Wall Street Veteran Behind America’s First XRP ETF Says ‘XRP Community Is an Army,’ Says He’s Still Bullish

When Teucrium launched America’s first XRP ETF, few anticipated the response. Within just 12 weeks, the fund pulled in $500 million, a remarkable figure for any ETF, let alone a crypto derivative product that doesn’t even hold physical XRP.

“The XRP community is an army,” said Sal Gilbertie, Founder and CEO of Teucrium. “They’re willing to go to battle. They really are.”

Spot ETFs Changed the Game

Since spot XRP ETFs entered the market, investor behaviour has visibly shifted. According to Gilbertie, long-term holders have largely migrated toward spot products, parking their XRP and waiting, while the leveraged ETF has become the tool of choice for day traders and short-term speculators.

“The buy-and-holders have migrated towards spot XRP ETFs, rightfully so,” he said. “The levered product users are very aggressive, mostly day traders.”

An inverse XRP ETF remains on Teucrium’s shelf, though Gilbertie says there’s no rush. “Right now everybody’s bullish. We’ll give investors what they want and need.”

Why Gilbertie Is Bullish on Ripple

When pressed on his XRP thesis, Gilbertie kept returning to one word: focus.

“Ripple is single-minded in their purpose,” he said, pointing to the company’s decade-plus mission of making global money movement faster and cheaper. The XRP ledger settles transactions in 3 to 5 seconds, compared to the current T+1 system that traditional finance still runs on.

“We need instantaneous settlements. That’s going to be needed in the modern economy. It is needed right now.”

He also pointed to Ripple’s aggressive acquisition strategy and licensing efforts as evidence of a company building a complete, integrated financial ecosystem, not just a token.

“I like their work ethic. I like the fact that they stay the course.”

Regulatory Clarity Is the Key Unlock

On the macro front, Gilbertie is watching the CLARITY Act closely, legislation that could formally define crypto assets and reduce the regulatory fog that has hung over the sector for years.

His take on passage? Characteristically pragmatic.

“Neither side being happy means there probably is a deal. That’s the mark of a really good deal on a complicated subject.”