- Ripple (XRP) and the SEC have settled their long-standing legal dispute, with Ripple’s Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty announcing on X Tuesday that both dropped their appeals, the SEC keeping $50 million of a $125 million fine, and the rest returning to Ripple from escrow.
- XRP, tied to Ripple’s $143.08 billion market cap, traded at $2.45, down 0.30%, as the deal lifts a prior injunction pending court approval, ending a battle over claims Ripple sold unregistered securities since 2020.
Ripple (XRP), a major force in the cryptocurrency world, has finally put an end to its prolonged legal tussle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a resolution that marks a significant moment for the company and the broader digital asset industry. The agreement, detailed by Ripple’s chief legal officer Stuart Alderoty in a Tuesday post on X, sees both sides stepping back from their appeals, wrapping up a saga that centered on claims Ripple sold XRP as unregistered securities. With a market cap of $143.08 billion, XRP was trading at $2.45 as of the latest check, down 0.30%, reflecting a stable yet cautious market response to the news.
The final crossing of t’s and dotting of i’s – and what should be my last update on SEC v Ripple ever…
Last week, the SEC agreed to drop its appeal without conditions. @Ripple has now agreed to drop its cross-appeal. The SEC will keep $50M of the $125M fine (already in an…
— Stuart Alderoty (@s_alderoty) March 25, 2025
The deal outlines a financial compromise where the SEC retains $50 million of a $125 million fine – funds already held in an interest-bearing escrow account – while the remaining balance reverts to Ripple. This settlement follows the SEC’s decision last week to abandon its appeal unconditionally, a move Alderoty confirmed prompted Ripple to drop its own cross-appeal. The agency will also seek to lift a prior court injunction it had pushed for, which had restricted certain Ripple activities, pending a Commission vote and standard court formalities. This resolution not only frees Ripple from a hefty $75 million burden but also clears a regulatory cloud that had loomed since the lawsuit’s inception in December 2020, when the SEC alleged Ripple raised $1.3 billion through unregistered XRP sales.
XRP, launched in 2012 as the native token of the XRP Ledger, powers Ripple’s mission to streamline cross-border payments, a vision that’s gained traction with financial institutions globally. The legal clarity now affirmed – building on a 2023 ruling that XRP isn’t a security in retail sales – could propel Ripple’s expansion, particularly in the U.S., where regulatory uncertainty once stifled growth. While the token dipped slightly, the broader crypto community sees this as a win, potentially boosting XRP’s adoption and reinforcing Ripple’s position in a competitive blockchain landscape, all while the company retains significant financial flexibility to fuel its next chapter.
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