Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced at the XRP Ledger Apex 2025 conference in Singapore that the XRP Ledger could capture 14% of SWIFT’s global liquidity market within the next five years. This projection highlights the platform’s focus on improving liquidity solutions for cross-border payments rather than replacing SWIFT’s messaging system entirely.
Garlinghouse emphasized that while SWIFT consists of messaging and liquidity components, liquidity is the more critical factor. The XRP Ledger excels by settling transactions within seconds, significantly faster than SWIFT’s typical 1 to 5-day settlement window. This speed advantage, combined with XRP’s lower transaction fees, offers substantial operational and cost benefits to financial institutions.
Recent on-chain data shows XRP payment volumes have surged by 1,300%, reaching $4.11 billion, indicating growing institutional interest. Additionally, Ripple has launched an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible sidechain to expand interoperability and attract developers from both XRP Ledger and Ethereum ecosystems.
Despite the bold forecast, there have been no regulatory or roadmap changes announced by Ripple following these statements. The prediction suggests potential shifts in global liquidity flows, possibly attracting new institutional investors. However, on-chain metrics have not yet reflected significant immediate market changes, implying the impact may unfold over the longer term.