Crypto investor Emily renewed her criticism of XRP’s adoption following new remarks by Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse at the Ripple Swell event. After Garlinghouse announced that Ripple Treasury processed $13 trillion in payments during 2025, almost all of which occurred outside of cryptocurrency payment networks, Emily argued that these figures highlight longstanding issues with XRP’s real-world utility.
Ripple’s payment volumes raise adoption concerns
Emily, who first invested in XRP at age 26 and is now 38, wrote on social media that little has changed over the years regarding price and adoption. She said that after holding XRP for more than a decade, the token still trades close to $1 and largely follows the broader market movements set by Bitcoin.
She criticized a segment of the XRP community for downplaying her concerns, saying she had questioned the level of XRP’s usage before Garlinghouse’s recent statements. Emily cited Garlinghouse’s admission that the company is still seeking effective ways to integrate XRP into global payment flows as confirmation of her position.
Emily highlighted her frustrations with, “I got XRP at 26 and am now 38; it still at a dollar, still following Bitcoin. Brad stated directly in your face at Swell, we are trying to find ways to use XRP.”
According to Emily, some XRP supporters preferred to ignore these issues and instead accused critics of spreading fear or doubt about the project’s direction.
Garlinghouse reveals scale of Ripple Treasury payments
At the Ripple Swell event, Garlinghouse emphasized the magnitude of Ripple Treasury’s operations, revealing that the company handled about $13 trillion in payment transactions through 2025. However, he added that 99.9% of this volume was processed outside crypto payment networks and did not involve stablecoins or XRP itself.
He described Ripple’s existing business clients as a ‘captive audience’, expressing hope that these relationships could one day drive more adoption of blockchain-based financial tools like XRP.
Despite Ripple Treasury facilitating a vast amount of payment activity for its clients, Garlinghouse said most transactions still use traditional financial rails rather than blockchain infrastructure.
Mini dictionary: Ripple Treasury, a service offered by Ripple for managing enterprise-level payments, aims to provide financial institutions and businesses with tools to efficiently process large-scale transactions while offering integration with both traditional and blockchain networks.
| Payment Measure | Total Volume | XRP Utilization |
|---|---|---|
| Total payments (2025) | $13 trillion | 0.1% |
| Payments via crypto networks | Minimal | Very limited |
Garlinghouse stressed that the expansion of blockchain integrations may eventually change this ratio, depending on customer demand and regulatory developments.
Ripple’s strategy for XRP utility and liquidity
Garlinghouse said Ripple is now focused on boosting XRP’s liquidity, increasing its utility within payment systems, and building further trust in the asset. These objectives, he argued, are connected to Ripple’s recent business expansion and acquisitions.
He maintained that the company’s broad network of payment clients presents an opportunity for greater blockchain and XRP adoption. However, he clarified that the headline payment volumes seen at Ripple Treasury should not be interpreted as a surge in XRP transactions.
Garlinghouse noted that while Ripple is seeking more ways to utilize XRP across its products, “99.9% of our payment flows right now do not run over crypto networks or stablecoins.”
XRP holders weigh future prospects
Emily highlighted the gap between Ripple’s strong payment flows and actual XRP usage. She argued that for real-world adoption of XRP to increase, a larger share of Ripple’s processing activity would need to shift to blockchain-based transactions. For now, she believes that the distinction between Ripple’s business success and XRP’s utility remains clear.
