There has been plenty of debate around whether Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin could eventually make XRP unnecessary. But Jake Claver, chairman of Digital Ascension Group, sees the two assets playing very different roles on the XRP Ledger.
In a post on X shared by TheCryptoBasic, Claver compared the XRP Ledger to an airline network. His basic argument is simple: RLUSD works as a digital dollar, while XRP can act as a bridge between assets that do not have enough direct liquidity. That distinction could matter for the XRP price as more financial assets move on-chain.
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XRP Can Connect Assets Across the Ledger
Claver argues that using XRP as a central liquidity asset can make a network much easier to connect. His example is straightforward. If 100 different assets all needed direct liquidity pairs with each other, the network would need 4,950 separate asset pairs. Using one central asset as a hub would require only 100 connections.
Jake Claver, chairman of Digital Ascension Group, has argued that $RLUSD and $XRP serve fundamentally different roles on the XRP Ledger.
— TheCryptoBasic (@thecryptobasic) August 10, 2026
He disagrees with the idea that Ripple’s dollar-backed stablecoin could make XRP unnecessary. In a 25-part post on X, Claver compared the XRP…
That is where XRP comes in: The XRP Ledger already supports cross-currency payments, and its pathfinding system can find payment routes through different assets. For example, a payment from USD to MXN can use XRP as an intermediary if that route offers better liquidity or pricing. XRPL cross-currency payments documentation
For users, the XRP portion of the transaction can happen in the background. They can send one asset and receive another without necessarily having to manage XRP themselves. That gives XRP a different use case from a traditional stablecoin.
Read Also: 5 Reasons XRP Bulls Shouldn’t Get Too Excited Yet
RLUSD Has a Different Job
RLUSD has a much more specific purpose. It is designed to maintain a value of $1 and is backed by reserve assets. Ripple’s transparency page reported $1.595 billion in circulating RLUSD and $1.704 billion in reserve funds as of July 23, 2026. Ripple RLUSD transparency data
The stablecoin can be useful when a transaction needs dollar-denominated settlement. Ripple also says RLUSD can be used for payments, trading and institutional settlement, with transactions on the XRP Ledger settling in seconds. Ripple RLUSD overview
But not every transaction needs dollars. Imagine a tokenized bond being exchanged for a commodity, or a yen-based stablecoin being traded for another non-dollar asset. In those situations, a dollar stablecoin may not be the most natural intermediary. A neutral bridge asset can make more sense.
Why XRP and RLUSD Can Coexist
There is another important difference between the two assets. RLUSD is issued by Ripple-affiliated entities and depends on reserves, banking relationships and regulatory requirements. XRP, on the other hand, is the native asset of the XRP Ledger and is not issued by a company.
That distinction matters when thinking about liquidity. RLUSD can provide a stable dollar-denominated asset, but XRP can connect assets that have different values and currencies. The two therefore do not necessarily need to compete for the same role.
XRPL’s own documentation shows that XRP can be used as an intermediary in cross-currency payments when the available path makes economic sense. XRPL payment path documentation
Read Also: Clarity Act Is Not Enough for XRP – Here’s the Real Catalyst
What This Means for the XRP Price
Claver’s argument does not guarantee that the XRP price will rise. The bigger question is whether the XRP Ledger attracts enough real financial activity to create sustained demand for its native asset.
If tokenized assets continue expanding across different currencies and markets, RLUSD could handle transactions that need a digital dollar, while XRP could provide liquidity between assets that lack efficient direct markets.
So the debate may be less about RLUSD replacing XRP and more about whether both assets can serve different parts of the same growing on-chain financial ecosystem.
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