- Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse denied rumors that Ripple offered $10–$20 billion to acquire Circle, emphasizing Ripple is not pursuing a full takeover.
- He also highlighted Ripple’s strategic moves with RLUSD as collateral, XRPL’s role in Dubai’s real estate tokenization, and called for unity across the crypto industry.
Ripple’s CEO Brad Garlinghouse has put to rest the swirling rumors about Ripple’s alleged bid to acquire Circle, the USDC stablecoin issuer, while revealing exciting insights into Ripple’s strategic plans and industry outlook.
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No $10-$20 Billion Ripple Offer for Circle
Speculation about Ripple attempting to buy Circle has been rife since April. Initial reports suggested Ripple offered $4 billion to $5 billion, which Circle rejected. Later rumors claimed Ripple raised its offer to between $10 billion and $20 billion.
At the recent XRP Las Vegas conference, fintech policy expert Chris Brummer shared a summary of his conversation with Garlinghouse, who firmly denied that Ripple ever made an offer in the $10-$20 billion range. While Garlinghouse hinted that Ripple might have made some offer, he stopped short of revealing specific figures and stressed that Ripple is not seeking a full takeover of Circle.
In turn, Circle has dismissed any plans to sell, emphasizing its focus on long-term growth. In fact, Circle recently filed for an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, offering shares priced between $24 and $26, signaling confidence in its independent future.
Ripple Deeper Strategic Moves
Beyond the acquisition rumors, Garlinghouse shared other important developments. One key point was Ripple’s acquisition of Hidden Road and the integration of RLUSD (Ripple’s stablecoin) as collateral in Hidden Road’s prime brokerage services. This move highlights Ripple’s intent to make RLUSD more than just another stablecoin — positioning it as a fundamental on-ledger collateral asset that could underpin financial infrastructure. This “infrastructural thinking” aims to build a solid foundation for the evolving digital asset ecosystem.
XRPL’s Role in Dubai’s Real Estate Tokenization
Garlinghouse also celebrated the selection of the XRP Ledger (XRPL) for Dubai’s real estate tokenization project. The initiative involves the Dubai Land Department and several partners issuing tokenized property deeds on the XRPL. Garlinghouse described this as a shift from theoretical blockchain use cases toward practical, real-world applications, showcasing the growing adoption of XRPL in significant, regulated projects.
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Call for Unity in Crypto
Lastly, Garlinghouse addressed the ongoing fragmentation within the crypto community. Citing Ripple’s donation of the “Skull of Satoshi” to the Bitcoin community as a symbol, he called for unity across different crypto projects. He argued that internal conflicts do not benefit anyone and urged collaboration to drive the industry forward together.
Ripple’s CEO has clearly set the record straight on acquisition rumors while outlining Ripple’s vision of strengthening digital asset infrastructure and fostering industry-wide cooperation. The future looks promising as Ripple continues to innovate and play a pivotal role in crypto’s real-world integration.
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