Take notes, Gary. 

XRP's Potential Moonshot

If the SEC does drop the Ripple case, XRP could go absolutely parabolic.

Some analysts are throwing out price targets as high as $320 – the kind of numbers that would make even the most diamond-handed XRP holder weak in the knees.

Given that this would endow XRP with a market cap of $18.5 trillion, we’d like to request a share of whatever that analyst has been smoking because it’s clearly very good stuff. 

But hey, XRP did surge 70% after Judge Torres' favorable ruling in July 2023.

If this dismissal hits at the right time, it could well make that pump look like a minor bump by comparison. 

What’s Next For Ripple?

The crypto community is cautiously celebrating, but everyone knows the regulatory battle isn't over yet – the SEC's Crypto Task Force still needs to outline exactly what the new rules of the game will be before we’re out of the woods.

Ripple has until April 16th to respond to the SEC's latest move, which could be the final chapter in this legal saga.

After almost four years of uncertainty, the XRP community might finally get the regulatory clarity they've been begging for.