Ripple CLO Declares Victory: SEC’s New Guidance Confirms XRP as Digital Commodity, Not Security

Ripple's Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty declared the SEC's latest crypto guidance effectively vindicates the company's long-standing legal position. In a statement on March 18, 2026, Alderoty asserted the regulatory interpretation cements XRP's status as a digital commodity, not a security, marking a pivotal shift in the U.S. regulatory landscape for digital assets. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued what it called 'a major step' toward clarity, providing an interpretation of how federal securities laws apply to crypto assets.

Ripple’s Top Lawyer Reacts

Alderoty quickly tied that announcement to Ripple’s long-running legal fight with the agency, writing via X: “We always knew XRP wasn’t a security – and now the SEC has made clear what it is: a digital commodity. Grateful to the Crypto Task Force for working to deliver the clarity that markets, investors, and innovators have long deserved.”

We always knew XRP wasn’t a security – and now the @SECGov has made clear what it is: a digital commodity. Grateful to the Crypto Task Force for working to deliver the clarity that markets, investors, and innovators have long deserved. https://t.co/jJ7QTUiJbJ

— Stuart Alderoty (@s_alderoty) March 18, 2026

That framing matters because it pushes the conversation beyond the narrower question of whether XRP sales can fall within securities laws in certain contexts. Alderoty’s post suggests Ripple sees the SEC’s latest interpretation as broader validation of the company’s core position: that XRP itself should be treated as a commodity-style crypto asset rather than a security instrument.

Notably, the Commission’s new guidance defines how federal securities laws apply to crypto assets. Even so, the market reaction around XRP was immediate, with several legal commentators and crypto experts reading the move as a meaningful shift in the regulatory ground beneath the asset.

Among the strongest reactions was from pro-XRP lawyer Bill Morgan, who linked the development directly to the Ripple case and Judge Analisa Torres’ reasoning. “So Judge Torres’ reasoning in SEC v. Ripple about XRP was 100% correct and is now accepted by the SEC in relation to most cryptos,” Morgan wrote.

Chad Steingraber wrote, “We have the official list of Digital Commodities from the SEC,” then named a group of tokens which are included as examples inside the SEC document: APT, AVAX, BTC, BCH, ADA, LINK, DOGE, ETH, HBAR, LTC, DOT, SHIB, SOL, XLM, XTZ and XRP.

Luke Martin pushed the bullish interpretation further, arguing that “If XRP isn’t a security, nothing is a security. Unfathomably bullish.”

For XRP holders and Ripple supporters, the significance lies not only in the SEC’s updated crypto guidance, but in the fact that Ripple’s legal win appears to have gained another regulatory seal of approval, cementing XRP’s standing as a digital commodity.

At press time, XRP traded at $1.52.