Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse responded with a simple “True” to Flare co-founder Hugo Philion’s comment suggesting that the crypto industry is now actively pursuing the same “banker coin” model XRP was once criticized for representing.
Philion noted that when XRP and Ripple first emerged, they were often dismissed for being too closely aligned with traditional banking systems. Today, however, he argues that much of the industry is building infrastructure aimed at integrating directly with banks and institutional finance—effectively moving toward the same model.
Garlinghouse’s endorsement, combined with reports that Ripple has deployed billions of dollars in XRP toward institutional and enterprise use cases, reinforces the idea that the market is increasingly converging on a vision XRP advocated for early on rather than a new direction.
An X post captured the sentiment succinctly: “They mocked the vision. Now they’re copying it.” Once-controversial themes such as tokenized real-world assets, bank-linked blockchain infrastructure, and institutional liquidity rails have now become central narratives in crypto.
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Garlinghouse, Ripple, and XRP Price
XRP is currently trading just above the key psychological level of $1.00, consolidating in a narrow range that traders often interpret as bullish compression. This zone has historically acted as a major support area, repeatedly absorbing selling pressure across market cycles.
Trading activity remains relatively stable, indicating continued participation rather than fading interest. On-chain signals also suggest that the $1.00 level holds structural importance beyond its psychological significance.
In the near term, the $1.20 level is being closely watched as a potential breakout zone that could confirm renewed upside momentum if decisively cleared.
At the same time, the broader “banker coin” narrative has become increasingly mainstream within the crypto sector. As a result, much of the early speculative upside tied to skepticism around XRP’s original positioning may already be priced in.
Whether XRP can ultimately revisit or surpass its previous all-time high remains uncertain and will depend on broader macro conditions and the continued pace of institutional adoption.
