Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderroti attend a private dinner with US President-elect Donald Trump at the Mar-a-Lago Resort in Florida did.
Details of the discussions remain secret, but in a Jan. 8 post on X, Garlinghouse described the meeting as a “strong start to 2025.”
The high-profile initiative highlights Ripple's efforts to strengthen its presence in the U.S. market, which is seeing renewed optimism following Trump's election victory.
Garlinghouse noted that Ripple saw a surge in U.S. business activity in the last few weeks of 2024, signing more deals than in the previous six months combined. Additionally, 75% of the company's open positions are now based in the U.S., marking a strategic shift after years of focusing on the world.
President Trump’s Cryptocurrency Conference
President-elect Trump’s involvement in the crypto sector reveals a major shift in his outlook.
Trump, once a Bitcoin skeptic, now champions initiatives such as a national Bitcoin reserve. A recent meeting at Mar-a-Lago with Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek and others, as well as a phone call with Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, hint at the administration's intention to incorporate cryptocurrencies into its economic policies. .
Trump's cabinet appointments further emphasize his support for cryptocurrencies. His administration will bring together crypto advocates such as Elon Musk, Howard Lutnick, and David Sachs, and is poised to promote policies focused on cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence.
These developments signal a potentially transformative era for U.S. cryptocurrency regulation and adoption.
Ripple development
In an interview with Bloomberg, Ripple President Monica Long revealed plans to expand the RLUSD stablecoin to additional exchanges soon.
Long declined to provide a specific timeline, but said the rollout is expected “soon,” reflecting Ripple's confidence in the stablecoin's market potential.
He emphasized that the stablecoin sector has seen significant growth in recent months and RLUSD is well positioned to capitalize on this trend. Ripple's payments business, which has recently doubled its trading volume, is expected to drive further adoption of RLUSD.
Long also expressed optimism about the approval of a spot-based XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF). He predicted that the number of applications will likely increase and regulatory approvals will likely accelerate by the end of the year.
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