XRP News: Ripple’s Payments Strategy Extends Beyond XRP, Earlier Remarks Show

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said XRP could function as an effective bridge asset for some cross-border transactions, while stablecoins may be better suited to other payment requirements. The remarks resurfaced this week, but they were originally made on January 22.

Garlinghouse discussed the role of digital assets during Faena Rose’s January 22 program, The Transformative Power of Crypto Assets. The conversation covered cross-border payments and the development of digital financial infrastructure. Clips from the event began circulating again on social media on September 24, more than eight months after the original discussion.

Garlinghouse’s comments were centered on the specific needs of each transaction rather than positioning XRP as the preferred option in every case. He said XRP is not necessarily the right asset for all payment scenarios and rejected an approach that would make XRP the sole source of utility. He noted that stablecoins can be more effective for certain customer requirements. Garlinghouse also disputed the description of himself as an XRP maximalist, saying that real-world utility should determine which technology is ultimately used.

Ripple’s existing payment products already reflect this broader approach. Ripple Payments can settle transactions using RLUSD, USDC, USDT, or fiat, depending on customer needs and regulatory availability across different markets. Ripple says its settlement infrastructure is not tied to a single token issuer, meaning additional stablecoins can be incorporated without rebuilding the underlying payment system.

The company says its network supports payment collections, digital-asset conversion, and payouts across more than 60 markets and has processed over $100 billion in payment volume.

XRP and RLUSD have distinct roles within Ripple’s payment ecosystem. XRP is a freely traded cryptocurrency with a market-driven price. Ripple’s documentation identifies XRP as the native asset of the XRP Ledger and describes it as a bridge asset designed to facilitate fast and low-cost cross-border transactions.

This role is central to Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity model. In the process, a source currency can be converted into XRP, moved between markets, and then converted into the destination currency. This structure can reduce the need for financial institutions to keep capital in pre-funded nostro accounts.

RLUSD serves a different function. Ripple describes it as a dollar-backed stablecoin designed for payments, remittances, treasury activity, and settlement. Its reserves consist of cash deposits, U.S. Treasuries, and cash equivalents, with the token backed 1:1 and redeemable for U.S. dollars.

The main distinction is price behavior. XRP’s value moves with market conditions, whereas RLUSD is designed to maintain a value of $1. That stability can be useful for corporate treasurers managing regular settlement volumes who want to avoid exposure to cryptocurrency price fluctuations.

The growing role of stablecoins in Ripple’s payment model also mirrors a wider trend across the financial industry, where stablecoins are being incorporated into payment and settlement systems across multiple networks.

Garlinghouse’s January comments came well before the Senate’s September 15 cloture vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. The bill failed to advance after a 49-50 vote, falling short of the 60 votes required to move H.R. 3633 forward. Ripple called the result a missed opportunity and said its position on XRP’s regulatory status remained unchanged, citing the SEC and CFTC’s March 2026 interpretation that identifies XRP as a digital commodity.

The legislative developments are separate from Ripple’s decisions around payment assets, but they provide useful context for the resurfaced clips. When Garlinghouse made the January remarks, he was explaining a strategy in which different assets could serve different customer requirements. The comments were not a response to the later Senate vote and did not indicate a move away from XRP.

For market participants, the resurfaced remarks show that Ripple’s multi-asset payments strategy was already part of its infrastructure. Rather than introducing a new direction, Garlinghouse’s comments offer additional context on how XRP, stablecoins, and fiat can serve different functions within Ripple’s broader payments network.