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Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has endorsed comments made by Flare co-founder Hugo Philion about XRP’s long-standing vision of bridging traditional finance and blockchain technology. Garlinghouse’s backing comes as XRP community sentiment appears to be recovering after a recent market downturn and price decline.
In a recent interview, Philion said he has long been interested in XRP and praised Ripple’s approach to cross-border payments. He argued that Ripple’s main challenges have been driven more by regulatory scrutiny than by shortcomings in its business model. Philion also said Ripple’s payment-focused strategy has remained consistent despite years of criticism from parts of the cryptocurrency industry.
Philion described how perceptions of XRP have changed over time. Early on, Ripple and XRP were frequently criticized for their ties to banks and financial institutions, with some labeling XRP the “banker coin.” He said the industry landscape has since shifted, noting that many blockchain projects that once criticized Ripple are now pursuing partnerships with banks and traditional financial institutions.
He added that Ripple has stayed committed to its original mission and continues to offer what he characterized as a strong solution for global payments. Philion also pointed to the XRP community as one of the most vocal and active groups in the crypto sector.
The discussion gained further attention after a user shared a clip of Philion’s comments on X, arguing that many crypto projects are now adopting an institutional-focused strategy similar to what XRP supporters have promoted for years. Garlinghouse responded with “True,” a reply that quickly circulated within the XRP community and contributed to renewed optimism among investors.
Alongside the sentiment shift, attention is also turning to the upcoming XRP Ledger (XRPL) 3.2.0 upgrade, scheduled for release on June 15. The update follows the successful rollout of XRPL version 3.1.3, which introduced improvements to NFTs, Multi-Purpose Tokens (MPTs), Vaults, Lending Protocol features, and Permissioned Domains.
A key highlight of the 3.2.0 release is the transition of the network’s core server software from “rippled” to “xrpld.” The change is intended to better reflect the expanding open-source ecosystem supporting the XRP Ledger.
With Ripple continuing to strengthen its position in institutional blockchain payments, the combination of improved community sentiment and the planned XRPL technical upgrades could support increased interest in XRP and the broader XRPL ecosystem heading into 2026.
