Attorney Exposes: The Real Reason Ripple Couldn’t Push XRP All These Years

For years, XRP's price lagged behind its crypto peers. Now, a prominent legal expert pulls back the curtain on the systemic roadblocks that held Ripple back.

The Regulatory Gauntlet

Ripple didn't just face one regulator—it faced a gauntlet. The SEC's high-profile lawsuit created a chilling effect that scared off institutional adoption and major exchange listings for years. Every legal brief and court hearing became a market-moving event, tying XRP's price action directly to litigation drama instead of utility or adoption metrics.

The Partnership Paradox

Ripple built an impressive network of banking partners, but converting those partnerships into XRP demand proved elusive. Many institutions tested RippleNet's technology for cross-border settlements while carefully avoiding direct exposure to the XRP token itself—a classic case of wanting the blockchain without the blockchain's native asset.

Market Mechanics & Misalignment

XRP's escrow system, designed to provide predictable supply, became a psychological weight. The monthly release of hundreds of millions of tokens—even if most were returned to escrow—created persistent overhead supply concerns that other major cryptocurrencies simply didn't face. Meanwhile, the broader market chased different narratives, from DeFi summer to the NFT boom, while XRP remained stuck in legal limbo.

The turning point came not from a business breakthrough, but from a courtroom. The clarity finally provided by judicial decisions removed the single biggest barrier to XRP's growth—uncertainty. Exchanges reopened trading, institutions reconsidered their positions, and what was once Ripple's biggest liability transformed into a case study for the entire industry.

Sometimes the most bullish signal in crypto isn't a technical breakthrough or a viral meme—it's a judge's signature on a summary judgment order. The market's finally pricing what Ripple's been building all along, now that the lawyers have finished arguing about what it actually is.

Why Ripple Was Unable To Promote XRP In The Past

In an X post, Bill Morgan stated that Ripple could not promote XRP or the XRP Ledger in the past for fear of being sued by the SEC for promoting and offering an unregistered security. He noted that despite that, the company was still sued by the regulator. The lawyer’s response followed XRPL stakeholder Wietse’s comments about how the XRPL has a track record of regularly being too early and also being too late. 

Wietse made this comment after XRP community member Crypto Eri pointed out that the XRP Ledger has supported tokenized gold since, though it hasn’t received enough publicity. Wietse added that the network is too early for people to notice and realize how great certain things are, and too late for others, causing too little, too late catch-up. 

However, Bill Morgan believes that XRP and XRP Ledger WOULD have gotten more publicity if Ripple had been able to actively promote the altcoin in the past. He noted that during the SEC lawsuit, the crypto firm barely mentioned XRP. Meanwhile, the lawyer noted that Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptos were promoted with impunity and that former SEC official Bill Hinman effectively promoted ETH while in office.  

The lawyer added that, to this day, Ripple’s promotion of XRP and the XRP Ledger remains muted. He stated that the company does it by stealth under the cover of acquisitions and RLUSD. Morgan believes that this is nothing compared to how Michael Saylor actively talks about and promotes Bitcoin. 

XRP Is Still At The Centre Of Ripple’s Vision

Ripple has, in recent times, reiterated that XRP is at the centre of its vision. In his New Year’s message, the firm’s CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, stated that the altcoin has been and will continue to be the heartbeat of that vision. This came as he noted that their two major acquisitions last year, Ripple Prime and GTreasury, will greatly accelerate and expand their ability to deliver on their vision, which is to enable the Internet of Value. 

He added that building and using crypto infrastructure, updating their global financial plumbing, and rethinking legacy systems don’t happen overnight. As such, they will continue to take the long view of what crypto-based assets such as XRP and RLUSD can do rather than chasing cycles and hype. 

At the time of writing, the xrp price is trading at around $2.16, up over 5% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.