This is a fun topic as of late. First, Ripple is, in my opinion, a coin that lives outside the boundaries of a traditional cryptocurrency. Ripple markets itself as a payment network that "connects banks, payment providers, digital asset exchanges and corporates via RippleNet to provide one frictionless experience to send money globally." In case you missed it, banks were listed in that group. ;)
Because of this, Ripple can't necessarily be classified as a cryptocurrency because it hardly adheres to any of the factors that make cryptocurrencies what they are known to be (decentralized, fairly distributed through proof of work/stake, etc.). It'd be more appropriate to refer to Ripple as a payment network that utilizes the blockchain.
Because Ripple attempts to appease both traditional payment entities, as well as new ones, it can actually cater to two very large pools of investors:
those who want to invest in cryptocurrencies but are too "risk-averse" to do so, and those who want to invest in cryptocurrency. Because Ripple intends to get as many banks on board, more traditional, conservative investors will see value in this coin. And, because Ripple markets itself as a cryptocurrency, "riskier" investors, and all those who believe in blockchain technology will see value in this coin, as well.
So, with this in mind, Ripple actually has a ton of potential in my opinion. Now, with so much potential already, if Coinbase were to support Ripple, the price could easily go to $30-50 within the first 4 to 6 months of it being on there.
RE: Ripple in 2018!?