Ripple’s Bank Buyout Plans: A Game of Financial Twister or Just a Fancy Dodge?

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So, there was Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple’s CEO, in the hot seat at the Economic Club of New York-like a contestant on a financial version of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” when asked if Ripple would ever buy a bank. Instead of a straight answer, he masterfully sidestepped like a pro dancer at a wedding, opting to reiterate Ripple’s oh-so-very institutional-first strategy. Because who needs clarity when you can charm your way through?

“I’m going to dodge part of your question answer,” he quipped, before launching into a spiel about how banks are actually his best buds rather than the enemy. It’s like saying, “Oh no, I don’t want to date a banker-I just want to be their favorite customer!”

The Ripple Game Plan: Banks Are Friends, Not Foes

Garlinghouse framed Ripple’s approach as a rebellious act against the crypto culture that screams “down with the banks!” He said, “Early on Ripple said banks are our customers,” which is a bit like saying, “I prefer my coffee with a side of compromise.” According to him, if they want to make a real impact, banks are the bridge to the people-because who doesn’t want to cross a rickety old bridge to get to their money?

He contrasted this with the initial crypto movement’s instinct to build a whole new universe free from fiat currency’s grasp, which Garlinghouse described as being a tad too “anti-bank, anti-government.” It’s as if he was saying, “Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater, folks.”

As for Ripple’s regulatory stance around its stablecoin business? Let’s just say Garlinghouse is all about those cozy compliance vibes. They launched RLUSD 13 months ago, and he proudly declared it sits “about number five” among the largest stablecoins, which, in the world of finance, is akin to being the fifth-best pizza place in town. Still pretty good, right?

And let’s not forget his charming way of saying they’re “almost overregulated,” which is the nice way of saying they have more licenses than a teenager has excuses for being late. “We want that,” he insisted, as if saying, “Please, give us more red tape!”

And then came the pièce de résistance of non-answers: “And I’m going to skip the question, will we ever buy a bank? They are customers.” Classic! It’s like saying, “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?”

When pressed about US legislation speeding up adoption, he pointed to the Genius Act as a game-changer, claiming, “That was an unlock for sure.” Just imagine the doors flying open and confetti falling as stablecoins start dancing into the mainstream.

Garlinghouse wrapped things up by emphasizing Ripple’s focus on payments because, you know, faster, cheaper settlements are sexy in finance. He even noted some tokenization projects feel like “a technology in search of a problem,” which sounds about right for a lot of things these days-like inventing a new app for counting sheep.

And just to keep things spicy, he highlighted Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, as a fan of tokenization, agreeing with him that a “huge percentage of assets will be tokenized.” It’s almost like saying, “Sure, I believe in unicorns too!”

As we hit the press time, XRP was trading at a cool $1.4027, proving once again that the market is as unpredictable as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

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2026-02-20 07:35