Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse used a Davos stage on the World Financial Discussion board’s 2026 annual assembly to make a practical case for tokenization: stablecoins are already the lead use case, momentum has shifted sharply within the US, and the business’s job now could be to ship measurable advantages slightly than tokenize property for novelty.
Why Ripple Is Constructing Bridges Between TradFi and DeFi
Garlinghouse’s remarks got here on a panel titled “Is Tokenization the Future?” after the moderator cited Ripple-linked traction: tokenized property on the XRP Ledger surged greater than 2,200% final yr. From there, Garlinghouse largely aligned with the panel’s theme that tokenization is shifting from pilots towards mainstream monetary plumbing, whereas drawing a transparent boundary round financial sovereignty.
“I do assume the primary poster little one of tokenization is absolutely stablecoins,” Garlinghouse stated, arguing that utilization development has been decisive. He cited stablecoin transaction volumes rising from “$19 trillion of transactions on stablecoins in 2024” to “33 trillion in 2025,” describing that as “about 75% development” and including that “many in our business would say that’s going to proceed.”
The place the dialogue turned to a “Bitcoin normal” framing, Garlinghouse emphasised the political actuality of state cash. “Sovereignty of fiat currencies, I imagine, is for a lot of international locations sacrosanct,” he stated, earlier than invoking a line he attributed to Ben Bernanke from a previous Ripple occasion: “Governments will roll tanks into the road earlier than giving up financial provide, giving up the management of financial provide, which caught with me as yeah, that is sensible.”
That worldview formed how Garlinghouse positioned Ripple’s technique. “At Ripple, we very a lot centered on constructing the bridges between conventional finance and decentralized finance,” he stated, describing work “with a variety of the banks all over the world” as the sensible path to scale slightly than trying to displace present financial regimes.
Garlinghouse additionally framed 2026 as a momentum yr, not only a know-how yr. He argued that the political local weather within the US has turned materially extra constructive after a interval he described as open hostility. “The US, the biggest financial system on the earth, has been fairly brazenly hostile in the direction of aspects of crypto and blockchain applied sciences,” he stated. “And that has shifted dramatically, , beginning with the White Home… [and] helped elect a way more pro-crypto pro-innovation Congress, and also you’re seeing that play out.”
However the Ripple CEO repeatedly cautioned that narrative tailwinds will not be sufficient. “A part of the tokenization subject […] is like we shouldn’t tokenize all the pieces simply to tokenize one thing,” Garlinghouse stated. “There needs to be a optimistic consequence of effectivity or transparency […] in any other case it’s identical to okay it’s a pleasant science experiment.”
On regulation, Garlinghouse reiterated his pragmatic tone, arguing that the push for US crypto laws ought to prioritize workable readability over theoretical perfection. “What’s occurring within the US proper now could be a basic dynamic of if you create new legislation, it’s by no means going to be excellent,” he stated. “I subscribe to the concept perfection is the enemy of excellent.”
He pointed to Ripple’s personal historical past: “a five-year battle with the US authorities being sued due to the shortage of readability” to underline the stakes, including: “We’re very a lot an advocate of readability is healthier than chaos.”
When pressed on whether or not stablecoins ought to pay rewards, one of many dwell fault strains in US coverage debate, Garlinghouse positioned Ripple as much less straight uncovered than some friends, whereas nonetheless endorsing aggressive symmetry. “Ripple doesn’t have as a lot of a canine in that combat as others within the business,” he stated, however added {that a} “degree taking part in area goes two methods,” arguing that crypto corporations and banks ought to face comparable requirements when competing for a similar exercise.
Garlinghouse additionally addressed vitality issues round blockchain-based infrastructure, pushing again on a one-size-fits-all critique. “Not all layer 1 blockchains are created equal,” he stated, contrasting proof-of-work programs with proof of stake and different consensus fashions, and arguing that stablecoin exercise is already skewing towards “extra energy environment friendly blockchains.”
Spirited dialogue throughout in the present day’s WEF session (to say the least), however one essential level of settlement throughout the panelists was that innovation and regulation aren’t on reverse sides.
I firmly imagine that is THE second to make use of crypto and blockchain know-how to allow financial… https://t.co/4d3jNeNC4h
— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) January 21, 2026
On tokenization’s social and market affect, Garlinghouse reframed a query about hypothesis as a query about entry. He stated he sees the chance in “the democratization of entry to funding much less so on the hypothesis facet,” pointing to the concept smaller traders may achieve publicity to property which can be successfully inaccessible at modest ticket sizes in the present day.
At press time, XRP traded at $1.9554.
Featured picture created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
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