Brad Garlinghouse, who has been Ripple Labs’ CEO since 2016, has played a major role in the crypto industry by guiding Ripple through legal issues and international expansion. Because of his strategic direction, Garlinghouse promotes XRP, Ripple’s native token, as a tool for easing cross-border transactions. Experts say Garlinghouse has a net worth of $9 billion to $10 billion in 2025, mainly as a result of holding 6.3% of Ripple shares and a substantial amount of XRP. Ripple’s XRP now has a $100 billion valuation on CoinMarketCap on Garlinghouse’s watch, even as he faces a SEC lawsuit. We take a look at Garlinghouse’s journey at Ripple, his wealth from the firm and cryptocurrencies, and what’s new in blockchain today.
Ripple’s Evolution and Legal Battle
Garlinghouse started as Ripple’s COO in 2015, then took over as CEO in December 2016, says Wikipedia. Ripple, led by Garlinghouse, worked to use XRP for faster payments, with 3.7 seconds compared to Bitcoin’s hours, according to CNBC. Ripple managed to raise $200 million in Series C funding in 2019 after Garlinghouse’s leadership, backed by Tetragon, SBI Ventures, and Route 66 Ventures, Wikipedia says. In 2025, Ripple’s XRP holdings were worth more than $100 billion, marking a big difference from the $11 billion it was worth in 2024, according to CoinMarketCap. Because of Garlinghouse’s work on institutional solutions, Ripple entered into partnerships with Santander, American Express, and Standard Chartered, as covered by CoinCodex.
In December 2020, the SEC brought a lawsuit against Garlinghouse, Ripple, and co-founder Larsen, claiming the group had raised $1.3 billion by selling unregistered XRP, as reported on Wikipedia. Garlinghouse refuted the accusation, saying XRP is a currency and not a security, and took aim at the SEC for its unclear rules, per Protocol. In July 2023, Judge Analisa Torres said XRP bought and sold on public exchanges was not a security, which was a significant victory for crypto, according to Bloomberg. SEC charges against Garlinghouse and Larsen ended in November 2023, and in March 2025, the case was no longer being appealed, making XRP climb 10% to $2.49, according to CNBC. Despite spending more than $150 million on legal fees as reported by Forbes, Garlinghouse said the result was a win for the wider industry, per Nasdaq.
In recent times, Ripple purchased Standard Custody for $1.25 billion in 2024 and Hidden Road for the same amount in 2025, making Ripple the first crypto firm to have a multi-asset prime brokerage, according to FinanceMagnates. Ripple USD (RLUSD), Ripple’s stablecoin, is meant to compete with Tether, according to CoinMarketCap. In 2025, @Crypt0Senseii’s X post said Garlinghouse was thinking about a $20 billion bid for Circle, even if not confirmed, as a sign of Ripple’s increasing ambition, per @Crypt0Senseii.
Net Worth and Wealth Sources
CoinCodex says Garlinghouse’s net worth reached $9 billion to $10 billion in 2025, largely thanks to his 6.3% stake in Ripple and his XRP assets. Forbes reported in 2018 that his XRP reserves had reached $9.5 billion and were ‘in the nine figures,’ per Forbes. The massive $100 billion in XRP that Ripple held in 2025 increased Garlinghouse’s wealth greatly, according to U.Today. He owns Bitcoin and Ethereum, according to a Messari interview he gave in 2022, per ValueWalk. XRP was hurt by the 2022 crypto crash, but it rebounded by 385% after the 2024 U.S. election, per CNBC, which benefited and increased Garlinghouse’s wealth.
He also has investments outside of the crypto market. Being at Yahoo! and AOL early in his career gave him experience, and writing Yahoo!’s “Peanut Butter Manifesto” honed his tech ability. His support of political action committees and Fairshake organizations, such as the $48 million given to pro-crypto PACs in 2024, with 84% of wins per @Cointelegraph, and the $25 million to Fairshake per @60Minutes, point to how much influence he holds. The company’s 2018 $29 million XRP donation to U.S. schools and its $100 million gaming fund in 2019 (found on Wikipedia) show an even bigger impact he has had.
| Asset |
Holding |
Estimated Value (USD, 2025) |
| Ripple Equity |
6.3% stake |
$6B–$7B (est.) |
| XRP Holdings |
Nine-figure tokens |
$2B–$3B (est.) |
| Bitcoin/Ethereum |
Diversified portfolio |
$50M–$100M (est.) |
| Other Investments |
Tech, philanthropy |
$50M–$200M (est.) |
Crypto Portfolio and Vision
His portfolio is mainly focused on XRP, with Ripple controlling more than 11 billion XRP coins among big address holders, according to ValueWalk. Garlinghouse’s Bitcoin and Ethereum holdings, made public in 2025, match his belief in using different blockchains, as stated by CoinDesk. Garlinghouse suggested a U.S. crypto reserve including XRP, Solana, and Cardano in Forbes, and in CoinDesk, he considers “maximalism” a harmful approach, per CoinDesk. Supporting NFTs, as described by Inc., could mean he holds related assets, though it has not been confirmed.
He is most focused on what blockchain can do in everyday life. According to @thebearablebull, Garlinghouse expects the crypto market to be worth $5 trillion by 2025, mainly due to more institutions adopting crypto. He thinks XRP is a good choice for global transfers because 95% of Ripple’s work is not in the U.S., as Inc reports. The FinanceMagnates report says that his $200,000 Bitcoin prediction for 2025 reflects a general upbeat mood in crypto markets. According to CoinMarketCap, Ripple’s RLUSD and custody solutions, built stronger by the Metaco deal, aim at helping both banks and corporations. In a 2017 interview with Fortune, Garlinghouse explained XRP’s decentralized nature, saying it could function without Ripple, TheCryptoBasic says.
Influence and Controversies
The presence of more than 500,000 followers on LinkedIn and regular appearances on CNBC and Bloomberg make Garlinghouse a major figure in crypto, as LinkedIn notes. His 2019 appearance before the House and his 2024 @60Minutes feature show his influence in policy, per @60Minutes. Ripple’s 38th position on the 2021 CNBC Disruptor 50 listing, according to CNBC, shows the influence Garlinghouse has had. The episode of the Stanford Legal Podcast in 2018 attributed XRP’s creation to Bitcoin’s early developers, as reported by TheCryptoBasic.
There was controversy when he said SWIFT had a 6% error rate from 2018 to 2019, which was shown to be false by the London School of Economics, according to Wikipedia. There was a lot of attention on the SEC lawsuit, as Garlinghouse called it an “attack on crypto,” according to MarketRealist. According to a 2020 Financial Times report, Wikipedia had changed some articles about Garlinghouse, per Wikipedia. Despite all this, disclosing his crypto holdings in 2025, as shown by CoinDesk, helps him keep his reputation intact.
FAQs
Q1: How much money does Brad Garlinghouse have in 2025?
His net worth is thought to be anywhere between $9 billion and $10 billion, mainly from his Ripple shares and XRP.
Q2: What crypto does Garlinghouse hold?
Garlinghouse owns XRP, Bitcoin, and Ethereum, arguing for support of a number of blockchains.
Q3: When was the SEC lawsuit between Ripple and the SEC dropped?
The SEC stopped the case in 2023 and abandoned its appeal in 2025, ultimately deciding XRP is not a security on exchanges.
Q4: What is Ripple’s RLUSD?
Ripple rolled out RLUSD in 2024, wanting to increase efficiency for institutional transactions using crypto.
Q5: Why is Garlinghouse influential?
With his leadership, $48 million in pro-crypto donations, and many media appearances, Garlinghouse plays a big role in deciding crypto’s future.
Final Thoughts
Garlinghouse’s leadership at Ripple helped make the company a blockchain leader, and he led the company through a $150 million SEC legal battle to get XRP classified as a non-security. His $9 billion to $10 billion net worth is partly due to his XRP and Ripple ownership, and also the 385% surge in XRP’s price from 2024 to 2025. Because he owns Bitcoin and Ethereum, he is a supporter of a multichain future and estimates a $5 trillion market for cryptocurrency. When Ripple buys companies like Hidden Road and releases products such as RLUSD, it reveals the company’s future aspirations. Regardless of the controversies, Garlinghouse’s honesty and contributions to charity make him powerful and help Ripple shape the future of global finance.
