Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse believes that the approval of a spot XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States is "inevitable". This optimism comes on the heels of the recent approvals of spot Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) ETFs, which Garlinghouse says have paved the way for other crypto assets to receive similar regulatory green lights.

Garlinghouse also expressed confidence that the overall crypto market is headed towards a $5 trillion valuation, driven by the growing institutional adoption of digital assets. He reiterated his view that the crypto space can accommodate multiple successful projects, each focusing on different aspects of the rapidly evolving decentralized finance (DeFi) and digital asset industries.

However, the Ripple CEO acknowledged that the ongoing legal battle between his company and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over allegations of unregistered XRP sales could complicate the approval of an XRP ETF. The SEC has accused Ripple of illegally raising over $1.3 billion through XRP sales, which the regulator claims are unregistered securities offerings.

Despite these challenges, Garlinghouse remains optimistic that an XRP ETF will eventually be approved, as investors increasingly demand exposure to a wider range of crypto assets beyond just Bitcoin and Ether. The approval of such a financial product would provide investors with a regulated and convenient way to gain exposure to XRP without the technical complexities of directly holding the digital asset.