According to comments from David Schwartz, XRP remains central to Ripple's payment system, even as the company is introducing its new stablecoin RLUSD. He emphasized that XRP continues to be the primary bridge asset in cross-border transactions—and the broader use of XRP Ledger will continue to drive the utility and value of this altcoin.
XRP Remains the Core of Ripple Payments
In a recent exchange, an XRP supporter pointed out that Ripple now mentions RLUSD more frequently than XRP. Schwartz responded that he doesn't have exact figures at hand, but he is confident that Ripple uses XRP more than any other digital asset for its payment services.
Based on reports, XRP remains dominant as a bridge currency when transferring money from one fiat currency to another. This role allows organizations to transfer money quickly and cost-effectively, even though market volatility may make a stablecoin less ideal.
Ripple launched RLUSD in December 2024 to meet the demand for price stability. According to Schwartz, stablecoins like RLUSD are suitable in use cases that depend on fixed value—such as when companies use cryptocurrency assets as collateral or enter and exit markets without facing overnight volatility risks of 5%.
He noted that Hidden Road, one of Ripple's major partners collaborating with over 300 organizations, chose RLUSD as the primary collateral asset in May 2025. This move shows the appeal of RLUSD for stability-focused missions.
The Role of Stablecoins Compared to the Utility of Altcoins
Schwartz drew a clear line between the two tokens. For missions where price predictability is most crucial, a stablecoin helps avoid glitches. However, for the majority of payments, he believes that a liquid asset like XRP will be more effective—unless someone wants to completely avoid risk. Holding large digital assets can capture upward price trends, and XRP meets that demand better than cash, he said.
Adoption Drives Demand for XRP
Looking to the future, Schwartz emphasized that practical use of XRP Ledger will certainly drive higher demand for the cryptocurrency. As more projects and organizations leverage the fast transaction speeds and low fees of XRPL, they will need XRP to support every move.
That design makes it harder to circumvent the native token of this currency compared to other networks, where developers can package or completely bypass the base currency.
Schwartz's remarks came amid concerns within the community that XRP is being sidelined for stablecoins. Hidden Road's decision to support RLUSD sparked considerable controversy in May 2025.
XRP Use Case
But by emphasizing how XRP is tightly linked to the mechanism of XRPL—and reminding investors that the volume of this altcoin still far exceeds any other asset in Ripple Payments—Schwartz sent a clear message: The use of XRP will not diminish, even as stablecoins become more popular.
Based on these comments, Ripple seems to be taking a two-pronged approach: using RLUSD when price stability is crucial and relying on XRP for its proven liquidity and integrated role in the ledger.
That strategy could help both tokens operate in various sectors of the cryptocurrency economy, ensuring XRP remains attractive even as new products emerge.