Ripple’s legal victory, $50M settlement, and strategic expansion mark a turning point for XRP and the broader crypto industry.
XRP is currently the best-performing major cryptocurrency over the past 90 days, according to Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse. The token’s impressive rally coincides with Ripple’s decision to settle its longstanding legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by agreeing to pay a $50 million fine.
The End of a Years-Long Legal Standoff
Ripple’s legal saga began in December 2020, when the SEC filed a lawsuit accusing the company of selling XRP as an unregistered security. After years of uncertainty, a pivotal 2023 court ruling gave Ripple a partial win declaring that institutional XRP sales were legal, but sales on public exchanges violated securities laws.
Ripple had initially reserved $125 million in escrow to cover any potential fines. Now, the company is reclaiming a significant portion of those funds. “We’re actually taking most of that back, including the interest that had been earned along the way,” Garlinghouse told Fox Business.
He didn’t hold back when commenting on the former SEC leadership: “I think it’s just evidence that the former [Gary] Gensler SEC was on the wrong side of the law. And thanks to the new leadership at the SEC and in the White House.”
Trump’s Role in Ripple’s Regulatory Turnaround
The settlement and Ripple’s resurgence come at a time when U.S. regulatory attitudes toward crypto have shifted sharply under President Donald Trump’s renewed administration. Ripple, like Coinbase and Gemini, is said to have backed Trump’s campaign financially—donating millions in cash and at least $5 million worth of XRP tokens to his 2025 inauguration.
Since returning to office, Trump’s SEC has reportedly dropped multiple lawsuits and investigations against crypto firms. While his supporters call this a step toward creating a transparent and innovation-friendly framework, critics argue that it blurs the line between policy and political favor.
Ripple’s Expansion: A New Era of Growth
With regulatory pressure easing, Ripple is wasting no time. The company recently completed its largest acquisition to date, buying prime brokerage firm Hidden Road for $1.25 billion. The acquisition is expected to help Ripple facilitate larger institutional transactions, providing a trusted clearing partner with a strong balance sheet.
“This allows even larger institutions like BlackRock, like the biggest Wall Street financial institutions, to come into this market in a way they understand,” Garlinghouse said.
Ripple’s global headcount now exceeds 1,100 employees—a sharp contrast to years of U.S. hiring challenges. “As a U.S. citizen, I grew up in Kansas. I’d like to hire people here,” Garlinghouse added. “But it made no sense to invest in a market where we couldn’t sign customers.”
New Products and Future Outlook
Ripple recently launched a stablecoin backed by a New York trust license, approved by the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS). The move signals Ripple’s growing footprint in compliant digital finance.
Looking ahead, Garlinghouse is optimistic. He expects further regulatory clarity on two fronts: stablecoin legislation and overall crypto market structure. He expressed confidence that Congress would pass federal stablecoin laws “sooner rather than later.”
On the topic of Bitcoin, Garlinghouse also offered a bold prediction. Citing the regulatory shift under Trump, he upgraded his year-end Bitcoin price target to $200,000, up from a prior forecast of $175,000. “People underestimate how the largest economy in the world, the U.S., went from headwinds, hostility to tailwinds,” he said.
TL;DR:
Ripple’s $50M SEC settlement brings an end to years of legal uncertainty, propelling XRP’s rally. CEO Brad Garlinghouse credits Trump’s pro-crypto administration for the industry turnaround. With expansion underway and new products launched, Ripple’s future looks brighter than ever.
