In an historic judgement, Ripple, the enterprise dealing in blockchain technology, secured a crucial win against the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This came about when Judge Analisa Torres declared that the XRP token did not fall under the category of a security. Despite this decision being met with approval by the XRP community, the long-standing legal battle surrounding Ripple is yet to find its resolution. The final judgment is anticipated to be the conclusive legal interpretation of the matter.

The heart of the case revolved around whether Ripple Labs violated federal securities law by selling its XRP token to retail investors on public cryptocurrency exchanges. The court sided with Ripple, however, in a twist, the SEC managed to secure a partial victory. Judge Torres ruled that sales of the XRP token to sophisticated investors constituted securities sales.

Several potential outcomes await the final judgment. A hopeful scenario is the prospect of both parties reaching an agreement and settling the case. Alternatively, in a more contested scenario where settlement fails, the case may be escalated to trial. A third possibility could see either party appealing the case.

The legal fraternity seems divided on what the next steps for the SEC might be. Some suggest the SEC could appeal Judge Torres’s decision in an attempt to reverse the conclusion that XRP is not a security. Others argue the SEC may settle with Ripple and subsequently shift its regulatory focus towards other parts of the crypto industry, such as the prominent crypto trading platform, Coinbase.

Chief Gary Gensler leading the SEC in pursuing an appeal could backfire significantly. If Ripple drags out the appeal until the next presidential election or even beyond, Gensler’s tenure would most likely conclude, leaving the higher courts preferring to wait until there is a final judgment. As legal expert Jeremy Hogan cautions, if the SEC loses at the appellate level, it could have far-reaching implications on case precedents, and all courts in the 2nd District Court of Appeal (DCA) would be obligated to follow this ruling.

Given these potential consequences, the SEC might deem it wiser to settle. Such a decision could help the XRP community put this lengthy legal battle behind them. Moreover, any resolution in Ripple’s favor would likely bolster the price of XRP, as already observed following Judge Torres’s preliminary decision.

At present, XRP is trading at a price of $0.714, marking a 0.21% increase in the last 24 hours and a significant gain of 51.09% on its monthly chart, despite a 7.77% decline across the previous seven days, as of July 28.

Price predictions following Ripple’s legal triumph are varied. Google’s artificial intelligence tool Bard forecasts an average price of $1.30 for XRP by the end of 2023. More conservative estimates from Bard predict prices of $0.47 or $0.71 by year-end. On the other hand, the machine learning algorithm of PricePredictions foresees XRP trading at $0.71 at the end of August 2023, suggesting a slight downward trend in the next 30 days. Crypto analyst CoinsKid offered a much more optimistic outlook, projecting XRP could reach the $6 mark by the end of 2023.

Adding to the mix, Cryptoinsightsuk, a crypto market expert, identified five potential price outcomes for the XRP token post-SEC case. They anticipate a mini bull run to $10-$15, a similar smaller pump, another jump to $20-$30, a complete moon mission, or a retesting of the highs of 2017, with prices reaching between $3.30-$3.60.

As the lawsuit’s outcome remains uncertain, Ripple and the broader XRP community continue to grapple with the unknown. The outcome will not only impact Ripple and XRP but could also set a significant precedent for the crypto industry’s ongoing dialogue with regulatory frameworks.