In a comprehensive discussion during the recent XRP Community Day spaces event, key insights were shared by Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and President Monica Long, highlighting the company’s strategic focus on XRP and ambitions for institutional adoption by 2026. The ongoing conversation emphasized that XRP remains integral to Ripple’s objectives, with Garlinghouse declaring it the “north star” guiding the company’s developments.
Analyst Nick from the NCash YouTube channel conveyed that if Ripple aspires to achieve a valuation of one trillion dollars, XRP will likely need to evolve into a multi-trillion-dollar asset. This growth could be powered by its applications in payments, tokenization, and financial infrastructure built on the XRP Ledger (XRPL). Garlinghouse affirmed that Ripple’s core mission revolves around enhancing XRP and its ecosystem, which includes backing technological advancements and exploring new use cases.
The CEO also hinted at the potential for Ripple to become a trillion-dollar company if it executes its plans effectively alongside the broader XRP ecosystem. This comment was interpreted by Nick as an indication that a higher XRP valuation is essential for realizing that potential, particularly as XRP facilitates global payments and tokenization.
Amid a climate of shifting institutional behaviors, Garlinghouse observed a transition where firms are leveraging blockchain technology not merely for exposure but for enhancing “settlement efficiency” and “cross-border liquidity.” Despite a recent downturn in crypto markets, he expressed strong optimism about the trajectory leading up to 2026.
Monica Long reinforced the message by outlining a roadmap for Ripple and XRP, summarizing 2026 as a year of “institutional adoption at scale.” She reiterated that XRP and the XRPL serve as Ripple’s foundational elements, steering product decisions in areas such as payments, DeFi, and custody services.
Long pointed to three focal points on the near-term roadmap. Firstly, she mentioned the goal of routing a larger share of Ripple’s licensed payments, especially stablecoin transfers, through the XRPL’s decentralized exchange (DEX). With new stablecoin issuers coming online, the design of XRPL—where XRP serves as a built-in bridge asset through “auto-bridging”—is designed to enhance liquidity across tokenized assets.
Secondly, Long discussed the revival of Ripple’s line-of-credit product through a new concept called “payments credit,” aimed at matching short-term funding needs of payment providers with XRP holders willing to lend via an upcoming lending protocol (XLS-66), pending approval for amendment on XRPL. This initiative seeks to convert idle XRP into yield-bearing collateral while facilitating institutional payment flows.
Lastly, she noted the growing interest from banks in tokenizing various financial assets such as deposits, funds, bonds, and equities. Ripple’s custody product is being positioned as essential infrastructure for this tokenization process, with the XRP Ledger touted as the ideal blockchain for institutional use.
According to the analyst, XRPL currently holds an estimated $1.5 to $2 billion in on-chain value, with speculation pointing toward a future where this figure could surpass $200 billion. Such growth could, in turn, drive a sustained demand for XRP as both a settlement asset and liquidity provider.
The overarching message from Ripple’s leadership, interpreted by the analyst, is clear: the company’s growth strategy closely aligns with enhancing XRP’s role in institutional payments, DeFi lending, and tokenization frameworks. The successful execution of amendments like institutional-grade lending and an increased reliance on the DEX will serve as key indicators of whether this vision can translate into significant on-chain activity and enduring XRP demand.
