Brad Garlinghouse Explains What CLARITY Act Means For Ripple and XRP

The CLARITY Act passing would be good for crypto and Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse believes that. Garlinghouse said Ripple has actively leaned into supporting the CLARITY Act.

“If we want the largest economy in the world, the United States, to lean into crypto in the way that helps, it’s good for Ripple if that happens,” he said. “But XRP has clarity.”

The distinction matters. Ripple is not lobbying for the CLARITY Act because it needs it. It is supporting it because the broader crypto industry does, and because a healthy US crypto regulatory environment is ultimately good for everyone operating in the space, including Ripple.

Garlinghouse also pointed to a concern he hears repeatedly from bank CEOs and senior financial executives. They are nervous. Not about XRP specifically, but about what happens when the current regulatory leadership changes. Paul Atkins is at the SEC today. But guidance is not law, and guidance can change the moment a new administration arrives.

“If you’re a big financial institution that’s had to deal with an SEC that has fined them billions of dollars, they don’t want to take a chance,” he said.

That institutional nervousness, Garlinghouse argued, is exactly why the CLARITY Act matters. Legislation creates permanence that guidance never can. Without it, major banks will remain cautious no matter how friendly today’s regulators appear.

The Clock Is Ticking

On timing, Garlinghouse said that the window is narrow. The bill needs to clear the Senate Banking Committee within the next few weeks. If it does not, the realistic chance of passage shrinks dramatically, and the political calendar makes things worse. If the House flips in November, the entire legislative landscape could shift as early as then.

“Either this gets out of committee in the next few weeks or it’s not going to happen anytime soon,” he said.