Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse appeared on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria” to highlight XRP’s unique position as the only major cryptocurrency with a federal court ruling that it is not a security. He argued that this legal clarity is driving institutional adoption and giving XRP a relative performance edge over other top digital assets.
Court Ruling Sets XRP Apart
“XRP is not a security, and that’s what the courts ruled very clearly,” Garlinghouse said. “We got sued by the U.S. government and had a federal judge say XRP is not a security. That’s brilliant.” He emphasized that while Ripple now enjoys legal certainty, the broader crypto industry needs the Clarity Act to avoid operating in regulatory limbo. “The stablecoin market got that clarity in the GENIUS Act, but the crypto and blockchain industry needs the same clarity that Ripple had to fight for in the courts,” he added.
Garlinghouse criticized attempts to apply decades-old securities laws to digital assets, noting that most crypto assets do not grant ownership, dividends, or governance rights. He argued the courts have already rejected such approaches and called for legislative action to unlock industry growth in the United States.
XRP’s Relative Strength—But Geopolitical Shock Reshuffles Rankings
“XRP actually has been the best performing major crypto this year,” Garlinghouse stated. At the time of his remarks, XRP had fallen about 20% year-to-date, compared with Ethereum’s 33% decline, Bitcoin’s 24% drop, and Solana’s ~32% loss. However, a subsequent broad market sell-off triggered by escalating military operations in the Middle East altered the picture: Bitcoin proved more resilient, trimming its YTD loss to roughly 19% and surpassing XRP as the top performer in relative terms. As of writing, XRP trades at $1.37, Bitcoin at $66,368, and Ether at $1,979.
Ripple’s Acquisitions and Institutional Pipeline
Garlinghouse revealed that Ripple, partly through acquisitions made in 2025, entered 2026 in a “really strong spot.” He noted growing interest from CFOs, treasurers, and even boards of directors exploring how blockchain can improve efficiency. He described stablecoins as the entry point for corporate digital asset adoption, with demand then expanding into liquidity provision, prime brokerage, and payment infrastructure. “The more we demonstrate real practical utility using these technologies to solve real problems, the more you’re going to see that play out in a positive way,” he concluded.