Ripple CEO: Strategic XRP Purchases Will Help Strengthen the Ecosystem

▲ XRP / ChatGPT-generated image

XRP is accelerating the expansion of its ecosystem through aggressive mergers and acquisitions in a bid to emerge as a core asset of the global financial infrastructure.

According to cryptocurrency-focused media outlet The Crypto Basic on February 19 (local time), Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse stated at the New York Economic Club’s Digital Payments Series luncheon that recent strategic acquisitions are strengthening the XRP ecosystem. Garlinghouse emphasized that these corporate acquisitions go beyond merely increasing scale and serve as a key driver in enhancing the utility and infrastructure of the XRP Ledger ecosystem.

Throughout 2025, Ripple has continued its aggressive expansion, including the $1.25 billion acquisition of prime broker Hidden Road to deepen institutional services. It also acquired custody firms Metaco and Palisade to enhance asset security and added treasury management software provider GTreasury to its portfolio. Garlinghouse explained that these moves are strategic decisions aimed at increasing XRP’s appeal and creating an environment where developers and users can more effectively engage with the network.

Garlinghouse particularly noted that the stablecoin RLUSD plays a pivotal role in boosting liquidity within the ecosystem. As on-chain liquidity deepens, institutional investors and developers can carry out payment and settlement operations more efficiently on the XRP Ledger. “Our acquisitions have been made very strategically to improve the entire ecosystem,” Garlinghouse said, suggesting that Ripple has positioned itself as essential infrastructure in the cross-border payments market.

Ripple’s strategy of prioritizing collaboration with traditional finance has also come back into focus. While much of the digital asset industry has taken an adversarial stance toward traditional financial systems, Ripple has taken a distinctive approach by targeting banks as key clients. Garlinghouse stated that integration with banks used by billions of people is a necessary pathway for the mass adoption of blockchain technology. Although this approach drew criticism in the early stages, it has since become the foundation for Ripple’s growth into a powerful infrastructure provider in the global financial market.

Garlinghouse characterized downturns in the digital asset market as constructive reset opportunities and expressed expectations for market maturity. He analyzed that corrections are periods when companies focus on intrinsic value and strengthen their ability to solve real-world problems. Ripple is working to secure regulatory clarity to enable more institutions to enter the digital asset market, consolidating ecosystem capabilities to establish XRP as a standard within the global financial system.

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