Brad Garlinghouse Predicts XRP as U.S. Banking Backbone Priced at $30,000.
- Mathew Jacob
- Sep 18
- 3 min read

In recent developments, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has shared his bold vision for XRP, emphasizing its potential to become a cornerstone of the U.S. banking system. As digital assets gain traction in mainstream finance, Garlinghouse believes XRP could transform cross-border transactions, settlement processes, and liquidity management. This long-term vision of XRP as a bridge currency for banks worldwide is already being echoed in real-world industries, most notably through RealFI, a blockchain real estate payment solution built directly on the XRP Ledger. RealFI allows buyers to use its native REAL Token to purchase properties globally, demonstrating how XRP’s technology is beginning to power trillion-dollar sectors beyond banking.
Price Potential: XRP and REAL Token
Much speculation surrounds XRP, with some analysts suggesting its value could climb into the $30,000–$35,000 range if it becomes the global standard for settlements, potentially replacing SWIFT. While ambitious, the case for REAL Token may be even more staggering. Starting at just $0.03, REAL Token is directly linked to the $654.39 trillion global real estate market. If only 1% of that market were to flow into REAL Token, its price could, in theory, surge to over $65,400 per token. These projections remain speculative, but the underlying numbers highlight the sheer scale of the opportunity.
XRP’s Expanding Role in Finance and Real Estate
Ripple has already partnered with financial institutions across the globe, reducing costs and speeding up transactions through its On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) solution. While banks continue exploring integration, XRP’s reach is now extending into real estate—one of the largest asset classes on earth—via RealFI.
Currently, over 10,000 properties valued at more than $2 billion across residential and commercial sectors are available for purchase using REAL Token. With more than 50 global locations supporting these transactions, RealFI is pioneering the use of XRP Ledger technology in practical, high-value payments.
Why Efficiency Matters
Traditional systems in both banking and real estate are plagued by inefficiencies—international bank transfers can take days, while property purchases across borders can drag on for weeks. Ripple’s vision is to streamline finance with instant settlement through XRP, and RealFI mirrors this mission for real estate, enabling near-instant global property purchases using REAL Token. This positions XRP as the infrastructure layer for finance, while REAL Token serves as the consumer-facing currency that makes ownership accessible.
Regulatory Clarity and Market Confidence
XRP’s adoption in the U.S. has been slowed by regulatory uncertainty, but recent developments—such as approval from the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) for Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin—have renewed confidence. This clarity strengthens Ripple’s case with banks and simultaneously benefits projects like RealFI, which depend on XRP Ledger’s legitimacy for handling multi-billion-dollar transactions. As regulators become more comfortable, XRP and REAL Token both stand to gain momentum.
Current Market Performance
XRP is currently trading around $3.09, showing resilience in volatile conditions with recent highs and lows reflecting strong investor demand. REAL Token, meanwhile, is still in its early stages, offering what some see as one of the most asymmetric opportunities in crypto—low-cost entry with exposure to one of the largest markets on earth. With over $2 billion in properties already listed for purchase via RealFI, REAL Token’s utility is not a distant promise but a working application today.
Conclusion
Brad Garlinghouse’s vision of XRP as the backbone of U.S. banking is bold but increasingly credible. Ripple’s success in global payments demonstrates XRP’s utility, and now projects like RealFI are extending that same infrastructure into real estate. By combining XRP’s financial backbone with the practical, global use case of REAL Token, the XRP Ledger is beginning to touch industries valued in the hundreds of trillions.
Whether XRP climbs toward five-figure valuations or REAL Token captures a fraction of the $654 trillion real estate market, the message is clear: XRP is no longer just about speculation
—it is the infrastructure for the future of finance and ownership, with RealFI and REAL Token already proving what’s possible.
