Ripple CEO Says Crypto Regulation Is Closer After CFTC Meeting
Key Takeaways
- •Garlinghouse said the CFTC Innovation Advisory Committee brought together major traditional finance firms and crypto industry participants.
- •He said regulations written for a different era are no longer sufficient for consumers, businesses, or innovation.
- •The article said the White House crypto summit led by Donald Trump was followed by a $215 billion increase in total crypto market capitalization.
- •It said XRP rose 55% to reclaim $1.50 days after the summit.
- •The article said Ripple settled with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for $50 million and that the dispute left XRP with clearer regulatory status.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse used X to revisit key moments from last week’s crypto gathering, saying Washington’s approach to blockchain and cryptocurrencies has changed significantly over the past decade.
Garlinghouse said it was “great to join the inaugural CFTC Innovation Advisory Committee,” which he described as “the Olympic roster of Crypto.” He pointed to the mix of participants from traditional finance and the crypto industry, noting the presence of major names including NASDAQ, CME, CBOE, NYSE, DTCC and Options Clearing.
Major TradFi and Crypto Players Back Common Rules
According to Garlinghouse, the meeting showed broad agreement that current regulations are outdated. He said rules written for a different era are “not good enough” for consumers, businesses or innovation, underscoring why the discussion has drawn attention from both legacy market infrastructure firms and crypto companies now operating under the same policy uncertainty.
No August doldrums in DC this week! It was great to join the inaugural @CFTC Innovation Advisory Committee (a group I've called "the Olympic roster of crypto.") But for a “crypto” gathering, there were a LOT of TradFi players in the room like @NASDAQ , @CMEGroup , @CBOE ,… pic.twitter.com/T6hjrcK2e8 — Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) August 22, 2026
The article also recalled the White House crypto summit led by Donald Trump, which DailyCoin said had a notable market impact. It stated that the overall crypto market capitalization increased by $215 billion the following weekend. XRP then rose 55% to reclaim $1.50 just days after the summit.
Ripple’s Long Push for Clearer Rules
Garlinghouse also reflected on Ripple’s long-running push for clearer crypto regulation. The article pointed to a 2019 letter that Ripple sent to Congress, in which the company asked lawmakers: “Dear Congress, Please do not paint us with a broad brush.”
Garlinghouse and Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen argued at the time that digital assets should be regulated specifically because of their distinct characteristics. The article said Ripple now holds more than 70 regional licenses and has more than 300 partnerships, showing how the company has continued expanding while the regulatory backdrop has remained central to its business.
You won’t believe what just happened LIVE… Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse walked into the CFTC meeting and went NUCLEAR. 🤯 He didn’t hold back. He called out the entire four-year SEC war, admitted the regulatory chaos is still crushing American innovation, and demanded the CFTC… pic.twitter.com/8DEsUxkyIW — Pumpius (@pumpius) August 20, 2026
The piece also said Ripple reached an understanding with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission six years later, which it described as setting a precedent for legal clarity in crypto. According to the article, Ripple agreed to settle for $50 million, while the SEC deemed the “unregistered securities” claim irrelevant, leaving XRP with “crystal-clear status as a digital commodity.”
