Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse hinted this week at offering “something special” for XRP holders if the company eventually goes public — but he made clear an initial public offering is “not a priority” right now, pointing to lackluster performance from other crypto-related listings. Speaking during a panel at Consensus Miami, Garlinghouse said that staying private lets him speak freely “without lawyers breathing down his neck.” He added that XRP holders could see benefits beyond just ecosystem appreciation. “We think that’s good for the community,” he said.
IPO on ice, perks teased
Garlinghouse didn’t detail what the “something special” might be — no airdrop, no token swap, no loyalty program was spelled out. But the suggestion is notable given that Ripple has long faced pressure from its user base to deliver direct value to XRP holders. The CEO framed the potential perk as a way to align the community with a public listing, even as he argued that the current market for crypto IPOs isn’t attractive. “It’s not a priority,” he reiterated. The timing also puts the spotlight on the CLARITY Act deadline, which Garlinghouse called a “swing factor” over the next two weeks.
XRP price under pressure, whales pile in
XRP’s price action tells a mixed story this month. After failing to breach resistance at $1.45, the token slipped below the $1.40 support level and is now compressing in a narrow range, with the next floor around $1.35. Resistance remains at $1.40 and $1.45. Standard Chartered’s 2026 model still pegs XRP at $2.80 — a bullish long-term target — but current momentum is muted.
Whale wallets, however, aren’t waiting. In Q1 2026, large holders added 1.2 billion XRP, the highest quarterly accumulation since 2023. That level of buying often signals confidence in a medium-term breakout, but it hasn’t yet translated into price action above $1.45.
CLARITY Act deadline looms
The next two weeks are critical, Garlinghouse said at Consensus Miami, referencing the CLARITY Act deadline as a swing factor. The legislation, which aims to clarify token classification and exchange registration, could reshape the regulatory landscape for Ripple and XRP. A favorable outcome might remove a key overhang; a setback could keep the IPO door shut longer.
Separately, Bitcoin Hyper — a Bitcoin Layer 2 project with Solana Virtual Machine integration — is pushing toward $33 million in its presale at a token price of $0.0136, offering 35% APY staking rewards. But for XRP watchers, the main event remains whether Garlinghouse’s vague promise of “something special” ever takes a concrete shape, and whether the CLARITY Act gives him the green light to move.
