Key Takeaways:
Ripple Labs Inc.’s treasury division has processed more than $13 trillion in transaction volume off-chain, with plans to migrate a significant portion of that activity to blockchain rails over the next five years, according to CEO Brad Garlinghouse.
“We will crawl, then walk, then run,” Garlinghouse said at the Consensus Miami 2026 conference, outlining a deliberate strategy for integrating blockchain into institutional finance. “The takeaway is clear that Ripple is already deeply embedded in traditional financial infrastructure at massive scale, with blockchain settlement still ahead rather than already in play.”
Speaking on May 6, Garlinghouse noted that none of the $13 trillion in institutional treasury flows have run on crypto rails to date. The company’s strategy is to onboard institutions first before scaling their financial flows on-chain. The firm plans to shift up to 30% of its treasury activity on-chain within five years, a move that would represent a significant restructuring of institutional liquidity settlement.
A recent pilot project underscores this strategy. Ondo Finance, in collaboration with JPMorgan's Kinexys platform, Mastercard, and Ripple, successfully executed a cross-border redemption of tokenized U.S. Treasuries. The transaction settled in under five seconds on the XRP Ledger, showcasing the potential for near-real-time, 24/7 settlement outside of traditional banking hours. The collaboration signals a convergence between public blockchain infrastructure and the global financial system, with Ripple working alongside firms like BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and the DTCC to build out tokenized market infrastructure.
This phased approach aims to integrate with, rather than disrupt, the existing financial system. By embedding its technology within traditional finance first, Ripple is positioning itself to gradually move massive settlement volumes to on-chain systems. The success of this strategy could significantly deepen institutional liquidity on public ledgers and drive utility for assets like XRP, which was up about 1% to $1.42 following the announcements.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
