W. Oliver Segovia, Ripple’s Senior Director and Head of Product Marketing, recently took to social media to announce the company's strategic plan for expanding its payment solutions across the United States. Segovia shared on LinkedIn that despite Ripple currently conducting 90% of its operations internationally, the company aims to make a substantial impact on the U.S. market through upcoming product enhancements. This effort will leverage Ripple's money transmitter licenses (MTLs), which now cover a wide range of U.S. jurisdictions.
To kick off this expansion, Ripple is hosting a fintech gathering at its newly established San Francisco headquarters. The event will feature a dynamic panel discussion on the future of Ripple's blockchain and payment technologies throughout 2024. Brendan Berry and Pegah Soltani will lead the conversation, with Joanie Xie, U.S. Managing Director, moderating the discussion. Additionally, David Schwartz, Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer, is scheduled to participate.
Following the panel discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to network with industry professionals from companies such as Adyen, Marqeta, and Plaid. The networking event is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 5 pm at Ripple’s headquarters on 600 Battery St. Interested individuals are encouraged to register early, with an option for priority access through a waitlist.
In alignment with its expansion objectives, Ripple is actively recruiting in several key global cities, including Bangalore, San Francisco, Toronto, and London. Furthermore, following a U.S. court ruling that XRP does not constitute a security, U.S.-based asset managers like BlackRock and Grayscale are preparing to submit applications for a Ripple (XRP) exchange-traded fund (ETF) with the SEC in April. They aim to launch the ETF by the end of 2024.
This move has generated significant excitement and discussion within the cryptocurrency community. The potential XRP ETF has drawn attention for its implications on market accessibility and the confirmation of XRP's non-security status in the investment landscape.