web3: Ripple says it is bridging traditional finance and on-chain finance

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse stated at the Wyoming blockchain symposium that as banks and institutions seek more compliant on-chain service access points, the company is connecting the traditional financial system with blockchain infrastructure, and he refuted the idea that "crypto is inherently anti-regulation."

75 Licenses and Court Ruling

Garlinghouse said Ripple now holds 75 licenses globally, demonstrating that regulated financial services and crypto business can develop in parallel. He also mentioned the previous U.S. court ruling on XRP, stating that XRP as an asset is not classified as a security.

Based on this, he once again emphasized that regulatory discussions should distinguish between the digital asset itself and related transaction behaviors. For Ripple, this distinction helps it continue to promote services like payments, settlement, and custody to banks and institutions.

Two Acquisitions Broaden Institutional Reach

Garlinghouse expects Ripple's revenue to reach a new high this year, with the possibility of doubling compared to last year, despite a slowdown in the broader crypto market environment. He believes the next phase of industry growth will come more from institutional infrastructure development.

• Hidden Road handled approximately $3 trillion in transactions last year
• GTreasury processed about $13 trillion in fund activities
• Combined, these two account for roughly $16 trillion in financial activity

He stated that these two acquisitions have allowed Ripple to engage more deeply in institutional fund flows, corporate treasury, and settlement networks, positioning the company directly at the intersection of traditional finance and on-chain services.

Corporate Treasury Demand Is Rising

Garlinghouse noted that in the past six months, the number of company CFOs and treasury leaders proactively reaching out to Ripple has increased significantly. Institutional focus is also shifting, moving from trading and speculation towards practical scenarios such as payments, liquidity, settlement, custody, and treasury management.

Regarding AI-powered payments, he was more cautious. He believes that AI agents with autonomous execution capabilities have the potential to drive payment automation, but for enterprises to truly adopt such solutions, control mechanisms like authorization, accountability, anti-fraud, and spending limits must be established first.