Ripple Labs is positioning itself to capitalise on the mounting interest and speculation around crypto markets, particularly in the US but also globally.
The American blockchain tech company has noted that the coming-into-office of a crypto-friendly US administration under President Donald Trump has boosted confidence in crypto.
Stakeholders in the sector, like Ripple, are likely hopeful that this confidence will continue throughout the duration of Trump’s presidency. Trump was only inaugurated last week, but has already mapped out a cryptocurrency agenda for his federal administration.
In a blog post this week, Ripple expressed confidence in a shift in attitudes in how digital assets are being regulated in the US and not just because of the new administration in the White House.
Last week the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rescinded the SAB 121 regulation, which imposed restrictions on banks offering digital asset custody services, while Congress had previously voted to overturn the regulation the year prior.
Even prior to Trump’s electoral victory and inauguration, crypto friendly policies and legislation were receiving support in Congress, notably the FIT 21 legislation. Though mainly supported by Republicans, many Democrats also lent their support to these efforts despite the then Biden administration’s apprehension about cryptocurrency.
With Elon Musk now looking to use blockchain to improve efficiency across US government operations and payments and various companies – particularly those involved in banking and finance, also wanting to get more involved – blockchain companies are confident that 2025 could be the year that real-world digital asset use cases become more widely recognised.
Joanie Xie, Managing Director of North America at Ripple, said: “We’re continuing to see more interest from financial institutions to crypto businesses that want to unlock the benefits of crypto and blockchain for faster, cost-efficient and 24/7 cross-border payments.
“With years of experience working in both crypto and with financial institutions, Ripple is well-positioned to support companies who are ready to take advantage of the current landscape.”
Is Ripple ready?
The past few weeks have been a busy period for crypto, and Ripple in particular. The company found its XRP coin enjoying significant demand for its XRP coin at one point ahead of speculation around Trump’s crypto stockpile policy, in the days building up to his inauguration.
At one point the coin overtook Bitcoin as the most traded cryptocurrency on Coinbase. Though its price has fallen slightly since then, trading remains active.
Amid this trading and forecast regulatory changes, Ripple anticipates 2025 to be a big year for both its own business and the rest of the sector. The firm has identified particularly strong demand for real-time global payments from banks and crypto businesses in New York and Texas, where it recently secured Money Transmitter Licences (MTLs).
Though interest in crypto is global, Ripple is firmly focused on the US – at least for now. Of all its open positions, 75% are based in the US as the company looks to invest heavily in American talent, opening new offices in San Francisco and New York.
It also expects big things from its stablecoin, Ripple USD. Given the Trump administration’s favouritism of stablecoins and distaste of CBDCs, this confidence is understandable – support for stablecoins is one of the core tasks Trump has assigned to his new working group on cryptocurrency.
Ripple is of course not the only company seeking prospects in the 2025 crypto gold rush, however, and it will face a competitive landscape. Other coins like TRON, RUNE and Toncoin have seen active trading lately, while Bitcoin and Ethereum of course remain dominant.
Meanwhile, other notable blockchain companies like Circle, Ava Labs and Chainalysis, as well as historic paytech players like PayPal, will also be monitoring any opportunities in blockchain and crypto closely.