Ripple Eyes a Landmark SEC Settlement Paid in XRP as CEO Brad Garlinghouse Boldly Forecasts Bitcoin Hitting $200,000

Ripple Chief Executive Brad Garlinghouse said the company’s settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could potentially involve payment in XRP. He also offered a bullish outlook on bitcoin’s future price during an April 10 interview with Fox Business.

Ripple Chief Executive Brad Garlinghouse has discussed the possibility of settling the company's case with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) using XRP. He also shared his prediction for bitcoin's future price during an April 11 interview with Fox Business.

As the company's case with the SEC wraps up, the integration of crypto into the mainstream is coming into sharper focus. In a conversation with Fox Business' Charles Payne, Garlinghouse shed light on the settlement's structure and his broader outlook on the digital asset landscape.

The reduced financial penalty imposed on Ripple in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) case marks a crucial moment for the company as it navigates the changing environment for digital assets in the U.S.

"The S.E.C. is going to end up with $50 million. The U.S. government is going to get $50 million. We even talked about making that available in XRP," he said.

"At the end of the day, this is a major step forward," the chief executive stressed.

Ripple had originally placed $125 million in escrow, which will be largely returned to the company. The deal, which is still pending final approval from the S.E.C. commissioner, signals a more supportive stance from U.S. regulators towards blockchain and crypto firms.

Garlinghouse attributed this shift to changes in leadership at both the S.E.C. and the White House, which have created "tailwinds" rather than hostility towards the industry.

The mention of XRP as a possible settlement instrument marks a significant change in tone from federal regulators, who had previously challenged the token's status as a security.

Garlinghouse maintained that such progress would not have been feasible under the previous administration, and Ripple is now well-positioned to grow within the U.S. under a more stable and innovation-oriented framework.

In addition to addressing Ripple's legal resolution, Garlinghouse shared his expectations for the crypto market's broader trajectory, including a price prediction for bitcoin. While he declined to speculate on XRP's future, referencing its proximity to his own company, he did offer a prediction for bitcoin.

"I wouldn't predict XRP—It's too close to home," the Ripple CEO clarified.

Referencing Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson's prediction that bitcoin could reach $250,000 by the end of this year or next, Garlinghouse stated, "I will predict bitcoin ... I think $200,000 is not unreasonable."

"I think people underestimate how the largest economy in the world—the United States—went from headwinds, hostility to tailwinds, and I think people are still not fully quantifying how significant that is," he concluded.

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