Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse recently shared new details about the end of the company’s long legal fight with the SEC, now that a new Chair has officially taken over the agency. Speaking to Fox Business, he discussed a shift in how the US government views crypto—and pointed out one important area that still needs clearer regulation.
Garlinghouse talked about the resolution of Ripple’s case with the SEC and how it could shape the future of crypto rules in the country. He noted that the government’s attitude towards digital assets has started to change, creating new opportunities for the industry moving forward.
Another big topic in the interview was Ripple’s recent $2 billion acquisition of Hidden Road—one of the largest deals in crypto history. Garlinghouse said such a move wouldn’t have made sense a year ago, when regulators were openly hostile to the crypto industry. Now, with things shifting, Ripple feels confident moving into a new phase after the long battle with the SEC.
Ripple had set aside $125 million for a potential fine from the SEC. But now that the situation has changed, the company is reclaiming most of that money, along with the interest it earned. The SEC has agreed to drop its appeal and remove the permanent injunction against Ripple—clearing the way for a full resolution.
Paying in XRP? A Bold Move with Big Implications
Although the legal fight is ending, Ripple still has to pay $50 million each to the SEC and the US government. Interestingly, the company is in talks to make those payments in XRP instead of U.S. dollars. This sparked a wave of speculation: could XRP now be added to the US Digital Assets Stockpile?
Under a program launched during President Trump’s current term, the US is building a national crypto reserve, which already holds $16 billion worth of assets like Bitcoin, Ether, USDT, and BNB. So far, there’s no XRP in the mix. The government only accepts crypto from civil or criminal forfeitures—so if Ripple pays its fine in XRP, that could qualify the asset for inclusion.
At XRP’s current price of $2.03, the $50 million fine would equal about 24.63 million XRP tokens. However, this proposal still needs approval from the SEC’s commissioners, who are expected to vote on it in a closed-door meeting. Whether the payment will be accepted in XRP—and how that might affect the wider crypto market—is still uncertain.
If XRP ends up in the government’s crypto vault, it’ll be a twist no one saw coming—least of all the SEC.
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