Ripple IPO Odds Fade as Legal Barriers Persist, Says Schwartz

David Schwartz Reveals Why Ripple Still Has No Legal Path to an IPO 

Ripple’s long-speculated IPO (initial public offering) is running into a hard legal reality. While market chatter continues, executives have made it clear that a public listing isn’t a near-term priority, and former CTO David Schwartz argues the core issue is simpler: the current legal framework still doesn’t support it.

The discussion intensified after Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse recently explained that the company is taking a cautious stance toward an IPO. Garlinghouse pointed to the underwhelming post-listing performance of crypto firms like Gemini and Kraken as examples of why Ripple is not rushing toward the public markets. 

Now, David Schwartz has added a new dimension to the debate, noting that Ripple stock is already classified as a security under current U.S. law. 

This designation, he explains, introduces major legal constraints that make tokenizing Ripple equity or enabling it to trade like a crypto asset far more complex than many investors assume.

His remarks also highlight a common misconception in the market: Ripple equity and XRP are fundamentally different instruments, governed by entirely separate rules and legal frameworks.

Why Ripple Still Has No Clear Legal Path to Go Public 

XRP and Ripple equity serve fundamentally different roles. More notably, XRP is a digital asset used within Ripple’s payments network, while Ripple equity represents actual ownership in the company. 

As a result, this difference is critical because equity falls under strict U.S. securities laws regulated by the SEC.

David Schwartz noted that there is no workable legal framework today that would allow Ripple to simply tokenize its shares for open trading in crypto markets. Current securities regulations tightly control how private company stock can be issued, transferred, and sold, particularly when it involves access by retail investors.

Even so, Ripple equity already changes hands on secondary markets, where accredited investors can access private shares. The catch is that participation is tightly restricted, shaped by strict regulations governing private securities.

Earlier this year, Ripple President Monica Long reiterated that the company’s near-term focus remained compliance, infrastructure expansion, and institutional adoption rather than a 2026 listing.

Still, market interest in Ripple’s valuation hasn’t cooled. Research firm CB Insights has previously projected that a public debut could place Ripple’s worth at close to $40 billion, underscoring just how closely investors are watching its next move. For now, however, the company seems more intent on regulatory clarity than a Wall Street debut.