Ethereum Reclaims Top Altcoin Position, Rises $500,000 Clear of XRP’s Market Cap Ethereum (ETH) has beaten Ripple (XRP) to regain its position as the largest altcoin by market cap, data from CoinMarketCap admitted on Jan. 2. As part of a return to positive gains all over the top twenty cryptocurrency assets through Tuesday, ETH — which had spent many weeks in the number three spot — unexpectedly reemerged, at press time surpassing XRP’s market cap by around $500,000.
The move comes on the back of fresh disagreement for both XRP and its relationship with payment network Ripple. Misperception over whether or not Ripple can make executive decisions over the XRP spilled over into mainstream
consciousness this week after United States digital currency exchange Kraken publicly asked a senior executive for advice on how to name it. Ethereum, which Justin Tron had blamed for failing to capitalize on progress in its growth roadmap, attained 8.3 percent in the 24 hours to press time, making it the best performer in the top twenty. XRP had modified just 2.3 percent in the same period.