🪙 Why XRP May Replace the U.S. Dollar and How the Strait of Hormuz Crisis Is Related

The event at the Strait of Hormuz is not just a geopolitical story. According to analyst Mickle, this could be the moment the world recognizes that there is no need to settle trade using the U.S. dollar.
“The things happening in the strait are teaching all these other countries how to trade in other ways, rather than using the petrodollar,” Mickle said in a recent discussion. “If this starts to happen, we will see more XRP, Ethereum, and some other tokens being used in these global settlements.”
🔸 Escaping currency, not just the U.S. dollar
The foundational framework of Mickle’s argument comes from Ray Dalio’s long-term economic theory, especially the final stage of reserve currency collapse, in which what is being escaped is not from one currency to another, but from currency itself.
For years, this final stage has been considered to be when the Chinese renminbi would take over the dollar’s role. Mickle believes the narrative has shifted. Even Dalio, who historically argued for gold, seems to have turned toward something broader. The question is no longer which country’s currency dominates, but whether any country’s currency completely dominates.
“I think Ray Dalio has adjusted his argument, because this final stage is now about escaping currency itself,” Mickle said. “Digital assets create an outlet from a globally centralized fiat currency to a decentralized, neutral source of liquidity.”
🔸 Why XRP Fits This Moment
Mickle clarified which traits matter when countries look for alternative settlement channels. Deep liquidity pools. International settlement capability. The ability to transfer value quickly. And neutrality, meaning it is not controlled by any single government.
“Only a few tokens fit this category, and XRP is one of them,” he said. “This is exactly where assets like XRP can be strategically positioned at a global level.”