Ripple Labs has started expanding its U.S. operations as regulatory attitudes toward digital assets shift positively. Monica Long, President of Ripple, confirmed this during a recent interview with CNBC. She explained that the current pro-crypto sentiment in the U.S. encouraged the company to strengthen its domestic footprint.

Focus Shifts to Mergers and Acquisitions Over IPO

Although Ripple holds billions in cash reserves, the company has chosen to prioritize strategic growth and acquisitions over an initial public offering (IPO). Recently, Ripple acquired Hidden Road, a prime brokerage, signaling its active pursuit of merger and acquisition (M&A) opportunities. Long clarified that Ripple prefers to grow operationally rather than going public at this stage, mainly due to continued uncertainty surrounding U.S. crypto regulations.

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Ripple is doubling down on serving institutional clients. According to Long, the company aims to modernize outdated financial infrastructure by offering more efficient payment solutions. One such innovation is Ripple USD, a new stablecoin designed to simplify cross-border transactions and bridge the gap between fiat and digital currencies.

Ripple Advances Asset Tokenization

Expanding beyond payments, Ripple has also committed to real-world asset tokenization. Long has noted that Ripple’s technology enables the fractionalization of assets, such as real estate, thereby streamlining capital markets. This initiative allows banks and other financial entities to automate and digitize traditionally manual processes, enhancing efficiency and transparency.

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Despite launching Ripple USD, the company continues to rely heavily on XRP ($2.21). Long emphasized that XRP remains vital for liquidity and supports the operations of Ripple’s decentralized exchange. She made it clear that the introduction of a stablecoin does not diminish XRP’s essential role within Ripple’s financial framework.

Finally, Long reiterated that Ripple will postpone any IPO plans until U.S. crypto regulations become more defined. Although the company remains open to going public in the future, regulatory clarity will be the deciding factor before taking that step.

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