Ripple and Brad Garlinghouse accused of lobbying for Solana inclusion in the U.S. crypto reserve
Ripple calls for industry unity while lobbying for Solana place in U.S. crypto reserve
According to Unchained Crypto, Ripple Labs executives, including CEO Brad Garlinghouse and Chief Legal Officer Stu Alderoty, reportedly lobbied former President Donald Trump to include Solana’s SOL in the newly announced U.S. crypto reserve.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Ripple’s goal was to enhance the legitimacy of the reserve among the crypto community by ensuring it included multiple American tokens rather than just its own XRP, reports Unchained Crypto.
Despite these efforts, the reserve announcement was met with skepticism. Critics noted that the first three mentioned assets—XRP, SOL, and Cardano’s ADA—are not widely considered stores of value. This raised doubts about whether the reserve would accumulate significant amounts of these tokens or merely serve as a promotional tool for early investors and insiders.
Industry Reactions and Market Skepticism
Ripple has long faced criticism regarding XRP’s utility, with skeptics arguing that its $145 billion market capitalization lacks sufficient justification. The reserve's rollout did little to dispel concerns, as Trump’s announcement failed to mention Bitcoin or Ethereum—the two most widely accepted digital assets.
Market sentiment reflects this skepticism. On the Polymarket prediction platform, Bitcoin remains the most likely asset to be included in a U.S. reserve, with a 64% probability. Ethereum follows at 42%, while XRP and SOL trail at 29% and 28%, respectively. Notably, no contract exists for ADA, further underscoring doubts about its inclusion.
Ripple’s Position and Industry Unity
In response to inquiries about whether Ripple had pushed for SOL’s inclusion to strengthen its own case, a company spokesperson pointed to a tweet from Garlinghouse. He emphasized the importance of industry collaboration, stating, "The crypto industry will achieve our goals (and beyond), IF WE WORK TOGETHER… Maximalism is the enemy of the industry’s progress."
Ripple has consistently framed its messaging around industry unity, arguing that cooperation is essential for mainstream adoption and regulatory acceptance. While this provides some justification for advocating broader token inclusion, it also highlights Ripple’s strategic interest in ensuring XRP’s presence in the reserve.
As we wrote, Ripple Labs’ chief technology officer, David Schwartz—also known by his moniker “JoelKatz”—has signaled a potential strategic pivot for the digital payments firm.
