Crypto Co-founder Says the Path XRP Follows Is Not a Mystery

A well-known crypto co-founder has insisted that XRP follows a clear path in its overall global mission despite the short-term price disruptions.

This commentary came from Vandell Aljarrah, a prominent XRP community figure and co-founder of the Black Swan Capitalist. According to him, the path XRP has chosen to take is not a mystery.

Key Points

• Aljarrah recently suggested that XRP’s overall path is not a mystery, referencing content he had originally shared in January 2025.
• The January 2025 post featured remarks from Rosie Rios, a former U.S. Treasurer who joined Ripple’s board of directors in May 2021.
• Rios spoke at a past Global Business Summit where she called XRP a tool used by legitimate financial institutions to settle cross-border payments in seconds and at minimal cost.
• Rios is believed to have left the board around January 2026, though neither she nor Ripple has released any official statement confirming the date or reason for her departure.
• Despite this, Aljarrah insisted Rios’ exit was a positive development, arguing that she had fulfilled her responsibilities as part of a larger agenda.

XRP’s Path Not a Mystery

Notably, Aljarrah presented these opinions in a post on X amid the ongoing market struggles. For context, XRP has been going through a rough patch price-wise as the broader crypto market faces a difficult period. However, individuals like Vandell Aljarrah have maintained their focus on the larger goal. 

Some of these individuals believe XRP is gradually moving toward assuming an important role in the global financial system. The exact details of how and when this happens remain speculative, but most of these voices highlight XRP’s function as a bridge asset as their primary motivation.

Aljarrah’s latest comments about XRP’s path being clear for all to see come as these discussions have dominated the XRP community. While the market pundit failed to provide further details about what he meant, the post pointed back to something he had shared in January 2025.

Rios’ XRP Commendation

For context, the January 2025 post from Aljarrah included remarks from Rosie Rios, a former U.S. Treasurer who stepped onto Ripple’s board of directors in May 2021 after serving as the United States’ 43rd Treasurer from 2009 to 2016. 

The remarks came from a video of her speaking at a past Global Business Summit. In her appearance, Rios explained why she chose to join Ripple’s board, and her reason revolves around the practical value she saw in XRP. 

For those who may not know,

Rosie Rios, the 43rd Treasurer of the United States Treasury, joined Ripple’s board of directors,

Her LinkedIn description once referred to her as a “currency designer”,

Her name is printed on your $100 bill,

Ladies & gentlemen, XRP is a… pic.twitter.com/5J0kdRUKE8

— Vandell | Black Swan Capitalist (@vandell33) January 25, 2025

While speaking, she highlighted the attention the entire crypto industry had continued to receive and confirmed her connection to the space through her board role at Ripple.

Interestingly, Rios linked Ripple and XRP together. She said her decision to join the board came from the fact that XRP has a real and specific purpose, acting as a tool that makes cross-border payments faster and far less expensive. 

She pointed out a difference between XRP and what she described as arbitrary stores of value with no real backing, arguing that XRP represents something legitimate financial institutions actually use. 

Aljarrah’s Take on Rios Leaving the Ripple Board

Meanwhile, recent data suggests Rios is no longer part of Ripple’s board. At press time, Ripple’s official leadership page lists its board as Chris Larsen serving as Executive Chairman, Brad Garlinghouse as CEO, and Anja Manuel, Sandie O’Connor, David Schwartz, Warren Jenson, and Masashi Okuyama rounding out the rest. 

Rios is absent from that list, and available information suggests she stepped down around January 2026. Ripple has not released any official statement confirming the exact date or reason for her departure.

When Aljarrah addressed the fact that Rios had left Ripple’s board, he argued that it was bullish. He suggested that she may have left because she had completed whatever tasks she had been brought on to handle as part of a bigger agenda. However, he failed to provide any further context on this.

It is important to note that neither Ripple nor Rios has publicly explained her exit. Some community discussions have suggested that her role had to do with helping Ripple maintain credibility during its legal dispute with the SEC, but all these speculations lack any confirmation from an official source.