Trying something new – some thoughts from me on the events (specifically the release of the Hinman documents) of this week. For me, this has all had a personal bent to it - and felt like it warranted some personal comments. What’s most important is that it’s truly the first time the SEC was forced to be transparent about their lack of internal coherence or faithful application of the law, acknowledging they may not have the jurisdiction to fill the “regulatory gap” over crypto at all.

Stepping back for a moment from what’s happening in the US – just in the last few weeks, the number of positive (or at least headed in the direction of CLARITY) global regulatory developments is energizing! 1/ Continuing its history of being tech-forward, Dubai just published an extensive new set of tech-agnostic rulebooks for crypto market participants, covering compliance standards, advertising, issuance, and much more.

Today is the first day of the 118th Congress. While prior efforts at regulatory clarity for crypto in the US have stalled, I am cautiously optimistic that 2023 is the year we will (finally!) see a breakthrough. A thread on why… 1/ support for regulation is bipartisan & bicameral. Leaders like @PatrickMcHenry, @CongressmanGT, @RepTomEmmer, @RitchieTorres, @RoKhanna, @SenStabenow, @JohnBoozman, @SenGillibrand, @SenLummis, @CoryBooker have publicly supported blockchain and recognized the need for clarity.

Our 6th annual #RippleSwell is underway! I took the stage this morning with @cnbcKaren to discuss all things Ripple, crypto utility, macroeconomic factors affecting crypto, and much more. A thread… With all that’s happening in the past few weeks (and over the course of this year’s ups and downs), it feels even more imperative that we’ve gathered together in person to have honest conversations about solving real world problems with crypto and blockchain.

Days like today are never what you hope to see, esp. in an industry w/ as much incredible talent as crypto. If you recently joined the industry and haven’t seen a downturn like this, know that this too shall pass (advice from someone who’s seen a few downturns over the years). It’s never easy, but there are a few key reasons why Ripple has weathered the cyclical bear markets, as we will do here and continue growing. 1/ having an experienced exec team that has been through the dot com bubble, 2008 financial crisis, 2018 crypto winter and more.

Like many of you, I thought the Biden Admin’s EO would acknowledge crypto, but not detail specifics on next steps for regulation. However, I was pleasantly surprised & inspired by the EO acknowledging the *need* for evolution and alignment of the govt’s approach to crypto. First and foremost, this is an affirmation that crypto is here to stay. Thoughtful policy involves timely input from players (and there’s a lot!) across the federal govt. I don't want to mistake activity for progress, but this does feel like it could be a turning point.

I continue to see asinine arguments from uninformed pundits of how crypto works. I want to reiterate what @ashgoblue said yesterday – there are factual reasons why crypto can’t be used on the broad scale for Russia to evade sanctions.

https://twitter.com/ashgoblue/status/1498104822871953412

https://twitter.com/robaeprice/status/1498380415781924864

In order to convert crypto to fiat, exchanges/etc rely on banking partners who could lose their licenses if someone on the OFAC list is able to slip through. Extremely stringent KYC/AML policies are in place to avoid precisely this.

Excited to announce @Ripple bought back our Series C (Dec 2019) shares at a $15B valuation! 1/4 2022 – “slow down” is not in our vocabulary. Even with 2021’s headwinds, it was our best year on record, and Ripple’s financial position ($1B in the bank) is the strongest we’ve ever been. 2/4

One year ago today, the @SECgov filed a lawsuit against @Ripple, @chrislarsenSF and me, alleging that XRP – a public crypto that has been trading on the open market since 2013 – should have been registered as a security. 1/10 Of all the shitty things in 2020, this was certainly one to cap the year 🤣. But what I said then remains (painfully) true today: this is an attack on crypto in the US, not just Ripple. Some took the SEC’s allegations at face value/ thought this was a one off, but no longer. 2/10

I’m not going to litigate the SEC’s unproven allegations on Twitter, and as you can imagine, there are new considerations to what can / should be said publicly after the litigation process starts. However, I would like to address 5 key questions I’ve seen. 1/10 Q: Why didn’t Ripple settle with the SEC?

Can’t get into specifics, but know we tried - and will continue to try w/ the new administration - to resolve this in a way so the XRP community can continue innovating, consumers are protected and orderly markets are preserved. 2/10

Lots of speculation last week as Team @Ripple considers some very important decisions about our future. I want to clarify a couple of things related to some of what I read. (1/5) Ripple is a proud US-based company. Ripple abides by and supports critical laws - like strong BSA/AML controls - that keep bad actors out and consumers safe. We are NOT looking to evade US regulation. (2/5)

I'm always struck by the questionable sources (i'm being generous here) spreading FUD about #XRP and @Ripple. Even more so over the last few weeks (Ripple's XRP sales, litigation etc).... thus, I feel compelled to comment 1/ As a defendant in the class action lawsuit, I won't get into the details (response from Ripple is coming soon). I will say: SEC guidance isn't issued by the Commission and isn't law, rule or regulation. It's clear XRP is not a security and the UK and others have said as much.

Just watched @stevenmnuchin1’s press conference on regulating crypto and have personally spoken to him on this topic. I’ve also been ruminating on @realdonaldtrump’s tweets on crypto last week. (1/7) I agree that crypto isn't likely to replace fiat currencies - I have been very vocal that crypto isn’t likely to disrupt the US dollar and other G20 currencies in my lifetime. (2/7)