Is Ripple (XRP) dead? Here are two new cryptos to consider instead

   Bitcoin has jumped around 100% in a year. Ethereum has been slow but still records gains above 30% on the annual chart. Solana is one of the best performers among high-cap cryptos, registering a surge above 400% in a year. What about XRP? In stark contrast to other top crypto coins, XRP has descended 5% on the annual chart. Clearly, XRP is not dead. If it was dead, it wouldn’t hold the seventh position on the global crypto chart. So, what is going on?Where is the XRP price headed?XRP has struggled to maintain its momentum this year. Despite ups and downs, the project has been unable to make a strong movement. Recently, Ripple Co-founder Chris Larsen made a $10 million donation to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. That led to a sharp drop in the coin’s price as the market began to speculate that the crypto might be liquidated. 115084907While XRP is far from being dead its future remains uncertain. The drawn-out legal battle with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is to blame. It has stunted XRP’s growth over the last few years. For a better context, XRP hit its all-time high on January 4, 2018, seven years ago. The SEC alleges that Ripple's XRP sale is an unregistered securities offering. Ripple has been recently scoring some victories in court. On August 7, 2024, U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres ruled that Ripple must pay a civil penalty of $125 million for its unregistered institutional sales of the XRP token. This is less than $2 billion sought by SEC.The battle is not over yet, however. XRP price action depends on how the rulings unfold over the coming months. The outcomes of the legal conflict will determine its fate.Two alternatives for XRP investorsHere are two new cryptocurrencies that have recently caught the eye of investors. They may seem similar to other flashy meme coins at first glance. However, a closer look reveals a different picture.Pepe Unchained ($PEPU): Pepe is breaking free from its layer-1 shacklesPepe Unchained ($PEPU) has smashed through the $25 million mark in its viral presale. It is not a hollow, purposeless meme coin.Pepe Unchained’s backstory gives a whimsical context to the project. According to the website, Pepe the Frog was once trapped in a clunky layer-1 server room. However, Pepe, with a Giga Brain genius move, devised a plan to break free and embrace the future. Enter Pepe Unchained. The layer-2 blockchain addresses inefficiencies that plague the meme coin space. Pepe Unchained’s narrative may be playful but its vision is bold. 115084934The meme coin segment is notorious for volatility. Quick actions are central to a profitable meme coin portfolio. However, this becomes challenging during market booms, as investors and traders rush to secure tokens. Due to network congestion, investors have to grapple with delayed transactions and soaring fees. Often, it eats into their profit. Sometimes, it leaves them with heavy losses.Pepe Unchained’s layer-2 blockchain takes transactions off the main chain and aims to make them faster, cheaper, and more efficient. It can potentially give a technical edge to meme coins built on the ecosystem. Crypto influencers have taken note of the project. YouTuber ClayBro highlighted the layer-2 features of the project in a recent video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELipKw6aZMoAccording to the Pepe Unchained white paper, the launch of the layer-2 chain is scheduled for the third phase of the roadmap. It could potentially mark the point where Pepe Unchained moves from being just a meme coin to a blockchain platform. The Pepe community has over 50,000 followers on Twitter (now X) and 10,000 members of Telegram.Visit the Pepe Unchained (PEPU) presaleFlockerz (FLOCK): This bird-themed meme coin is taking flight with a vote-to-earn modelFlockerz recently soared past the $1.1 million mark in its presale. Strong communities are integral to the success of meme coins. However, in most cases, these communities have nothing much to do, apart from holding the token and generating hype around it. They merely watch the game from the sidelines, although the outcome impacts them.The token’s journey is determined to a great extent by project development. However, a small, centralised team is responsible for all key decisions concerning governance and management. The community has little to no say in what happens after they have ploughed their money into a project. In traditional meme coin communities, the power is centralised in the hands of a few. It leaves projects vulnerable to mismanagement, corruption, and even theft. For example, in a shocking turn of events, $15 million was stolen from Pepe’s treasury by former team members in 2023. It still serves as an example of what can happen when decisions rest in the hands of a few. Even the most popular meme coins are not immune to its repercussions.What has all of this to do with Flockerz? Through a vote-to-earn model, Flockerz puts its community at the centre of the decision-making process. 115084927FlockTopia, the project’s Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO), allows $FLOCK holders to cast their votes on key decisions. This includes future features, partnerships, development priorities, and more.The vote-to-earn model rewards active participation. It gives investors a voice and a financial incentive. The project has allocated 25% of total tokens to be distributed as passive income to investors. As a result, even those who aren’t actively participating in voting still benefit from holding the token. It is live now. 20% of the total supply is reserved for the ongoing public presale. It can potentially reduce the influence of large investors or “whales”. The vote-to-earn model prioritises the collective interests of its broader community.By joining the ongoing presale, investors can enter the project at a discounted price before the token hits the exchanges. The presale accepts payments in multiple forms: ETH, BNB, USDT, and regular bank cards. However, a crypto-compatible wallet is a prerequisite to joining the presale. That’s where the purchased tokens go after the claim period is active. Visit the Flockerz (FLOCK) presaleName: Pepe UnchainedEmail: info@pepeunchained.com*You must be at least 18 years old to access this site.Disclaimer: Crypto products and NFTs are unregulated and can be highly risky. There may be no regulatory recourse for any loss from such transactions. The above content is non-editorial, and TIL hereby disclaims any and all warranties, expressed or implied, relating to the same. TIL does not guarantee, vouch for or necessarily endorse any of the above content, nor is it responsible for them in any manner whatsoever. The article does not constitute investment advice. Please take all steps necessary to ascertain that any information and content provided is correct, updated and verified.