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Crypto Trends

Why SharpLink’s CEO Thinks Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto Will Return

by admin September 7, 2025

In brief

Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, disappeared in 2011.
SharpLink Gaming co-CEO Joseph Chalom thinks Nakamoto will return as Bitcoin faces a quantum computing threat.
Nakamoto is linked to nearly 1.1 million Bitcoin, valued at over $120 billion.

Bitcoin’s elusive, pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto has remained in the shadows since his last message in 2011, saying that he had “moved on to other things.”

But SharpLink Gaming co-CEO Joseph Chalom has a “wild theory” that Nakamoto will reveal himself once the original cryptocurrency faces an existential threat from quantum computing.

Some experts believe that quantum computing could become an “existential crisis” for Bitcoin within the next decade, as the community has started to discuss ways to quantum-proof the network. To do this, some have floated the idea of a quantum-proofing hard fork, while others have proposed freezing Satoshi’s quantum-vulnerable coins.

Chalom, who co-leads the $3.6 billion Ethereum treasury company, told Decrypt last week that he believes the Bitcoin founder may reveal himself as this hurdle is attempted.

“I have a wild idea that at some point—five, 10 years from now—when the Bitcoin network needs to be quantum-proofed, there will be some really important decisions around standards and encryption,” Chalom explained. “There’ll be decisions about whether you need to hard fork the protocol [and] what you do with wallets that are dormant.”

“When that quantum moment comes, somebody is going to wake up and say: ‘I don’t want to be forked.’ Or someone’s going to wake up and say: ‘Fork me.’ That’s a lot of money to leave on the table,” he added.”

This theory, Chalom added, is not based on any facts and is just another bold theory to add to the 17-year mountain of Satoshi speculation. However, Chalom did say that if his theory is right, then he believes Satoshi will reveal himself through “some old, OG accounts” that haven’t been active in a long time.

These old accounts could include any of the wallets that many attribute to being owned by Satoshi—identified via a method called the Patoshi Pattern. At the time of writing, these wallets hold 1.096 million BTC, which is worth approximately $121.9 billion, according to Arkham data.

That makes the elusive founder the 12th richest person in the world, according to Forbes, while a 23% move to $150 billion would put him in the top 10. Predictors at Myriad think that such a move is unlikely to be made soon, with 90% voting against Satoshi hitting a $150 billion net worth in September. (Disclosure: Myriad is a product of Decrypt’s parent company, DASTAN.)

Old accounts waking up could also include any of the known Satoshi-linked email addresses or his account on the Bitcointalk forum. These accounts springing back to life to voice Satoshi’s opinion may not necessarily mean revealing his true identity.

Thousands of theories about Satoshi’s real identity have spawned since the Bitcoin white paper was first penned in 2008. Fingers have been pointed at early Bitcoin adopters, government organizations, and even Elon Musk. But Bitcoin backers have yet to agree on a single person.

HBO attempted to unmask the elusive crypto creator in a 2024 documentary, which made the claim that Bitcoin Core developer Peter Todd was Satoshi.

“Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery” director Cullen Hoback highlighted a forum post from Todd to Satoshi, which the director believed was Todd speaking as if he were in control of both accounts. The documentary also pointed to other clues, such as Todd’s writing style, his previous experiments with digital currencies, and his level of computer programming.

Ultimately, however, the crypto community dismissed the theory as speculative and based on false assumptions. Todd also pushed back by posting on social media, “I’m not Satoshi.”

As of now, the mystery remains—but if Chalom is right, then maybe the looming quantum threat will bring Bitcoin’s creator back out from the shadows.

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September 7, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

Sentiment signals could spark the next rally

by admin September 7, 2025

Santiment’s latest analysis shows that on-chain metrics and social sentiment are successfully flagging crypto turning points, from XRP’s peak to Cardano’s bottom.

Summary

Santiment reports crypto sentiment has flipped to fear across the market.
Whale activity signaled XRP’s top, while fear marked Cardano’s price bottom.
Weak U.S. data fueled Fed rate cut bets, driving risk-off trading behavior.

Bitcoin diverges from traditional markets

On-chain data is proving effective at identifying market turning points. Whale activity successfully pinpointed XRP’s recent peak, and extreme crowd fear correctly signaled Cardano’s price bottom.

As Fed rate cut speculation drives investor behavior, Bitcoin (BTC) and traditional markets have diverged in an unusual pattern: stocks edge higher while BTC lags.

This has created an unusual gap between the assets that historically move together.

This divergence could present an opportunity if historical patterns hold. When such gaps appear, Bitcoin often catches up to stock market performance. This suggests potential upside if the traditional correlation reasserts itself.

Bitcoin’s Network Realized Profit/Loss metric recently spiked during the price decline. This shows healthy capitulation and profit-taking behavior.

Meanwhile, social media sentiment hit extreme negativity just as tokens like DANO began rallying—a textbook contrarian signal. With traders abandoning smaller altcoins for established cryptocurrencies, the current environment may be setting the stage for strategic buying opportunities among the assets most feared by the crowd.

Bitcoin’s divergence from S&P 500: Santiment

Contrarian signals emerge in altcoin markets

Cardano provided a textbook example of contrarian sentiment signaling. The token’s price began rallying precisely when social media sentiment hit extreme negative levels.

Santiment analysis of social narratives shows that the crypto community is focused on large-cap crypto. They also concluded that traders are less interested in obscure altcoins.

Santimeny analysis of social narratives

This pattern shows the market situation where extreme fear creates buying opportunities for contrarian investors.

The current environment suggests that while fear dominates headlines and smaller altcoins struggle, these conditions may be setting up future opportunities.

Investors monitoring sentiment extremes and on-chain metrics may find value in assets where crowd pessimism has reached peak levels.

The shift away from smaller altcoins toward established cryptocurrencies shows the flight-to-quality behavior typical during uncertain market periods.

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September 7, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

Chainlink CEO Sees Tokenization as Sector’s Rising Future After Meeting SEC’s Atkins

by admin September 7, 2025

Chainlink CEO Sergey Nazarov met with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins, who Nazarov said was keenly interested in how best to bring on-chain assets into compliance with securities laws.

The chief executive of Chainlink, a network specializing in authenticating real-world data for smart contracts, said he was impressed with how much the agency has shifted away from whether the U.S. should permit blockchain tokenization innovations into the financial system and instead is looking at how this can be conducted with maximum efficiency and market safety.

“While cryptocurrencies define the majority of our industry’s value today, I personally feel very strongly that the real-world asset trend and digital-asset tokenization in the institutional world will grow to be the majority of the market cap in our industry,” Nazarov told CoinDesk in an interview after his Friday meeting. He said Atkins “has very clear ideas and goals with getting the traditional financial system operating correctly on-chain.”

Nazarov, who also met with the White House’s new crypto liaison, Patrick Witt, on Friday, said he’s very hopeful “based on the urgency and speed” the SEC and the White House are demonstrating. He said he thinks blockchain infrastructure will manage to find a place within broker-dealer and transfer agent rules, allowing full-in tokenization “maybe by the middle of next year.”

The Chainlink co-founder said one central task is getting blockchains to fully meet the standards for a “legally binding transfer” of assets. “That’s a class of problems that’s now getting worked through with us,” he said, adding that Atkins understands it well and noted the chairman’s recent address in which he announced his “Project Crypto” initiative.

An SEC spokesman declined to comment on the meeting, though the agency has been building momentum with crypto-friendly statements, remarks and policy maneuvers. Just last week, the securities regulator issued a joint statement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to tell registered platforms that they’re OK to pursue spot trading of certain crypto assets, issued a near-term agenda that is crowded with crypto initiatives and got together with the CFTC on Friday to tell reporters that the two markets regulators will now be working in lockstep to pave the way for crypto.

Under Atkins’ predecessor, Gary Gensler, the agency had resisted embarking on tailored digital assets regulation. Atkins says the existing securities laws and agency powers offer ample authority to start work on friendly policies to clarify how the government approaches crypto.

Meanwhile, the Senate is working on a crypto market structure bill that would establish new laws for crypto and for its regulators. That effort saw some progress on Friday as a new, lengthier version of the Senate Banking Committee’s earlier bill began circulating.

Chainlink’s network was also among the digital assets venues chosen by the U.S. Department of Commerce last week when, for the first time, the federal government issued major economic data — the gross domestic product report — via blockchain. That’s set to be an ongoing trend for Commerce and other agencies, according to the officials behind the release.

“Our industry has a very unique kind of moment in time right now, that if it uses it well it can solidify its position in the U.S. and therefore the global economy,” Nazarov said.

Read More: SEC, CFTC Chiefs Say Crypto Turf Wars Over as Agencies Move Ahead on Joint Work

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September 7, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

Blockchain-Based Identity Can Help HR Navigate AI-Generated Applications

by admin September 7, 2025

Opinion by: Ignacio Palomera, co-founder and CEO of Bondex

The global hiring landscape is changing rapidly. Today’s job seekers are increasingly turning to generative AI to draft cover letters, tailor resumes and even simulate interview prep.

Agentic AI is auto-applying, generative AI is drafting personalized applications at scale, and AI auto-apply tools enable candidates to apply to thousands of roles in minutes. Employers are inundated with applications that look polished, persuasive and tailored — but often lack any real signal of effort, capability or authenticity.

When anyone can crank out a polished, high-quality application with just a few AI prompts, the traditional cover letter — once seen as a chance to stand out and show real intent — becomes a commodity. It stops signaling effort or enthusiasm and starts looking more like standardized output.

Hiring managers are now staring at inboxes filled with slick, personalized applications that all feel strangely similar. And that’s where the real problem kicks in: If everyone sounds qualified on paper, how can you tell who has the skills and knows how to game a prompt? It’s not about who writes best but about who can prove they can deliver in the real world.

A fragile trust system gets worse with AI

Traditional hiring has long relied on trust-based signals such as resumes, references and degrees, but these have always been weak proxies. Titles can be inflated, education overstated and past work exaggerated. AI blurs things even more, cloaking unverifiable claims in artificial eloquence.

For fast-paced, remote-native industries like crypto or decentralized autonomous organization ecosystems, the stakes are even higher, as there’s rarely time for deep due diligence. Trust is extended quickly and often informally — risky in a pseudonymous, global environment. More HR tooling or AI detection won’t solve this. What’s needed is a stronger foundation for trust itself.

It’s time for verifiable reputation and onchain employment

Consider a hiring manager trying to verify work history, social handles or onchain contributions.

Today, decentralized identity (DID) systems help you prove that you’re a real human — that you exist and are not a bot. That’s useful, but it’s only the start.

What they don’t address is the deeper layer: What have you actually done? There’s a new frontier emerging — one where your professional history, credentials and contributions can be verified and made portable. It’s not just about checking a box to prove that you exist. It’s about codifying your experience so your reputation is built on what you’ve done, not just what you say.

Related: Blockchain needs regulation, scalability to close AI hiring gap

In this model, your resume becomes a programmable asset. It is not a static PDF but something that can evolve, be queried and, in some cases, be privately verified without revealing every detail. That’s where tools like zero-knowledge proofs come in, giving users control over how much they reveal and to whom.

Some might argue that this all feels a little too invasive. In practice, however, and especially in Web3, most serious contributors already operate through pseudonymous identities built on provable actions, not job titles. DIDs got us to “real humans.” Verifiable reputation gets us to “real contributors.” And that’s the fundamental shift worth paying attention to.

From HR filters to smart contract gates

As reputation becomes programmable, entire industries stand to be reshaped. Grants, hiring rounds and even token sales could use provable credentials as filters. No more guessing who’s qualified or compliant. You can’t fake a pull request merged into a core repo or pretend you completed a course linked to a non-fungible token (NFT) issued by a smart contract.

This makes trust composable — something that can be built into protocols and platforms by default. What’s provable today includes contributions, learning history and verifiable credentials. Soon, entire work histories could be onchain.

A trust upgrade for AI-era hiring

The AI-generated job application is just a symptom of a larger trust breakdown. We’ve long accepted unverifiable self-reporting as the default in hiring, and now we’re facing the consequences. Blockchain-based identity and credential systems offer a path forward — where individuals can prove their work and hiring decisions can be based on verifiable data, not guesswork.

We need to stop pretending that polished language equals proof of skill. If hiring — and broader reputation systems — are to survive the coming AI wave, we need to rebuild the foundation of trust. Onchain credentials are a compelling place to start.

Opinion by: Ignacio Palomera, co-founder and CEO of Bondex.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

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September 7, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

ARK Invest Buys $16M BitMine and $7.5M Bullish Stocks

by admin September 7, 2025

Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest isn’t waiting for regulatory green lights, it’s doubling down. The firm has dropped $23.5 million across BitMine Immersion Technologies and crypto exchange Bullish, tightening its grip on crypto-adjacent equities despite industry volatility.

According to Friday’s trade disclosures, ARK’s flagship ETFs (ARKK, ARKW, and ARKF) collectively scooped up 387,325 shares of BitMine, valued at $16 million, and 143,906 shares of Bullish, worth about $7.5 million. The biggest bag went to ARKK, leading both allocations.

Back-to-back Bullish buys

The latest Bullish stock grab follows ARK’s $172 million play on Bullish’s IPO debut in August. That offering, one of crypto’s boldest Wall Street listings this year — raised $1.1 billion, with shares spiking 83.8% out of the gate.

Bullish, which owns CoinDesk and runs regulated crypto exchanges across Hong Kong, Gibraltar, Singapore, and the UK, ditched its failed SPAC plans from 2021 and went public the old-fashioned way. The firm’s sudden favor with institutional capital hints at how quickly the crypto narrative can flip when Wall Street decides it’s time.

BitMine quietly builds ETH empire

While the headlines favor Bitcoin, BitMine is quietly rewriting the Ethereum treasury playbook. On Thursday, the company acquired $65 million in ETH across six OTC trades facilitated by Galaxy Digital, pushing its ETH stack to over 1.5% of the entire circulating supply.

Unlike leveraged gambles, BitMine’s ETH war chest is entirely cash-funded, signaling a full-throttle bet on Ethereum’s long-term monetary value. The firm isn’t just holding ETH, it’s making it the centerpiece of a public-market strategy most companies wouldn’t touch.

Signals from the top

ARK’s multi-million-dollar allocations to crypto-native firms are a clear signal: traditional ETFs may still be stuck in approval limbo, but equity exposure to crypto is already in play, no regulator required.

With BitMine mimicking MicroStrategy’s model (only Ethereum-flavored) and Bullish posturing as a regulated, post-SPAC redemption arc, ARK is betting on a future where tokens, not just stocks, dictate market performance.

The crypto stock sweep might not make headlines like spot ETF approvals, but the capital says it all. For investors paying attention, ARK’s moves are less about hype and more about positioning before the next breakout cycle.

Also Read: Polymarket Breaks Record for New Markets, Eyes Comeback in USA

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September 7, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

Coinbase Lawyer? Bill Morgan Shuts Down False Media Labeling

by admin September 7, 2025

Just a day after addressing growing speculations that the U.S. leading cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase may be manipulating XRP’s price movement, Bill Morgan now has to restate his true identity after being wrongly identified by the media.

On Sunday, Sept. 7, Bill Morgan was spotted on X issuing a fierce reaction to a trendy media post that appears to have mistakenly identified the pro-crypto lawyer as “Coinbase lawyer.”

Bill Morgan dismisses buzz on XRP manipulation

While Bill Morgan’s mislabeling as “Coinbase lawyer” might have not been intentional, the lawyer has frowned seriously at the media post, pushing strongly against the false title as he considers it a formidable insult that cannot be overlooked.

Nonetheless, it is important to note that Morgan’s mislabeling as a Coinbase lawyer came amid rising debates in the crypto community that Coinbase could have been manipulating the price of XRP, which led to the recent drawdown.

The claims had appeared convincing after reports about Coinbase reducing its XRP holdings surfaced. The unusual move saw Coinbase XRP holdings being slashed massively by about 69%, dropping from a massive 780 million XRP to 199 million XRP.

The move saw the crypto community form the narrative that the significant reduction in Coinbase’s XRP holdings was allegedly a sell-off in an attempt to intentionally push the price of XRP down.

Stablecoin Retail Transfers Hit Record Level as BSC, Ethereum Gains Ground, Tron Slips

by admin September 7, 2025

Stablecoin adoption among retail users has set new records this year, with transaction volumes through August already exceeding last year’s total, a fresh report by CEX.io said.

Retail-sized transfers, counting transactions under $250, crossed $5.84 billion in August alone, the highest ever recorded, according to data by Visa and Allium cited in the report. With nearly four months left in the year, 2025 has already become the busiest period yet for stablecoin transfer volume at the consumer level.

The figures underscore stablecoins, a group of cryptos tied to fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar, becoming increasingly embedded into everyday financial activity, from cross-border remittances to microtransactions, the report pointed out.

Survey data from emerging markets, asking over 2,600 consumer in Nigeria, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Indonesia, reinforced this picture, CEX.io analysts. A majority of respondents said they turned to stablecoins to avoid high banking fees and slow transfers, the report said. Nearly 70% of them reported using stablecoins more frequently than last year, and more than three-quarters expect usage to keep rising, the report said.

Survey results about stablecoin motivations in emerging countries. (CEX.io)

Ethereum gains, Tron falls back

The distribution of activity among blockchains have shifted, the report noted. The Tron TRX$0.3272 blockchain, traditionally popular for retail transfers due to its low fees and wide support for Tether’s USDT (USDT), has given up market share. Monthly transaction counts fell by 1.3 million, or 6%, and its growth in volume lagged behind its closest competitors.

In its place, Binance Smart Chain (BSC) emerged as the top choice for retail users, capturing nearly 40% of retail stablecoin activity, the report said. The network’s transaction count jumped 75% this year with transfer volume rising 67%. Much of the momentum came after Binance delisted USDT in March for European users and a resurgence of memecoin trading on PancakeSwap on BSC.

The Ethereum complex, with the base chain and layer-2 networks combined, made up over 20% of transfer volume and 31% of transaction counts, the report noted. While small transfers largely took place on L2s, the mainnet enjoyed a significant rise in the retail segment. Sub-$250 transfers on the mainnet rose 81% in volume and 184% in count.

Ethereum has been mostly used for large-value transactions due to its high fees, but transaction costs have dropped more than 70% over the past year, making mainnet transactions more competitive even in the sub-$250 range, the authors said.

Read more: Ripple Brings $700M RLUSD Stablecoin to Africa, Trials Extreme Weather Insurances

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September 7, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

Crypto Phishing Attacks Surge In August As Losses Hit $12.17M

by admin September 7, 2025

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

Prominent web3 security outfit Scam Sniffer reports that crypto investors suffered an increased number of phishing scams in August. Notably, total assets lost to these scams during the last month represent an estimated 72% increase from July, representing a concerning development for the general crypto industry.

Crypto Whales Take Biggest Hit From Phishing Attacks

In an X post on September 6, Scam Sniffer provides an August 2025 security report covering phishing attacks on crypto wallets. The blockchain security firm notes that 15,230 victims lost a combined $12.17 million from all forms of phishing-related attacks. This data indicates a 72% increase in stolen funds and a 67% rise in victims compared to July’s $7.09 million in losses and 9,143 victims.

For context, phishing often involves fake websites, malicious smart contracts, or deceptive wallet prompts that trick users into giving hackers access to their digital assets. Once approved or shared, the funds are usually stolen instantly and cannot be reversed.

While phishing attacks often target retail investors, August’s data from Scam Sniffer highlights the disproportionate impact on crypto “whales.” ScamSniffer revealed that the top three single incidents drained $3.08 million, $1.54 million, and $1.00 million, respectively, totaling $5.62 million. Collectively, these cases made up 46% of overall monthly losses, demonstrating how hackers increasingly focus on high-value wallets.

Source: @realScamSniffer on X

The August report also draws attention to a new wave of batch-signature scams enabled by Ethereum’s EIP-7702 upgrade. EIP-7702 temporarily allows externally owned addresses (EOAs) to function like smart contract wallets.

This means users can access smart contract–level features without migrating to a new address. With EIP-7702, actions such as batching multiple transactions, setting automated spending caps, or integrating passkeys become seamless for everyday Ethereum interactions.

However, malicious actors have now exploited this mechanism to trick users into authorizing malicious bulk transactions, often bundled with legitimate requests. In parallel, attackers continue to exploit direct transfer scams, luring victims into sending funds straight into phishing contracts.

These vectors are harder to detect than traditional phishing attempts, as they appear embedded within standard DeFi and NFT interactions.

Crypto Market Overview

At press time, the total crypto market cap is presently valued at $3.77 trillion following a 0.16% gain in the past day. According to data from Chainalysis, over $2.17 billion was stolen from cryptocurrency wallets in the 2025 H1, which was higher than the total losses from 2024. This heightened figure, as well as the increased phishing losses in August, all reinforce the broader need for blockchain security, striking a balance between utility and protection against malicious actors.

Total crypto market cap valued at $3.77 trillion on the daily chart | Source: TOTAL chart on Tradingview.com

Featured image from Forbes, chart from Tradingview

Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We uphold strict sourcing standards, and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.

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September 7, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

XRP price Murrey Math Lines indicate surge ahead of ETF approvals

by admin September 7, 2025

XRP price remains in a bear market after plummeting by 22% from its highest point this year. Still, its strong technicals and the upcoming ETF deadlines signal a potential rebound.

Summary

XRP price is preparing for a breakout as a falling wedge forms.
Murrey Math Lines tool points to a surge to $4.2.
XRP ETF approvals to be the main catalyst.

Murrey Math Lines point to XRP price rising

The daily timeframe chart suggests that the Ripple (XRP) price may be poised for a strong rebound this month. It has formed a falling wedge pattern whose two falling trendlines are nearing their convergence.

The coin has also settled at the strong pivot reverse level of the Murrey Math Lines (MML). MML is a tool used to identify potential support and resistance levels. It was created by dividing the price movement into an eight-part grid or octave.

The strong, pivot, and reverse, where it settled at is known for rebounds. Most importantly, it coincided with the double-bottom pattern at $2.7167 and the confluence of the falling wedge pattern.

Therefore, the double-bottom, falling wedge, and the MML position point to a strong rebound. The initial target level in case of a breakout is the year-to-date high of $3.6512, up by 30% above the current level.

The Murrey Math Lines points to an eventual rebound to $4.29, the extreme overshoot, which is about 55% above the current level. However, a drop below the ultimate support at $2.34 will invalidate the bullish XRP price forecast.

XRP price chart | Source: crypto.news

XRP ETF approvals to be the key catalyst

The main catalyst for the XRP price will be the upcoming deadlines for the XRP ETFs. Most of these deadlines will be in October, and Polymarket data shows that the odds of an approval are over 88%.

Therefore, investors will likely buy the coin ahead of the approvals as they expect strong inflows. Besides, recent data shows that the existing futures-based XRP ETFs are having strong demand from investors.

The same is happening in the futures market, where the open interest for CME contracts has jumped in the past few weeks. Most importantly, existing Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) ETFs have had robust inflows since last year, meaning that there is strong demand for these assets.

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September 7, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

Ripple vs. SEC Is Over: Time to Challenge SWIFT?

by admin September 7, 2025

Ripple has finally finished its legal battle against the US Securities and Exchange Commission, bringing legal clarity to its underlying coin, XRP (XRP). Now observers are asking whether XRP can finally focus on providing a viable alternative to SWIFT.

The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) has been the backbone of international money transfers since its founding in 1973. However, for several years, critics have said that the system is outdated.

Many in the blockchain industry, including Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, argue that blockchain technology provides higher throughput and better transparency, making it a superior alternative to SWIFT.

Now that Ripple’s legal battles have calmed down, can it provide a reasonable alternative to SWIFT?

How does Ripple stack up to SWIFT?

Over 50 years ago, SWIFT replaced Telex as the coding system underpinning worldwide financial transactions. The system does not send money itself but rather provides standardized codes and a secure messaging platform through which banks can coordinate money transfers.

A customer will make a money transfer request. Their bank will then send the request to the recipient bank, and that request may go through several other banks in the network. Actual settlement happens through established banking relationships and clearing systems.

SWIFT processes over 53 million messages daily across 40,000 payment routes, 220 countries and over 11,500 institutions.

But there are some major complaints with SWIFT. Transactions can take several days and are rife with fees. Furthermore, the complex network of bank partners means it is more difficult to ensure visibility.

There are also delays and failures. SWIFT said in January 2024 that one in 10 transactions fails, while one in 20 settles late.

The network has undergone a number of upgrades since its inception, including .

ISO 20022, which aims to provide clearer payment data and more transparency by Nov. 25, 2025. Still, critics claim it is ultimately outdated “legacy” tech running on decades-old XML technology.

SWIFT may have the advantage of ubiquity and clear institutional adoption, but Ripple offers a clear advantage in technological terms, with faster transaction and settlement speeds, as well as lower costs.

In 2018, just a couple of years before Ripple’s years-long legal battle with the SEC would begin, Garlinghouse told Bloomberg, “What we’re doing and executing on a day-by-day basis is, in fact, taking over SWIFT” as banks and remittance companies signed on to use XRP Ledger.

So, with institutional partners signing on and the XRP price on a tear over the last year, what’s stopping Ripple’s ledger from challenging SWIFT?

XRP’s price increased 400% over the year. Source: CoinMarketCap

So, why hasn’t Ripple overtaken SWIFT?

Cassie Craddock, managing director for UK and Europe at Ripple, told Cointelegraph, “We don’t see blockchain as an opportunity to replace legacy rails, rather a way of augmenting and modernizing the existing financial infrastructure, creating opportunities for greater efficiency and interoperability.”

Still, “scaling to the level of traditional providers requires tackling two key hurdles: usability and regulation.”

Regarding regulation, Ripple was, until recently, part of a particularly high-profile court case.

In December 2020, the SEC under Chairman Jay Clayton sued Ripple Labs for failing to register its XRP tokens as securities under US law. The commission alleged that the company and its executives raised capital through unregistered securities sales. What followed was an expensive, years-long court battle.

In 2023, Judge Analisa Torres ruled that the programmatic sales of XRP did not require securities registration, but that its XPR sales to institutional investors did. The court didn’t issue its final $125-million civil penalty to Ripple until August 2024.

Related: Ripple vs. SEC: How the lawsuit strengthened XRP’s narrative

By October, Ripple and the SEC had filed respective appeals, but following the election of US President Donald Trump and the realignment of the SEC’s priorities for crypto, both parties finally agreed to drop their case in early August 2025.

The case may have hampered XRP adoption in the US, but during the case, it signed partnerships with institutions in numerous other jurisdictions around the globe. Furthermore, the case gives XRP specifically unique legal clarity — something few cryptocurrencies can boast.

However, legal clarity may not be enough for Ripple to overtake the world’s largest payments network, as banks themselves must be convinced to change how they operate.

Pseudonymous software engineer and blockchain proponent Vincent Van Code said that platforms using SWIFT “process billions daily, but they are rigid, costly, and deeply siloed. A core replacement can take 5–7 years and hundreds of millions of dollars—an enormous operational risk.”

They said that banks don’t change their systems because “every bank already ‘speaks SWIFT,’ making it the safest, cheapest option. Even initiatives like SWIFT GPI are just patches on a nearly 50-year-old foundation.”

Van Code concluded that Ripple has to contend with fragile legacy cores and “uneven” global regulation and assuage risk-averse banks — all while countering perceptions about its underlying token’s liquidity.

“SWIFT’s ubiquity is its moat, and breaking that network effect will take time.”

Craddock said that “institutions need tools that feel familiar,” and that new regulations, particularly the GENIUS Act, are a “step toward clear rules that give institutions confidence to adopt blockchain in a compliant way.”

“Stablecoins like Ripple USD are helping bridge this gap — they’re simple to understand, pegged 1:1 to the US dollar and behave like cash in digital form. That familiarity is why we’re seeing traditional financial players increasingly comfortable using crypto and blockchain tech today.”

Private payments gain ground

It’s unclear whether Ripple can take on SWIFT in the future, overcoming the entrenched business practices of the banking sector and less-than-enthusiastic regulators.

However, crypto is ascendant in the US, where lawmakers are making carveouts for digital assets to fulfill critical roles in the traditional finance system. Congress has clearly expressed its preference for the proliferation of private stablecoins over a digital dollar or central bank digital currency (CBDC).

Congress has not outright banned a CBDC, but it has created a law whereby only the legislature can create one, excluding the Federal Reserve or commercial entities. At the same time, it passed the GENIUS Act, which gives clear rules for stablecoin issuers.

In March, after the SEC dropped its investigation into Ripple, Garlinghouse told Fox News that “the market opportunity is massive” in the US and said that there’s an opportunity to modernize the payment systems from SWIFT.

“The Trump effect is profound […] you’re gonna see that in the adoption of these [blockchain] technologies.”

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September 7, 2025 0 comments