During the recent XRP Community Day, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse emphasized XRP’s pivotal role in the company’s business strategy, asserting that it serves as the “North Star” guiding Ripple’s operations. Speaking in X Spaces, he reiterated the importance of XRP and RLUSD in Ripple’s efforts across areas such as payments, lending, and custody on the XRP Ledger (XRPL).
Garlinghouse underscored that Ripple Payments, Ripple Prime, and Ripple Treasury are geared towards enhancing the utility, trust, and liquidity of XRP. He elaborated on the integration of XRP with XRPL activities, including decentralized exchange use cases within permissioned domains. Additionally, he explained that Ripple Prime allows for XRP to be utilized as collateral and for lending purposes, while Ripple Treasury facilitates transactions involving XRP and RLUSD within treasury management frameworks.
Positioning Ripple as a financial infrastructure platform rather than a strictly crypto-focused entity, Garlinghouse expressed the company’s commitment to becoming the most regulated and compliant firm in the sector. He highlighted the company’s push for institutional adoption and pointed to Ripple’s partnership with Aviva Investors, one of the largest asset management firms globally, as a significant step toward this objective. He confirmed that Aviva Investors is in the process of tokenizing on the XRP Ledger, linking this move to Ripple’s broader strategy for institutional engagement.
Garlinghouse’s remarks coincided with a report indicating Ripple’s potential as a top candidate for an initial public offering (IPO). Data from CBInsights values Ripple Labs at over $50 billion, placing it ninth among potential IPO candidates globally. This valuation reflects the company’s enterprise value, distinguishing it from the market capitalization of XRP itself. In comparisons, Ripple is noted alongside firms like SpaceX, OpenAI, Stripe, and ByteDance, although it currently trails SHEIN.
While speculation about a public listing continues to circulate, Ripple’s President, Monica Long, has clarified that there is no immediate plan for an IPO, as the company remains solvent and is more focused on pursuing acquisitions. Garlinghouse also expressed an optimistic vision for the future, predicting that a trillion-dollar company in the crypto space could arise, potentially more than one.
In addressing regulatory matters, Garlinghouse shared updates on the CLARITY Act, expressing expectations for the bill to gain renewed momentum. He estimated a “75%” likelihood that it will come closer to being signed by the end of April. His comments were echoed by Ripple’s Chief Legal Officer, Stuart Alderoty, who noted productive discussions at the White House regarding potential bipartisan support for crypto market structure legislation. White House advisor Patrick Witt commended the collaborative efforts from both the crypto and banking sectors, affirming a commitment to progressing with regulatory frameworks.
