Ripple CEO Fires Back in Bitcoin vs. XRP Debate—"Speed, Cost, and Scalability Matter"
Brad Garlinghouse doesn’t mince words when defending XRP’s role in crypto’s future—while Bitcoin maximalists cling to ’digital gold’ narratives.
"Comparing Bitcoin to XRP is like comparing a dial-up modem to fiber-optic," the Ripple CEO quipped during a recent fintech conference. He doubled down on XRP’s transaction speed (under 3 seconds) and negligible fees as critical for real-world adoption.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s network chugs along at 7 TPS—roughly the pace of a 1995 AOL connection—while devouring enough energy to power small countries. But hey, at least Wall Street’s ETF gravy train keeps chugging.
Garlinghouse’s verdict? "The market’s big enough for both—but only one solves payments." Cue the Bitcoin brigade’s outrage in 3...2...1...
Garlinghouse Says Bitcoin And XRP Can Both Win
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse directly addressed the perceived rivalry between the two communities while speaking at a recent event in Las Vegas. “The bitcoin community is not our enemy. They really are not. If they do well, we’re gonna do well, we might do better. It’s not a zero-sum game,” he told attendees.
His comments demonstrate Ripple’s leadership in positioning XRP not as a challenger to Bitcoin, but as a strong force driving forward a digital transformation. Rather than causing division, Garlinghouse’s comments advocate for mutual progress, arguing that growth in the Bitcoin ecosystem is not a threat to Ripple’s success.
Although price comparisons have dominated much of the debate, Garlinghouse’s remarks draw attention to a bigger split in their vision. As the first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin was created to challenge the traditional global finance system.
On the other hand, Ripple’s XRP focuses on working within regulatory frameworks to improve cross-border payments among banks. Despite their differences, Garlinghouse suggested both are necessary players in a much larger transformation of the baking industry.
A Shared Role In Rebuilding Global Finance
Garlinghouse didn’t stop at defending XRP’s relationship with Bitcoin; he expanded his vision to the future of the banking system itself. “Rewriting the entire banking system and what this looks like in maybe 10 years or 20 years. We underestimate how big that change is and how profound it is, and we get there by being collaborative and working together and not against each other,” he added.
His comments serve as a call for unity as digital assets become increasingly integrated into the global financial system. As such, the message to XRP holders is clear. XRP’s Success doesn’t require discrediting or working against Bitcoin. Both assets can rise together if the focus is on adoption and the greater mission in global finance.
One such adoption is the recent official launch of both XRP and Micro XRP futures contracts on CME Group. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse took to the social media platform X to mark this move, describing it as a key institutional milestone for XRP. Furthermore, investor Optimism for a spot XRP ETF has increased significantly in recent weeks, with the odds of approval by the SEC now sitting at 83%.
Meanwhile, XRP is currently trading at $2.16 after rebounding from $2.10 on May 31. However, the cryptocurrency is currently down by 7.83% in a seven-day timeframe.
