At Binance Blockchain Week on December 3, Ripple Labs CEO Brad Garlinghouse painted an unusually optimistic picture for the crypto space.
Speaking alongside Binance CEO Richard Teng and Solana Foundation President Lily Liu, he highlighted a rare combination of regulatory progress, rising institutional demand, and tangible real-world use cases as forces he believes will propel crypto into 2026.
Optimism in the Midst of Market Uncertainty
Garlinghouse framed recent price pullbacks not as the start of a deep bear market but as a temporary “risk-off” phase in an otherwise improving landscape.
“Crypto has gone through cycles.
You get risk-on periods when people are excited, and now we’re seeing a little risk-off moment,” he explained.
He stressed that what’s different this time is the shift in the U.S.—historically skeptical of crypto—toward more open engagement.
“This market has been openly hostile for years, and now that’s changing fast,” he said, noting that institutional adoption is only just beginning to take off.
Institutions Are Starting to Engage
The Ripple CEO pointed to the visible presence of traditional financial heavyweights at the event.
Firms like Franklin Templeton, BlackRock, and Vanguard are making moves into crypto, a shift Garlinghouse described as a “massive sea change.”
He emphasized that these institutions are approaching the market cautiously, often starting small but gradually increasing exposure.
Crypto ETFs Are Still Gaining Traction
When asked about the hype around crypto ETFs, Garlinghouse rejected the notion that enthusiasm had been overblown.
In his view, the market for these products is still very young.
“In the past few weeks, more than $700 million has flowed into XRP ETFs alone. That’s pent-up institutional demand,” he said.
He also highlighted the small overall share of crypto in the ETF universe, predicting it will grow substantially.
“Over 2026, do we think crypto ETFs will only be one or two percent of the total market? No chance,” he said.
Stablecoins Poised as a Growth Engine
Garlinghouse singled out stablecoins as another key pillar of his positive outlook.
In the current risk-off environment, he said capital is largely moving into stablecoins rather than leaving the ecosystem entirely, signaling trust and utility.
Ripple’s own stablecoin, launched just over a year ago, recently passed a $1 billion market cap and is approved for use in Abu Dhabi.
He argued that stablecoins are a gateway for broader adoption and could support a wide range of applications across Ripple, Binance, and Solana platforms.
U.S. Policy Shifts Boost Confidence
On the regulatory front, Garlinghouse noted meaningful progress, especially for payment tokens.
He highlighted the GENIUS Act as providing clarity for stablecoins, which is already driving corporate interest in on-chain payments.
He expects broader crypto legislation, such as the “Clarity Act,” to pass in the first half of next year, further accelerating adoption and institutional participation.
Bold Price Prediction for the Next Cycle
Closing his remarks, Garlinghouse offered a high-profile price prediction, openly acknowledging the risk in doing so: “Bitcoin $180,000 by December 31st, 2026,” he stated confidently.
At the time of reporting, XRP was trading at $2.15, underscoring the gap between current prices and his optimistic outlook.
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