#XRPETFs

The difficult relationship between Ripple and the SEC has improved

The launch of XRP-related ETFs in the U.S. would be considered a great triumph for Ripple, the company behind XRP. Ripple has been in trouble with the SEC for years. However, that has changed since Trump took office and his appointee, Paul Atkins, became the chair of the SEC.

Trump, who took a favorable stance towards cryptocurrencies during his second term, and Atkins, a cryptocurrency advocate and former SEC commissioner, have adopted a very different approach than their predecessors. At a roundtable organized by the SEC's Cryptocurrency Task Force on Friday, Atkins stated:

"The market itself seems to indicate that the current framework urgently requires attention."

Atkins added that innovation in cryptocurrencies "has been stifled over the past few years" due to the SEC's approach under former chairman Gary Gensler.

In 2020, the SEC sued Ripple, claiming it violated securities laws by selling XRP, which the agency considered an unregistered security.

In July 2023, Ripple achieved a partial victory when the judge ruled that XRP is not considered a security when sold on secondary markets like exchanges. However, institutional sales of XRP constituted unregistered securities; the judge imposed a $125 million fine, but the SEC appealed the decision.

On March 19, Ripple's CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, announced that the SEC had agreed to withdraw the appeal, subject to the vote and approval of the Commission. Garlinghouse stated that the historic case "has concluded. It is over," calling the moment a "historic victory."

On April 10, Ripple and the SEC jointly filed a motion to pause the lawsuit proceedings to discuss the terms of the settlement.

The resolution of the SEC's lawsuit against Ripple will have broader implications in the cryptocurrency market, as it would set a precedent to show that traded tokens