Key Takeaways
- Brad Garlinghouse envisions the XRP Ledger capturing 14% of the liquidity currently handled through SWIFT in five years.
- SWIFT plans to launch live blockchain-based transaction pilots in 2025.
- Ripple CTO David Schwartz announced that the long-awaited EVM-compatible XRPL sidechain will launch this quarter.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has stated that the XRP Ledger (XRPL) could capture up to 14% of SWIFT’s global liquidity by 2030.
His remarks were made during a panel at XRPL Apex 2025 on June 10, amid growing speculation about a possible partnership between Ripple and SWIFT, though no official collaboration has been confirmed.
Ripple’s Ambitious Outlook for XRP Ledger
Garlinghouse is less concerned with replicating or competing with SWIFT’s messaging layer.
Instead, he sees the real disruption coming from replacing the liquidity layer. “SWIFT today has two components—messaging and liquidity,” he said.
“Liquidity is owned by banks. I think less about the messaging and more about liquidity. If you’re driving all the liquidity, it’s good for XRP. So, in five years, I’d say 14%,” Garlinghouse added.
XRPL’s fast settlement speeds have made the blockchain a consistent contender in conversations about modernizing or integrating with SWIFT’s infrastructure.
However, XRP’s use via Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) service currently remains limited to a small number of financial institutions.
SWIFT Moves Toward Blockchain
In October, SWIFT announced it would begin launching live blockchain-based transaction pilots in 2025.
This transition would allow banks in North America, Europe, and Asia to settle digital assets using SWIFT’s network.
Compared to SWIFT, XRPL offers much lower costs—typically under a cent per transaction—while SWIFT transfers can cost between $20 and $50.
XRPL also settles cross-border payments within three to five seconds, far faster than traditional methods.
EVM Sidechain Launch
At the same event, Ripple CTO David Schwartz announced the long-awaited release of an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible XRPL sidechain, set to go live this quarter.
Although a full mainnet launch has been anticipated since 2022, users have only recently gained access to a public testnet, launched in April.
Since then, nearly 2.5 million addresses have been registered, with daily transaction volumes regularly exceeding 300,000.
Well-known Ethereum-based tools like MetaMask are already integrated with the XRPL EVM testnet, and numerous decentralized applications are expected to launch once the mainnet becomes fully operational.
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
