Ripple CEO on XRP as the ‘North Star,’ CLARITY Act and Trillion-Dollar Crypto Company

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse used XRP Community Day to position XRP as the central focus of Ripple’s business strategy. Speaking in X spaces, he said XRP and RLUSD remain at the “heartbeat” of Ripple’s work across payments, lending, and custody on the XRPL. His remarks also touched on the CLARITY Act timeline.

Garlinghouse Praises XRP and RLUSD XRP Community Day

Live on X Spaces, Garlinghouse told the XRP community that XRP is the “North Star” for Ripple and drives its broader direction. He said Ripple Payments, Ripple Prime, and Ripple Treasury aim to expand XRP utility, trust, and liquidity.

He explained that Ripple Payments is tied to XRPL activity, including decentralized exchange use cases with permissioned domains. Meanwhile, he said Ripple Prime supports XRP use for collateral and lending, while Ripple Treasury enables payments involving XRP and RLUSD within treasury management systems.

Garlinghouse added that Ripple sees itself as a financial infrastructure platform, not a crypto-first firm. He also said Ripple wants to be “the most regulated and compliant” company in the sector while continuing to push institutional adoption.

He also referenced Ripple’s partnership with Aviva Investors, which he described as one of the world’s largest asset management firms. Garlinghouse said Aviva Investors is tokenizing on the XRP Ledger, and he tied the move to Ripple’s focus on institutional adoption.

Ripple’s $50B Valuation Adds Context to Trillion-Dollar View

Garlinghouse’s XRP Community Day comments came as a separate report placed Ripple among the world’s top IPO candidates. According to CBInsights data cited in the report, Ripple Labs is valued at over $50 billion, ranking ninth globally among potential IPO firms. 

The report also noted Ripple’s valuation reflects enterprise value, not XRP’s market capitalization. It compared Ripple’s position to companies such as SpaceX, OpenAI, Stripe, and ByteDance, while stating that Ripple trails SHEIN.

As speculation about a public listing continues, Ripple President Monica Long has addressed IPO discussions. However, the report said Ripple remains solvent and has no near-term listing plan, with the company focusing more on acquisitions. Garlinghouse said he expects a trillion-dollar crypto company to emerge and added there could be more than one.

Garlinghouse Predicts CLARITY Act Progress as Talks Continue

Ripple CEO also addressed the CLARITY Act during his XRP Community Day remarks, saying he expects the bill to regain momentum soon. He said there is a “75%” chance that by the end of April, it will be “very close to getting signed.”

His remarks followed comments from Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty, who said discussions at the White House were productive. Alderoty wrote on X that a compromise appears likely, while bipartisan support remains behind crypto market structure legislation.

White House advisor Patrick Witt also commented after the meeting, thanking participants from both the crypto and banking industries. Witt added, “We are going to get this done.”