Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse stated at the opening of the Swell 2026 conference that the company will never give up on XRP, directly refuting market rumors that the firm is winding down support for its flagship token in favor of the stablecoin Ripple USD (RLUSD).
Garlinghouse addressed the speculation head-on, noting that while activity on the XRP Ledger has grown rapidly over the last year, some observers have incorrectly interpreted the company’s strategic moves as a pivot away from the native token.
“You’ve seen that grow much more quickly on the XRP Ledger over the course of the last year. But, you know, you do read people saying, ‘Oh, they’ve given up on XRP. They’re, you know, leaning into RLUSD.’ We will never give up on XRP. You know, the momentum you’re seeing around XRP is profound. RLUSD is one contributor to that, so we don’t—we view them as very complementary. And when people were kind of, I think, saying like, ‘We don’t get it,’ people—I said then, and I’ll remind people: we will never do something we think is bad for the XRP ecosystem,” Garlinghouse stated.
Regulatory Shift and Revenue Milestones
The company’s current strategy follows a five-year period of confrontation with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) spanning from 2020 to 2025. Garlinghouse identified the GENIUS Act as a turning point for regulatory clarity, stating that subsequent steps by the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have provided institutional players with clear rules, thereby reducing speculative uncertainty.
Ripple’s financial performance reflects this shift toward compliance and institutional adoption. The company reported an annual run rate of product revenue of $900 million. Additionally, Ripple has processed transactions worth $16 trillion. A primary operational goal is to migrate off-chain treasury and brokerage volumes onto the XRP Ledger blockchain, positioning XRP as a central settlement node for international liquidity.
Bank Approval and Institutional Integrations
A significant infrastructural development occurred this week with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) approving the launch of Ripple National Trust Bank (RNTB). RNTB holds the status of a federal bank, a designation that enables the legalization of RLUSD on on-chain repo markets. This approval also facilitates the listing of RLUSD on major exchanges, including Coinbase, Robinhood, Binance, Kraken, and OKX.
Ripple has recorded a threefold growth in multi-product integrations with major financial institutions. These partnerships include BNY, HSBC, DBS, and Standard Chartered. BNY is currently launching a project for the tokenization of trade finance directly on the XRP Ledger. Management indicated that the current market conditions in October do not signal pessimism, as the narrative surrounding XRP has transitioned from speculative viability to deep integration within the banking sector.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Ripple abandon XRP for RLUSD?
No, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse stated that the company will never give up on XRP and views XRP and RLUSD as complementary assets.
What bank approval did Ripple receive?
The OCC approved the launch of Ripple National Trust Bank (RNTB) with the status of a federal bank.
