By CoinAINews Staff

September 7, 2026

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse is arguing that cryptocurrency could give central banks a faster and potentially more efficient way to store and move value across borders, as traditional financial infrastructure continues to face practical limitations.

Garlinghouse made the argument while commenting on a recent move by the De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), the Dutch central bank, to relocate part of its gold reserves from North America to the United Kingdom.

In a post on X, Garlinghouse described the episode as a reminder of how finance still operates and said crypto could provide an alternative for storing and moving value instantly, securely and globally at little to no cost.

Garlinghouse Points to the Dutch Central Bank’s Gold Move

The immediate trigger for Garlinghouse’s comments was DNB’s decision to move gold reserves from locations in the United States and Canada to the United Kingdom.

DNB moved around 86 tonnes of gold between March and August, according to reporting on the operation. The relocation was intended to make the reserves more accessible and easier to use if they were needed during a crisis.

But the physical movement of gold was only part of the story.

Reports indicate that approximately 59 tonnes were sold in New York and subsequently repurchased in London. As a result, only around 27 tonnes physically crossed the Atlantic during the broader operation.

That distinction is what made the transaction interesting to Garlinghouse.

From his perspective, the episode illustrates the friction involved when large amounts of value are tied to physical assets and traditional financial infrastructure.

What Did Brad Garlinghouse Actually Say?

Garlinghouse did not say that central banks are already replacing gold with cryptocurrency.

Instead, he presented crypto as a potential solution for moving and storing value in a digital environment.

His argument is that digital assets can be transferred across borders without physically transporting the underlying asset, potentially reducing some of the time, logistical complexity and costs associated with traditional value transfers.

That distinction is important because the post is fundamentally a technology and financial-infrastructure argument, rather than an announcement of a central-bank crypto adoption program.

Why the Argument Matters for Crypto

One of the biggest challenges facing cryptocurrencies has always been proving that blockchain technology can solve problems beyond speculative trading.

Cross-border settlement is one area where the industry has increasingly focused its attention.

Traditional international financial transactions can involve multiple institutions, currencies, compliance checks and settlement systems. Digital assets can potentially reduce some of those layers by allowing value to move on blockchain networks.

That does not mean every blockchain transaction is automatically cheaper or faster than every traditional payment. Network fees, liquidity, compliance requirements, custody and transaction finality still matter.

But the potential to transfer digital representations of value across borders without physically moving an underlying asset is one of the strongest arguments blockchain companies make for institutional adoption.

Ripple’s Broader Push Into Financial Infrastructure

Garlinghouse’s comments also fit with Ripple’s broader strategy of positioning blockchain technology as financial infrastructure rather than simply as a cryptocurrency trading system.

Ripple currently markets infrastructure for moving money across stablecoins, crypto assets and local currencies, while also offering digital-asset custody services.

The company's focus has expanded beyond the original cross-border payments narrative to areas including stablecoins, custody and institutional financial services.

That broader strategy reflects a shift taking place across the digital-asset industry: companies are increasingly trying to sell blockchain technology to banks and financial institutions as infrastructure for settlement, liquidity and asset management.

Could Central Banks Really Use Crypto to Move Reserves?

That remains a much bigger question.

Central banks manage reserves under strict legal, operational and risk-management frameworks. Any digital asset used for reserve management would need to satisfy requirements around security, liquidity, governance, custody, market depth and regulatory treatment.

For that reason, Garlinghouse’s statement should be viewed as a proposal about what blockchain technology could enable rather than evidence that central banks are preparing to hold large amounts of cryptocurrency.

There is also a major difference between using blockchain rails to transfer or represent value and holding a volatile cryptocurrency as a reserve asset.

Stablecoins, tokenized assets and blockchain-based settlement systems can address different problems from holding assets such as Bitcoin or XRP directly.

Tokenization Could Be the More Immediate Use Case

For traditional financial institutions, tokenization may be a more practical starting point than replacing conventional reserves with cryptocurrencies.

Tokenization allows an asset or financial claim to be represented digitally on a blockchain. In theory, that can make transfers, settlement and ownership records more programmable and easier to coordinate across systems.

The broader financial industry is already exploring tokenized deposits, stablecoins, tokenized securities and other blockchain-based financial instruments.

That means the debate is increasingly shifting from “Will banks use crypto?” to a more specific question: “Which parts of financial infrastructure can benefit from blockchain-based settlement?”

Speed Alone Is Not Enough

Garlinghouse’s emphasis on speed and low-cost transfers highlights one potential advantage of blockchain networks, but speed is only one part of institutional finance.

Financial institutions also need reliable settlement finality, regulatory compliance, deep liquidity, cybersecurity and clear legal ownership.

A transaction that settles quickly is not necessarily useful to a central bank if the asset being transferred is highly volatile or difficult to liquidate at scale.

This is why stablecoins and tokenized traditional assets have attracted significant attention alongside cryptocurrencies such as XRP and Bitcoin.

Why the Gold Example Is Interesting

The Dutch gold relocation illustrates an important distinction between moving an asset and moving economic value.

Gold itself is physical. Moving it between countries requires transportation, security, insurance, storage and logistical coordination.

But ownership of gold can also be represented through financial claims and transactions that do not require every ounce of metal to physically cross a border.

Garlinghouse’s argument is that blockchain-based assets take that concept much further by making the digital transfer of value native to the system.

Whether that becomes a mainstream central-bank use case remains uncertain, but it is one reason financial institutions continue to examine tokenization and blockchain settlement.

What This Could Mean for XRP

Garlinghouse is the CEO of Ripple, a company closely associated with XRP and blockchain-based payments, so his comments naturally attract attention from the XRP market.

However, his statement should not be interpreted as a prediction that central banks are about to adopt XRP as a reserve asset.

The broader argument is about crypto and blockchain infrastructure and its potential role in moving value internationally.

Ripple has continued to build products around payments, custody and digital assets, but actual adoption by central banks would depend on regulatory decisions, institutional requirements and individual central-bank policies.

Traditional Finance Is Also Evolving

There is another side to the debate that is easy to overlook.

Traditional financial institutions are not standing still. Banks and payment networks are also investing in faster settlement systems, stablecoins, tokenized deposits and blockchain-based infrastructure.

Recent moves by major financial institutions to explore bank-issued stablecoins show that blockchain technology is increasingly being considered inside mainstream finance rather than only within the crypto industry.

This could eventually produce a financial system in which traditional banks and blockchain networks coexist rather than one completely replacing the other.

The Bigger Question for Central Banks

The most important question is not whether cryptocurrency can move value quickly.

It is whether blockchain-based assets can provide the combination of speed, security, liquidity, regulatory certainty and operational reliability required by central banks.

If they can, the potential market is enormous.

Central banks manage some of the world's largest pools of financial assets. Even a limited role for tokenized assets or blockchain-based settlement could have implications for international payments, foreign-exchange markets and reserve management.

But that transition would likely take years rather than happen overnight.

Key Takeaways

• Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse says crypto could allow value to be stored and moved globally with greater speed and potentially lower costs.
• His comments came after the Dutch central bank relocated part of its gold reserves to the UK.
• About 86 tonnes of gold were moved during the broader relocation, while much of the transaction involved selling gold in one location and repurchasing it in another.
• Garlinghouse presented the episode as an example of the limitations of traditional financial infrastructure.
• His comments do not mean central banks are currently preparing to replace gold with cryptocurrency.
• Tokenization, stablecoins and blockchain settlement may offer more immediate institutional use cases.
• For XRP, the comments reinforce Ripple’s long-running focus on blockchain-based financial infrastructure, but they are not evidence of imminent central-bank XRP adoption.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Brad Garlinghouse say about crypto and central banks?

Garlinghouse said crypto could be an ideal use case for storing and moving value instantly and securely around the world at little to no cost. He made the comments while discussing the Dutch central bank’s gold relocation.

Why did Brad Garlinghouse mention the Dutch central bank?

He pointed to the relocation of Dutch gold reserves as an example of the logistical complexity associated with moving large amounts of value through traditional financial systems.

Did the Dutch central bank move $11 billion in gold?

Reporting on the relocation has valued the broader gold transfer at roughly $11 billion. Around 86 tonnes were moved from North America to the UK, although much of the transaction involved selling and repurchasing gold rather than physically transporting every tonne.

Does Garlinghouse think central banks will adopt XRP?

His statement does not establish that central banks will adopt XRP. His broader argument concerns the potential of crypto and blockchain technology for moving and storing value.

Could blockchain replace traditional financial infrastructure?

Blockchain technology could replace or improve some parts of financial infrastructure, particularly settlement and asset transfer. However, regulatory requirements, liquidity, custody, security and legal frameworks remain important barriers to widespread institutional adoption.

Why is tokenization important for banks?

Tokenization can represent assets or financial claims digitally on blockchain networks, potentially making settlement and transfers more programmable and efficient.

Bottom Line

Brad Garlinghouse’s latest comments highlight one of crypto’s biggest potential advantages: the ability to move digital representations of value without physically moving the underlying asset.

Whether central banks ultimately adopt blockchain-based systems at scale is still an open question. But as banks and financial institutions increasingly experiment with stablecoins, tokenization and digital settlement, the debate is moving beyond cryptocurrency speculation and toward the infrastructure of global finance itself.

Sources

• Brad Garlinghouse — Original X Post
• Ripple — Digital Asset and Financial Infrastructure
• De Nederlandsche Bank — Gold and Reserves
• CoinDesk — Crypto and Institutional Finance Coverage

Editorial note: Garlinghouse’s comments represent his view on the potential use of crypto and blockchain technology. They should not be interpreted as confirmation that central banks have adopted, or are preparing to adopt, XRP or another cryptocurrency as a reserve asset.