Ripple Nearly Shut Down After SEC Lawsuit, CEO Reveals
Brad Garlinghouse said Ripple weighed dissolving the business and distributing XRP to shareholders as legal costs reached $150 million.
- On Sunday, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse revealed the company seriously considered shutting down during the 2020 SEC lawsuit, weighing a plan to distribute XRP holdings to shareholders and dissolve the business.
- The SEC sued Ripple in December 2020, claiming the firm sold XRP as an unregistered security, causing major U.S. exchanges to delist the token and lawyers to warn leadership the company was "done and unsavable."
- Ripple chose to defend itself, spending roughly $150 million over four years; Judge Analisa Torres ruled in 2023 that XRP is not a security, and the case settled in 2025 with a $125 million penalty.
- Surviving the litigation, Ripple expanded its global operations and secured regulatory approval in Europe, while the Kansas Jayhawks became the first major U.S. college team to wear an XRP patch on their jerseys.
- The company now seeks a national trust bank charter and Federal Reserve master account to integrate into the U.S. financial system, though the Federal Reserve paused new crypto account decisions until late 2026.
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18 Articles
Ripple Almost Shut Down in 2020, Now XRP Makes History on a Jersey Patch
Ripple's CEO recently admitted the company came within a decision of vanishing entirely, with a plan ready to hand away every XRP token and leave the SEC with nothing to sue. What happened next put that same token somewhere no cryptocurrency had ever been before.
Ripple once weighed shutting down and handing XRP to shareholders, CEO says
Ripple's Brad Garlinghouse says he and co-founder Chris Larsen considered winding the company down and handing its XRP to shareholders before deciding to fight the 2020 lawsuit.
According to the SEC case, Ripple appeared to be facing the dispute. CEO Brad Garlinghouse now explained why the XRP company opted for the lawsuit. Source: BTC-ECHO BTC-ECHO
Ripple CEO Says Company Considered Folding Before SEC Fight
Ripple’s CEO says the blockchain company considered shuttering following an Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lawsuit. In a talk at the University of Kansas School of Business, Brad Garlinghouse said he and co-founder Chris Larsen weighed winding down the company and distributing its XRP…
Ripple CEO Says Company Nearly Shut Down After 2020 SEC Lawsuit
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse revealed that the company considered shutting down after the SEC sued Ripple in 2020, but ultimately chose to fight the case instead. His remarks provide fresh insight into the legal battle that reshaped crypto regulation and influenced Ripple’s long-term strategy and recovery.
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