Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has publicly addressed the recent price decline of XRP, which has fallen alongside a broader market sell-off. In a recent interview, Garlinghouse acknowledged the 20% drop from recent highs but dismissed short-term volatility, stating that "real-world use cases will matter more." He attributed the market pullback to regulatory uncertainty, specifically citing stalled progress on clarity in late January 2026.
Garlinghouse emphasized Ripple's strong position, noting the company had "a tremendous year in 2025" and entered 2026 from strength. He described XRP as "the best performing major crypto" even after the correction, arguing that its utility in solving real-world problems will ultimately drive value. Ripple's focus areas include cross-border payments, stablecoins, liquidity services, and serving financial institutions seeking faster, 24/7 payment systems.
In a separate appearance at the Economic Club of New York on February 18, Garlinghouse outlined Ripple's contrarian, institution-first strategy. He stated Ripple's goal is to be a bridge between traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi), positioning banks as customers rather than adversaries. When directly asked if Ripple would ever buy a bank, Garlinghouse dodged, saying, "They are customers."
He highlighted Ripple's aggressive expansion, revealing the company has spent roughly $3 billion on acquisitions since 2023 to deepen its capabilities in custody, treasury management, and prime brokerage. One key acquisition, a treasury management firm rebranded as Ripple Treasury, processed $13 trillion in payments in 2025 without crypto, which Garlinghouse sees as a major opportunity for blockchain integration.
On regulation, Garlinghouse pointed to the Genius Act (stablecoin legislation signed by President Trump in mid-2025) as a key unlock for institutional adoption, noting a "big uptick in stablecoin activity" afterward. He argued that the potential passage of the Clarity Act could have a similar effect. He also detailed Ripple's regulatory approach for its stablecoin, RLUSD, citing a New York DFS trust license and a conditional OCC charter to appeal to institutional clients seeking oversight.
