Ripple CEO Denies Plans to Drop XRP Support in Favor of RLUSD Stablecoin

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has rejected claims that the company plans to abandon XRP as its RLUSD stablecoin expands. Despite the reassurance on XRP support, the token has had a bearish run recently, falling over 5% in the last week and 12% this month to trade at $1.30.

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Ripple CEO rejects claims of abandoning XRP

Speaking at Ripple Swell 2026 in New York, Garlinghouse addressed speculation that Ripple was shifting its attention away from XRP.

“We will never give up on XRP,” he said, “and the momentum is still strong around XRP.”

He added that RLUSD has expanded fast on the XRP Ledger, but Ripple’s commitment remains the same. Rather, the company views the stablecoin and XRP as having different roles in the same network. Garlinghouse said the two are complementary products rather than competing.

Garlinghouse also stated that Ripple would not seek out adjustments that “might do harm to the XRP ecosystem.” While Ripple serves a wider market that includes several blockchains, he said that XRP is still a component of its payment strategy. He added that the growing activity on the XRP Ledger is a chance for both assets.

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RLUSD Expansion Brings New Activity to the XRP Ledger

RLUSD was founded by Ripple in December 2024, and its market capitalization is now over $2.4 billion. The dollar-backed token can be used for payments and settlement, and XRP can be used to facilitate transfers between currencies.

The latest expansion includes a Coinbase partnership announced Wednesday, bringing RLUSD to the exchange’s retail and institutional platforms. The XRP Ledger, Ethereum, and Base support deposits and withdrawals, making the system accessible on multiple platforms.

Ripple is also expanding its Robinhood relationship, with RLUSD planned for institutional settlement on the XRP Ledger. In the interim, an increased collaboration with BNY extends to custody and tokenized trade finance, bringing the stablecoin closer to Ripple’s institutional offerings.

OCC bank charter supports Ripple’s institutional strategy

The comments follow final OCC approval for Ripple National Trust Bank, which will oversee certain RLUSD reserve activities. The federally supervised entity can also provide fiduciary digital asset custody for institutions, adding another service alongside payments.

However, Ripple said Standard Custody & Trust Company will continue issuing RLUSD under New York state supervision. The national trust bank will manage segregated reserves and serve as the collateral trustee for stablecoin holders.

Ripple also reported that it expects to approach $900 million in annualized product revenue by the end of 2026. Meanwhile, products enabled over $16 trillion in transactions during 2025, creating a potential source of future blockchain settlement activity. Garlinghouse said Ripple intends to move more institutional activity onto blockchain infrastructure, with XRP remaining central to those plans.