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Live XRP/USD Chart

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Maxwell Stein, Director of Digital Assets at BlackRock, delivered a keynote at Swell 2025 that electrified the audience and sparked a lot of conversation on X (formerly Twitter). Stein stated that the global financial market is “ready for large-scale blockchain adoption” and credited early adopters like Ripple for demonstrating blockchain’s practicality beyond theory.

 

“The infrastructure being built by companies like Ripple could soon enable the transfer of trillions of dollars on-chain,” he remarked. It started with the tokenization of fixed income, bonds, and stablecoins. However, trillions of dollars in capital flow through these channels.

“This validation positions the XRP Ledger (XRPL) as a scalable ‘rail’ for asset tokenization and high-volume, low-cost cross-border payments—two key use cases Ripple has supported since 2012.” Stein’s comments align with BlackRock’s broader blockchain efforts, including projects like their tokenized money market fund (BUIDL).

Robbie Mitchnick, Head of Digital Assets at BlackRock, recently made a notable statement emphasizing the importance of caution when trading cryptocurrencies.

Mitchnick’s view reflects a wider institutional realization that very few cryptocurrencies are truly durable and useful. He explained that Bitcoin continues to dominate the crypto market because it has carved out a unique product-market fit as a form of digital gold, representing a significant portion of market cap. Few other digital assets have achieved comparable utility or market relevance, he added. He also pointed out that, although thousands of cryptocurrencies exist, most will likely become worthless over time.

Furthermore, Mitchnick warned against short-term or leveraged trading. He believes that those who approach the digital asset space with patience and a long-term outlook tend to succeed the most.

He advised these investors to focus more on fundamentals than speculation and to recognize that market cycles and volatility are natural in this emerging sector. Members of the XRP community have taken notice of Mitchnick’s comments, as they see his emphasis on utility and product-market fit aligning with XRP’s core use case.

XRP has established itself as a bridge currency designed to improve cross-border payment efficiency and liquidity, contrasting with many other speculative tokens. Its strong presence in international remittances and growing adoption among financial institutions demonstrate the kind of “economic utility” Mitchnick described as essential for long-term viability.