Ripple (CRYPTO: XRP) CEO Brad Garlinghouse predicts the stablecoin market cap to reach $3 trillion by 2031, pointing to the GENIUS Act, the Circle (NASDAQ:CRCL) IPO, and 24/7 payment infrastructure as the key drivers.
Stablecoins Growing Because Payment Rails Can’t Keep Up
Garlinghouse argued at the Coindesk Consensus Conference that the global economy runs 24/7 but traditional payment infrastructure does not.
He pointed to American Airlines making fuel payments in Peruvian sol as a real example, where correspondent banking adds four days and costs that stablecoins eliminate entirely.
Ripple Treasury, formerly G Treasury, processed $13 trillion in payments last year with zero going through stablecoins.
Garlinghouse estimates 30% of that shifts on-chain within five years as corporate treasurers access stablecoin rails through familiar tools.
“I’ll say 2031 will hit three trillion in market cap,” Garlinghouse stated, calling the GENIUS Act the regulatory unlock and the Circle IPO the moment corporate boards started asking their CFOs whether they were using stablecoins.
Garlinghouse Gives CLARITY Act 80% Odds, Calls For Industry Unity
On the CLARITY Act, Garlinghouse put passage odds at 80%, noting prediction markets have now caught up to where he stood in February.
However, he warned that infighting within the crypto industry is the biggest threat to the bill clearing before the August recess.
“Perfection is the enemy of progress,” he said, arguing the industry needs to stop fighting over details and push the bill across the finish line.
He acknowledged the stablecoin yield compromise is not perfect but said if both banks and crypto firms dislike it, it probably landed in the right place.
XRP Death Cross Still Active As CEO Admits Underperformance
Garlinghouse acknowledged XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) has underperformed expectations but said he remains bullish heading into the next 12 months.
XRP trades with the 20-day SMA at $1.38 below the 50-day SMA at $1.40, which sits below the 200-day SMA at $1.65, keeping the November 2025 death cross intact.
MACD sits below its signal line with a negative histogram, pointing to fading momentum. A clean break above the 20-day and 50-day SMA cluster is needed before any bounce can be treated as more than a short-term trade.
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