Stablecoins, not XRP, tipped to power global settlement, says Ripple’s Long

Ripple’s Monica Long says stablecoins will anchor global settlement as crypto enters a 2026 ‘production era,’ raising questions about XRP’s role.
Summary

• Monica Long says stablecoins will be the core settlement layer as Visa, Stripe and banks embed them into B2B payment flows.
• She predicts a 2026 ‘production era’ where ETFs, tokenized Treasuries, and custody deals pull Fortune 500 treasuries on‑chain.
• XRP holders question whether stablecoin‑led settlement sidelines XRP, while others argue bridge assets still matter for FX and interoperability.

In a new thread on X, Ripple president Monica Long argues that “stablecoins will be the foundation for global settlement, not an alternative rail,” framing fiat‑pegged tokens as the backbone of cross‑border money movement rather than a side experiment. She points to Visa, Stripe and “major institutions” already “hard-wire[ing] them into payment flows,” and identifies business‑to‑business transactions as "the growth engine – with corporates using digital dollars to unlock real-time liquidity and capital efficiency."​

1/ Stablecoins will be the foundation for global settlement, not an alternative rail. As Visa, Stripe and major institutions hard-wire them into payment flows, B2B is the growth engine – with corporates using digital dollars to unlock real-time liquidity and capital efficiency. — Monica Long (@MonicaLongSF) January 20, 2026

Long’s thesis aligns with a broader post on Ripple’s site, where she writes that within roughly five years, stablecoins will be “fully integrated into global payment systems” and function as the default settlement layer for incumbents as well as fintechs. In parallel, other analysts note that regulated stablecoins are increasingly being designed to plug directly into bank and card‑network rails, blurring the line between crypto infrastructure and traditional clearing systems.​

From speculation to operating layer

Long contends that the industry is exiting its purely speculative phase and entering what she calls crypto’s “production era.” “After one of crypto’s most exciting years (and Ripple’s), the industry is entering its production era,” she writes, predicting that "in 2026 we’ll see the institutionalization of crypto — trusted infrastructure and real utility will push banks, corporates, and providers from pilots to scale."​

“Crypto is no longer speculative – it’s becoming the operating layer of modern finance,” she adds in a follow‑up post, forecasting that around 50% of Fortune 500 firms will have some form of digital asset exposure or a formal “DAT strategy” by 2026. That exposure, she suggests, will include tokenized assets, on‑chain Treasury bills, stablecoins and “programmable financial” instruments embedded directly into corporate treasury and capital‑markets workflows.​

ETFs, M&A and custody consolidation

The Ripple president also highlights capital‑markets access as a second major driver of institutionalization, arguing that crypto exchange‑traded funds have “accelerating exposure, yet only represent a small share of the broader market, underscoring room for major growth.” Long expects more of the traditional ETF investor base to treat these products as a bridge into on‑chain collateral and tokenized yields, especially as spot products expand beyond bitcoin and ether.​

On the structural side, she cites roughly 8.6 billion dollars in crypto M&A volume in 2025 as evidence of a maturing market and predicts custody will be “the next major consolidation driver.” As safekeeping of digital assets commoditizes, Long forecasts “vertical integration and multi-custodian strategies,” with about half of the world’s top 50 banks expected to formalize at least one digital‑asset custody arrangement by 2026.​

Tension around XRP and stablecoins

Long’s remarks have stirred debate inside Ripple’s own community, particularly around the role of XRP in a world anchored by stablecoins. One reply that has gained traction asks, “Then what about XRP? For a long time, it has been widely discussed that XRP is intended to be used as a global settlement asset,” warning that such statements “feel misleading and confusing” and risk discouraging holders.​

Another user voices more pointed frustration: “So I need to sell my xrp? All I hear is stable coins. I’m beginning to think xrp was just so retail could fund ripples business.” Supporters counter that “stable coins is what will bring business on chain” and that the proliferation of fiat‑pegged tokens could actually increase demand for “a settlement bridge converting stable coins eg RLUSD to euros etc,” implicitly preserving a role for neutral bridge assets and interoperable ledgers.​

2026 as an institutional inflection point

Long’s written outlook at Ripple ties these themes together, describing 2026 as a defining year in which “stablecoins will power global settlement,” tokenized assets will migrate onto institutional balance sheets and custody will “anchor trust” for banks, asset managers and corporates. She also emphasizes the growing intersection of blockchain and AI in automating back‑office processes that “today hold markets back,” a trend that mirrors recent moves by exchanges and trading firms to pair algorithmic execution with on‑chain settlement.​

That institutional pivot comes amid parallel developments across the industry, from the launch of new spot and leveraged crypto ETFs to banks piloting tokenized deposits and central‑bank digital currency experiments in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. For Ripple, which has built its brand around cross‑border payments and enterprise blockchain, Long’s message is clear: the next phase of growth will be measured less by token price action and more by how deeply crypto infrastructure is woven into the balance sheets and payment flows of the legacy financial system.