Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse says the choice between XRP and a stablecoin should depend on which better solves a customer’s payment problem, while emphasizing that his optimism about cryptocurrencies extends beyond XRP.
Garlinghouse Weighs XRP Against Stablecoins for Payments
In remarks shared on X by Eri, Garlinghouse described XRP and stablecoins as alternative ways to address a payment need, with customer satisfaction determining which approach makes sense.
“It could be that XRP is the best bridge asset for that purpose, or it could be that, no, a stablecoin is going to solve that problem better.”
“It could be that XRP is the best bridge asset for that purpose, or it could be that, no, a stablecoin is going to solve that problem better.”
– Brad Garlinghouse,A😊happy customer is #1. pic.twitter.com/cheEQePWRn
— 🌸Eri ~ Carpe Diem (@sentosumosaba) September 24, 2026
The comparison was conditional. Garlinghouse left open the possibility that XRP would be the most suitable asset for a particular task, while acknowledging that a stablecoin could deliver a better result in another case. His remarks did not establish either asset as the preferred option for every payment.
Ripple’s product documentation describes how either approach can work. A payment provider can convert a sender’s fiat currency into XRP or a stablecoin, transfer the digital asset, and convert it into the recipient’s local currency. The recipient may also retain the funds in digital form.
“I’m Not an XRP Maximalist”
In another excerpt shared by Eri, Garlinghouse explicitly rejected the description of himself as an XRP maximalist.
“I’m not one of these people who’s an XRP maximalist, I’m bullish on a bunch of cryptos, for a bunch of reasons.”
“I’m not one of these people who’s an XRP maximalist, I’m bullish on a bunch of cryptos, for a bunch of reasons”
– Brad Garlinghouse, 2026 pic.twitter.com/kAadHWXb8H— 🌸Eri ~ Carpe Diem (@sentosumosaba) September 24, 2026
His comments distinguish support for XRP from exclusive support for a single cryptocurrency. They also accompany a payments business that offers customers access to assets beyond both XRP and Ripple’s own stablecoin. Ripple’s current payments offering lists RLUSD, USDC, USDT and fiat as options for funding, settlement and payouts.
XRP and RLUSD Have Different Characteristics
Ripple’s documentation distinguishes XRP from RLUSD. XRP is the native cryptocurrency of the XRP Ledger, with a value determined by the market. RLUSD is designed to maintain a value of one U.S. dollar and is backed by reserves comprising cash, U.S. Treasuries and cash equivalents.
Although both can be used in payments, using RLUSD for settlement is not the same as using XRP as the asset carrying the payment’s value. Ripple identifies XRP as a bridge asset and RLUSD as an option for transactions requiring dollar-denominated price stability.
The company has also documented commercial use of its stablecoin. In a March 3, 2026 update, Ripple said business payments provider Corpay was using its custody and liquidity services to fund and settle positions across Asia-Pacific with RLUSD.
That update reported more than $100 billion in total Ripple Payments volume and payout coverage across more than 60 markets. Those figures describe the broader payments platform; the announcement did not identify them as XRP-only transaction volume.
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