Some influential voices in the XRP ($1.87) community speculate that XRP could benefit from the wild rumor that Ripple is potentially acquiring Circle, the issuer of USDC ($1.00). Recently, Circle filed to go public on the New York Stock Exchange via an IPO, offering 24 million Class A shares under the ticker CRCL. News of this development casts doubt on the speculation of a bidding war between Ripple and Coinbase for Circle's acquisition. However, Mickle, a prominent figure in the XRP community, argues otherwise. According to him, Circle will not make it to the public market given the offers from entities like Ripple. Notably, initial reports suggest that Ripple offered up to $5 billion to acquire the USDC issuer. As reported, Circle rejected the bid. Shortly afterward, a detailed announcement about the firm’s IPO became public. Meanwhile, a subsequent report suggested Ripple returned with a revised offer exceeding $10 billion. Ripple’s Reported Offer “Too Good to Ignore” According to Mickle, this is a “juicy” deal that Circle’s shareholders may find hard to resist. He claimed the firm seeks to raise $6 billion from the IPO, making Ripple’s $10 billion offer appear to be the more logical route. He emphasized that Circle might be compelled to pursue an acquisition instead of the IPO path, entertaining bids from both Ripple and Coinbase. However, he believes Ripple would have the upper hand. In his commentary, he suggests the development could be "huge" for XRP. Still, many disagree with this perspective, calling it baseless speculation with no grounding in reality. For instance, the founder of the MoneyGCC Project Management Service argued that Circle can turn down any offer. He urged Mickle to consider the personalities on Circle’s board, the company’s long-term strategic interests, and its legal obligations to Coinbase, which could hinder a Ripple acquisition. https://twitter.com/MoneyGcc/status/1930068433560903848 Meanwhile, Circle has already dismissed the rumors about its acquisition. It denied any offer to sell itself to Ripple or Coinbase, stating that its focus remains on the IPO. But How Would Ripple Raise $10B to Acquire Circle? Commentators in the broader crypto community have raised red flags about the rumored acquisition, particularly regarding Ripple’s liquidity to fund the purchase. Dave Weisberger questioned how Ripple could liquidate enough XRP tokens to pursue a $10 billion acquisition. He noted that selling billions in XRP could significantly impact market liquidity and the token’s price. On the other hand, pro-XRP attorney Fred Rispoli suggested Ripple could avoid large XRP sales by using a mix of debt, cash, and equity. Still, Weisberger remains skeptical, arguing that Ripple would ultimately need cash, not just XRP or stock, to close the deal, if at all. Meanwhile, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse reportedly denied claims that Ripple offered $10 billion to acquire Circle. However, according to the report, he did not deny that acquisition discussions may have taken place. XRP’s Potential Price Action If the Deal Succeeds Nonetheless, acquiring Circle would give Ripple control over USDC and its stablecoin, RLUSD ($1.00). This could expand Ripple Payments and potentially increase XRP’s utility in cross-border settlements. According to an analysis by The Crypto Basic last month, ChatGPT and Grok predicted the potential impact on XRP’s price if the deal goes through. In a base-case scenario, XRP could rise to $3.50–$4.50 due to increased demand and ecosystem growth. In a bullish scenario, XRP might surge to $6–$10 (ChatGPT) or $6–$8 (Grok), assuming a smooth integration.