Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse Says Crypto Industry Needs ‘CLARITY and Regulation’

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse used a television interview on Thursday to push back against JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s opposition to the CLARITY Act, accusing Dimon of either intentionally misrepresenting the bill or negligently misunderstanding it.

Galaxy Digital has revised its probability of the CLARITY Act passing before August recess down to 60%, with Congress now just 16 legislative days away from breaking. Lawmakers are still working to resolve provisions around bad actors and ethics concerns before a Senate floor vote.

Garlinghouse dismissed Dimon’s framing that the bill reduces compliance standards. “Jamie Dimon has been dismissing this industry for decades. He called Bitcoin a pet rock. JPMorgan generates $20 billion in revenue from their payments business with over $5 billion in profit. He is trying to protect a very profitable status quo.”

What Clarity Would Unlock

Garlinghouse argued that 90% of crypto trading currently happens offshore precisely because the United States has failed to provide a legal framework. Bringing that activity onshore with proper consumer protections is exactly what the CLARITY Act enables.

For Ripple specifically, which serves banks, payment providers, and corporate clients rather than retail consumers, passage of the bill would give CFOs and bank executives the legal certainty needed to engage with digital asset infrastructure without fear of a future regulator reversing course.

Ripple’s AI Payments Push

Garlinghouse also announced a new AI starter kit for the XRP Ledger, designed to allow AI agents to make payments on the network. He was candid about the risks, noting he would not connect an AI agent to his primary bank account until significant protections are in place, and called on Congress to get ahead of AI regulation the way it is now addressing digital assets.

RLUSD, Ripple’s stablecoin launched 18 months ago, has already reached top five status by growth and Garlinghouse described treasury infrastructure and stablecoin payments as the company’s primary growth areas heading into the second half of 2026.