Ripple CEO Makes Shocking Crypto Prediction For 2026 While XRP Trades Near $2 After Historic Banking Charter Win
Key Takeaways
- Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse stunned the audience at the Binance Blockchain Week by showing extraordinary optimism for the crypto industry in 2026.
- According to Garlinghouse, crypto is only starting to get the much-deserved attention. Since its inception, the crypto ETFs have amounted to only 1% to 2% of the global ETF market, which is a small portion of what is capable of crypto assets.
- Throughout his speech, Garlinghouse gave credible sources of information that backed his optimism. By analyzing the numbers and assessing the macroeconomic factors, Garlinghouse cemented his argument during the event.
- The growth of Ripple’s payment rails and stablecoin business was also pointed out as a key aspect that supported the optimism of Brad Garlinghouse. Chief among them was the acquisition of GTreasury and the 1 billion US dollar valuation of the stablecoin business featuring RLUSD.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse seems to think that there are clear signs of institutional capital entering the ETF space of crypto. While the recent volatility had taken a toll on the spot crypto market, Garlinghouse begs to differ when it comes to crypto ETFs.
Garlinghouse emphasized how the 700 million US dollars worth of capital inflow into XRP ETFs in just weeks is a strong indication that crypto is finally receiving the demand and recognition it deserves. These statements were made at the Binance Blockchain Week held in Abu Dhabi this year.
Garlinghouse spoke fairly confidently alongside Solana Foundation President Lily Liu and Binance CEO Richard Teng. According to Garlinghouse, there was a pent-up desire for institutional investors to partake in the crypto race. The regulatory clarity achieved through ETF approvals has quenched this, and it is why crypto ETFs are witnessing such growth rates.
Regulatory Clarity Backs Garlinghouse’s Arguments
Garlinghouse stated that there was a much-needed regulatory clarity that was locked away from crypto. With the new US administration, this has come to pass, and the crypto market is getting the attention it has always desired.
The initiatives taken by the US government, according to Garlinghouse, will become a turning point in the journey of cryptocurrencies. The world’s largest economy, which accounts for 22% of global GDP, taking a positive stance towards the crypto industry is indeed a significant milestone, and Garlinghouse is right to point out this fact.
Garlinghouse shares an optimistic outlook for 2026, not just for XRP, but for the crypto market in general. He pointed out that bigger players in the stock market, like BlackRock and Franklin Templeton, have already entered the arena with their spot ETFs.
He also pointed out how Vanguard, which was once totally against the concept of the decentralized digital asset, has shifted its perspective. Vanguard is the world’s second-largest asset management company and had made an announcement that fueled hope for crypto communities all over the world, as they had plans to launch ETFs for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP.
With such strong winds turning big ships around, Garlinghouse’s optimism for the year 2026 is justified. Recently, in just one day, XRP alone witnessed a massive 20 million US dollar capital inflow into its spot XRP ETF. All of these strengthen Garlinghouse’s optimism for 2026.
Garlinghouse Gives More Evidence For His Optimism
The global crypto ETF market was valued at approximately 11 billion US dollars in July 2025. This was before the latest spot ETFs of altcoins entered the market. This portion, according to Garlinghouse, only represents a fraction of what crypto assets can achieve in the ETF domain. Crypto amounts to a mere 1% to 2% in terms of global ETF valuation.
Garlinghouse argues that this is an insignificant portion of the ETF ecosystem and that crypto ETFs will grow their share by 2026. He pointed out that this growth will fuel institutional confidence, and a strong future is set for crypto in 2026.
These arguments carry weight since a feedback effect will indeed draw more capital into the crypto ETF domain. With the inflow of ETF capital, the liquidity issues that birth the inherent volatility of the crypto market will be tamed.
According to Garlinghouse, this trend has become visible in Ripple’s institutional brokerage arm. Ripple Prime, the said institutional brokerage arm of Ripple, has tripled its size after acquiring the brokerage firm Hidden Road on 8th April 2025. This growth was indeed made possible through the nourishment of institutional confidence. Throughout the year, Ripple Prime has seen significant growth, and they have been able to double their client capital by the end of 2025.
Ripple’s Growth In The Payment Infrastructure
Garlinghouse further stabilized his arguments by pointing out how Ripple’s payment rails and stablecoin business have been booming. The stablecoin business alone had surpassed a 1 billion US dollar market cap, and the approvals secured from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and the DIFC(Dubai International Financial Centre) became points that added credibility to the optimism.
Ripple has also been witnessing an accelerated growth in demand for the stablecoin-based treasury flows. This has been a direct result of the upcoming GENIUS(Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins) Act in the US. The optimism in Garlinghouse’s voice was not a mere publicity stunt, as Ripple’s acquisition of GTreasury points out.
Crypto & Blockchain Expert