Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse directly addressed long-standing community skepticism at the fourth annual XRP Las Vegas event, declaring that Ripple remains the largest holder of XRP and the entity most invested in its success. “We are the most interested party in seeing XRP be successful. We will continue to be the most interested party in seeing XRP be successful,” Garlinghouse said, calling doubts about the company’s commitment illogical given its massive XRP holdings.
Garlinghouse outlined three core objectives driving Ripple’s XRP strategy: making the asset the most useful, most liquid, and most trusted digital asset simultaneously. He noted that Ripple Treasury had been performing strongly, and in a tactical marketing move, the company ran billboards and wrapped buses on the Las Vegas Strip targeting attendees of a competing treasury conference. The event itself drew record attendance, reflecting a resilient community that has stayed cohesive through years of legal and market turmoil.
Separately, crypto analyst Max Avery pushed back against criticisms from Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson, who had claimed Ripple dumps XRP at will, provides no benefit to holders, and offers no staking yield. Avery pointed to the publicly verifiable on-chain escrow system that limits Ripple’s monthly unlocks, calling it “perplexing” that the misconception persists. He argued that every major Ripple product—including RLUSD and Ripple Prime—connects back to the XRP Ledger, driving structural demand for the token as a neutral bridge asset.
Avery also highlighted that treasury companies like Evernorth are accumulating XRP from the open market, signaling institutional interest despite ongoing FUD. He tempered expectations on speed of adoption, noting that financial institutions change payment infrastructure even more cautiously than they change email providers, and many are awaiting the CLARITY Act for full regulatory clarity. “They’re not going to go fast. And I think that’s the right decision,” he said.
