Ripple vs SEC Final Showdown: $125M Settlement Payment Officially Closes Landmark Crypto Lawsuit

The legal battle that defined crypto regulation is over—Ripple just cut the check that seals the deal.

The $125 Million Reality Check

Payment confirmation documents surfaced today showing Ripple's full settlement transfer to regulators. No appeals, no extensions—just cold, hard digital dollars changing hands. The transaction effectively dissolves the SEC's multi-year pursuit that once threatened to derail the entire altcoin market.

Regulatory Theater Meets Crypto Pragmatism

While regulators tally their win, XRP holders are counting something else: the absurd compliance costs ultimately passed through to investors. Another textbook case of 'protecting investors' by draining their pockets—Wall Street would be proud.

The precedent now shifts from courtroom arguments to market reactions. With legal uncertainty removed, Ripple's infrastructure partnerships gain renewed momentum while other projects face sharper regulatory scrutiny. The SEC didn't kill crypto—it just made lawyers richer.

Ripple Vs. SEC Case Ends As Crypto Firm Pays Monetary Judgment

In an X post, Fagel confirmed that the $125 million penalty in the Ripple vs. SEC case was paid to the U.S. Treasury last month. He shared a letter addressed to Judge Analisa Torres, which stated that both parties had agreed to the release of the funds from escrow for the crypto firm to pay the full court-ordered penalty plus statutory interest. 

Furthermore, the letter revealed that the SEC had provided the appropriate wire transfer instructions after which Ripple directed the bank to make the payment, and the bank confirmed that the agreed amount had been released. Meanwhile, the balance of the fund was returned to the crypto firm, with all these procedures formally ending the Ripple vs. SEC case. 

Notably, this payment follows the Court of Appeals’ approval of both parties’ motion to dismiss their respective appeals in the Ripple vs. SEC case last month. The $125 million had been kept in escrow around the time when Ripple and the SEC filed their appeals. The crypto firm had asked for this as an injunction to prevent having to pay the SEC while the appeal was ongoing, since there was the possibility of the sum being reduced. 

The appeal didn’t proceed as planned, as the emergence of a pro-crypto SEC administration following Trump’s return to the WHITE House led to a settlement between both parties. However, Judge Torres opted against adopting the settlement agreement and ordered that Ripple must still pay the $125 million penalty. Both parties agreed to dismiss their respective appeals in the Ripple vs. SEC and simply adhere to Judge Torres’ judgment.  

Lawsuit No Longer Responsible For Price Action 

In an X post, legal expert Bill Morgan remarked that the Ripple vs. SEC lawsuit excuse has run its course for any further lack of XRP adoption or flat price action. Basically, the lawsuit cannot be held responsible if the xrp price underperforms moving forward. The altcoin had rallied to as high as $3.4 following the joint motion to dismiss the case, but has traded below this level since then. 

The XRP price is currently on a downtrend amid the broader crypto market correction. Morgan pointed out that the current XRP decline is due to the heavy correlation with Bitcoin. This came as he made light of the fact that the altcoin has been down during this period despite several bullish fundamentals that have emerged. 

At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $2.87, down in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.