Flare CEO Comments On XRP's Regulatory Challenges, Says It Stalled Ripple's Growth

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Aug 9

Ripple Labs, a leading name in the blockchain industry, has faced significant setbacks over the past few years, mainly due to a drawn-out lawsuit with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). As discussions and debates surrounding the lawsuit's impacts on the company's growth continue, Hugo Philon, CEO of Flare Labs, shared his insights on the matter, which ignited discussions among crypto enthusiasts.

Philon's perspective offers a fresh angle on Ripple's journey amid legal battles, suggesting the company's growth trajectory could have been different without the looming shadow of the lawsuit.

SEC Lawsuit's Ripple Effect On Growth

Flare's CEO took to Twitter, articulating his perspective on how the prolonged SEC lawsuit impacted Ripple Labs' advancement. Philon pointed out that while the company now enjoys some regulatory clarity, the intervening time – two and a half years – has seen competitors rise and position themselves as alternatives to its primary offerings.

I have always assumed that XRP would sell off hard after the case ended. This is because the primary (but not only) usecase for XRP is (and has always been) cross border transactions and the primary force behind developing this market is still Ripple. Since late 2020, Ripple have…

— Hugo Philion (@HugoPhilion) August 5, 2023

According to Philon, cross-border transactions are at the heart of the company's operations. Still, the period during which the lawsuit persisted witnessed a surge in alternative competitors who began catering to this demand.

While he believes Ripple will find success in the cross-border payments domain, especially targeting areas traditionally underserved by conventional financial systems, he also shared concerns.

Given recent events, like the FTX collapse, traditional finance might be more wary of cryptocurrencies, which could slow Ripple's progress.

Philon noted:

I suspect Ripple will generate some success going forward in cross border payments, especially in corridors that are traditionally underserved by tradfi. Progress is likely to be slow however, due to the increased suspicion in tradfi of crypto after SBF and all the other nonsense.

Crypto Community's Response To Philon's Analysis

Not surprisingly, Philon's comments triggered diverse reactions within the cryptocurrency community on X (Twitter). Many users were quick to dissect his statements, questioning the accuracy of his analysis.

An account with the name Panos challenged Philon's assertion regarding Ripple's primary focus. According to Panos, the company's emphasis has always revolved around Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and Decentralized Exchanges (DEX), rather than merely cross-border transactions.

Another user named Jonny questioned the implication that the company remained stagnant during the lawsuit's duration. Arguing that a regulatory issue within the US should not limit Ripple's potential for growth in international markets, Jonny represents a segment of the crypto community that believes Ripple was far from idle.

Meanwhile, XRP has continued to swim in red over the past week and even in the past 24 hours. Particularly, XRP has declined by 12.3% in the past 7 days and 2.4% over the past day. The asset currently trades at a price of $0.61, at the time of writing.