There is something interesting about Brad Garlinghouse's movements throughout 2026. Ripple's CEO doesn't seem shaken even though XRP has dropped from $2.40 to $1.85, and now it's already at $1.41. While many people panic over geopolitical uncertainties and regulatory delays, he is instead becoming more active in speaking at various international forums. At the beginning of the year in Davos, Garlinghouse started framing XRP not as an ordinary speculative asset, but as financial infrastructure for a increasingly divided world. He pointed to data showing stablecoin volume soaring 75% from $19 trillion in 2024 to $33 trillion in 2025 as proof that this story is not just empty talk. Interestingly, he also mentioned that institutional interest from major players like BlackRock and Vanguard has not yet fully reflected in the current crypto market prices. Then on Fox Business, Garlinghouse boldly wagered that there is an 80-90% chance the CLARITY Act will pass in Congress in April. That’s a bold decision considering crypto regulation is still full of uncertainties. But he does not back down from his position, even as the schedule continues to shift. What’s even more interesting is that in March, he traveled across three continents in five days, announcing that Ripple Prime has doubled its revenue. His message remains consistent: making XRP more useful, more trusted—that is his main focus. It’s not about price, but about utility. At the Semafor forum in April, he even analyzed his political situation very openly. According to him, when people are tired of conflicts, that’s when they finally compromise. He believes we have reached that point. He shifted the CLARITY target to the end of May, which is the third time he adjusted the timeline this year, but the direction of his speech remains the same. The most interesting thing about all this is the tone. Not defensive, not worried, but calm and confident. He said the success of CLARITY will open the door for global banks to fully enter crypto, something far bigger than what Ripple can do alone. This is not just about XRP, but about transforming the global financial infrastructure. It’s a narrative he consistently delivers at every forum and event he attends.

Honestly, lately Ripple has been attracting more and more attention, and it's not for nothing. New data from Japanese bank tests show something truly interesting — transactions based on XRP could reduce international payment costs by up to 60% compared to the traditional SWIFT system. Let's understand why this is important. SWIFT is a system that connects over 11,500 financial institutions and processes more than $5 trillion daily. It sounds massive, but in reality, SWIFT is not the actual transfer of funds, just a messaging layer. Banks receive instructions, then execute transfers through pre-funded accounts in different jurisdictions. This leads to delays, fees, and all that bureaucratic chaos. Here, Ripple offers a different approach. Instead of keeping money locked in accounts worldwide, institutions can convert local currency into XRP, transfer it across borders in seconds, and immediately convert it into the target currency. The result — almost instant settlements, less capital tied up, greater liquidity efficiency. Interestingly, Ripple doesn't necessarily aim to completely replace SWIFT. Based on recent signals, the company positions itself as a complement, as an auxiliary layer for global payments. If these 60% savings truly scale at large volumes, it could radically change the logistics of international transfers, especially on routes with high payment flows. This is one of those moments when crypto technology moves from theory to practical application in the financial system. It's worth keeping an eye on how this story develops.

I've been following XRP these days and the situation is really complicated. The price has dropped significantly since that peak of $3.65, now it's around $1.42. This reflects what's happening in the crypto market in general, but there are some specific signals from XRP that deserve attention. What’s catching my eye is the decline in demand for XRP spot ETFs. When they launched in November, over $666 million flowed in during the first few months, then another $499 million. But now? Almost nothing. Funds had outflows of $31 million last month — the first time this has happened since launch. Bitwise holds the largest ETF with about $276 million in assets. There's another issue affecting it: RLUSD isn’t taking off. Ripple’s stablecoin has a market cap of around $1.4 billion, well below expectations. Meanwhile, USDC is adding billions, and USDT continues to dominate with $184 billion. RLUSD’s trading volume is weak in comparison — $9.1 billion over the last 30 days versus trillions for its competitors. Even with initiatives like Ripple Prime, RLUSD’s growth has stagnated. Technically speaking, the chart looks ugly. It formed a bearish flag pattern, is below moving averages and the trendline. The RSI is below 50, suggesting more selling pressure. If it drops below 1.1175, it could go to 1.00. The XRP Ledger network is also falling behind — DEX volume at $125 million while Solana is at $50 billion. It’s a scenario that calls for caution. XRP would need to rise above the trendline to turn the game around and head toward $2.00. But for now, the momentum is unfavorable.