[Digital Today reporter Yoonseo Lee (이윤서)] XRP has been identified as the only cryptocurrency, excluding bitcoin, that has never left the top 10 by market capitalisation since 2014.

The Crypto Basic, a blockchain media outlet, reported on Monday local time that CoinGecko said XRP has remained among the leading digital assets from 2014 to the present.

The tally is seen as an example of XRP's long-term staying power amid repeated generational shifts in the cryptocurrency market. In 2014, major cryptocurrencies such as Litecoin (LTC), Dogecoin (DOGE), Dash (DASH) and Monero (XMR) already existed, but none of them maintained a top-10 ranking. XRP has held a top-tier market-cap position from 2014 to the present after being launched in 2012.

Ethereum also stayed in the top 10 for a long period, but it launched its own token in 2015. Tether started in 2014, but it entered the top 10 in 2018. As a result, only bitcoin and XRP have secured continuity since 2014.

The market is focusing on the volatility XRP has gone through. XRP has weathered multiple bear markets, intense investigations, delistings from exchanges in some regions and legal battles between Ripple and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Even so, it did not fall out of the top tier by market capitalisation.

Legal expert Bill Morgan (빌 모건), known as an XRP supporter, assessed the performance as "true, but it may be an inconvenient truth for crypto investors." XRP critics mainly cite price moves, regulatory burdens and competition with new blockchains, but they argue it is difficult to easily ignore its market position after staying in the top 10 by market cap for more than 10 years.

XRP's long-term staying power is interpreted as having meaning beyond simply defending its price. In the cryptocurrency market, projects built around specific narratives have repeatedly surged in a short period and then slipped down the rankings as liquidity fell and interest faded. By contrast, XRP remained in a major asset group by maintaining trading liquidity and investor interest despite ongoing regulatory risks and market criticism.

Still, staying in the top tier by market capitalisation does not automatically guarantee technological superiority or future price gains. Debate around XRP remains, and payment utility, institutional adoption and whether Ripple expands its business are cited as variables that will continue to shape market assessments. Even so, the record of staying near the top for more than 10 years shows XRP was not an asset that amounted to a short-lived fad.

XRP has in fact held its top-tier ranking even during sharp market selloffs. It is currently ranked sixth with a market capitalisation of about $72.76 billion and a price in the $1.11 range. It slipped as low as $1.05 last week, but has rebounded more than 11 percent from its recent low.

This trend shows that the market's assessment of XRP is not being determined solely by short-term price swings. In recent years, the cryptocurrency market has repeatedly seen tokens surge and then quickly fall out of the rankings, but XRP has held its position through multiple market cycles. The record presented by CoinGecko highlights that, separate from price controversy, its long-term standing by market capitalisation is clear.

INSIGHT: $XRP is the only cryptocurrency besides Bitcoin to have remained in the top 10 by market capitalization since 2014. pic.twitter.com/Mq5n74b5qM