After surging to an all-time high above $3.50 in July, XRP (XRP 4.61%) has been battered alongside the rest of the market, dropping to $1.81 before recovering to its current level just above $2. That’s a pretty painful drop if you invested this summer, but for those few who bought in years ago, the picture looks quite different.

Today’s Change

(-4.61%) $-0.09

Current Price

$1.96

Traders who invested in January 2016 have seen astronomical gains. So what would you have if you’d invested $1,000 all those years ago?

XRP rose nearly 44,000% in a decade

In mid-January 2016, XRP was trading well below $0.01. A $1,000 investment would be worth an incredible $437,460 today. You can see the extreme growth in the chart below.

XRP Price data by YCharts

Don’t expect similar returns going forward

Image source: Getty Images.

This incredible growth over the past 10 years has looked very different in recent months, as XRP has slid roughly 40% from its July high. I believe the decline will continue.

While the technology that surrounds it is extremely useful for the banks that use it, the technology’s continued adoption won’t necessarily lead to XRP rising in value. I think much of its current valuation is built on hype, and as we’ve seen time and again, hype fades.