POLITICS

XRP jumps 8% after Ripple’s CEO says SEC has dropped its case against the crypto currency

Mar 20, 2025, 4:53 AM

President Donald Trump speaks as administrator Kelly Loeffler, of the Small Business Administration...

President Donald Trump speaks as administrator Kelly Loeffler, of the Small Business Administration, from left, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks and Bo Hines, a member of the presidential council of advisers for digital assets, listen at the White House Crypto Summit in Washington, Friday, March 7, 2025. (Pool via AP)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(Pool via AP)

BANGKOK (AP) — The price of XRP jumped more than 8% Thursday after the CEO of cryptocurrency company Ripple said U.S. regulators have dropped its four-year-old case against the company.

The Securities and Exchange Commission sued Ripple and two of its executives in late 2020 after they raised $1.4 billion by selling XRP crypto coins.

The SEC under the Biden administration held that digital assets like cryptocurrences should be regulated like securities, such as stocks, and should be considered commodities like gold or oil. Securities generally face stricter regulations.

The Trump administration is easing those rules.

CEO Brad Garlinghouse that the SEC overstepped its authority in alleging that Ripple violated securities laws by selling XRP without a securities registration.

“I’m finally able to announce that this case has ended,” Garlinghouse said in a video posted on X. “It’s over.”

The SEC has not confirmed its decision to withdraw the case against Ripple, yet other crypto companies have already announced that the SEC under the Trump administration has dropped cases against them. Trump vowed during his presidential campaign to ease restrictions in the cryptocurrency market, a significant change compared with the last several years under Gary Gensler, the head of the SEC in the Biden administration.

In February, the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase said the SEC had dropped its case against it after it was targeted in a lawsuit alleging it was operating as an unregistered securities platform and brokerage service. Ditto for the cryptocurrency platform Robinhood.

The SEC also recently asked a federal court to pause ongoing litigation against Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, because leadership was rethinking previous enforcement actions.

Trump has pledged to make the U.S. a world leader in cryptocurrencies and the industry scored some early wins after his return to the White House. That includes the repeal of an SEC accounting rule and an executive order by the president directing a working group to study and propose changes to crypto regulations.

Trump signed an executive order two weeks ago establishing a government reserve of bitcoin, a key marker in the cryptocurrency’s journey towards possible mainstream acceptance.

The crypto industry spent heavily to help elect Trump and other crypto-friendly lawmakers and is eager to cement its influence in politics and mainstream financial systems.

Garlinghouse, a Trump supporter, caused waves when he said he’d like to see a U.S. government crypto reserve include various digital assets rather than just bitcoin, the world’s most popular cryptocurrency. That idea is a nonstarter for many bitcoin diehards.

The SEC was due to hold a series of on regulation of crypto assets, beginning with one on Saturday at its headquarters in Washington, DC.

Early Thursday, the value of Ripple rose to more than $2.50.

Politics

President Donald Trump speaks before Steve Witkoff is sworn as special envoy during a ceremony in t...

Associated Press

The Latest: Trump to announce that US will call the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf

President Donald Trump plans to announce in Saudi Arabia next week that the United States will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, according to two U.S. officials. This weekend’s meeting between U.S. and Chinese delegations in Switzerland will be their first major talks since Trump imposed […]

1 hour ago

FILE - Some of the AP Paris staff join Paris Bureau Chief Ed Kennedy, seated center left, for a far...

Associated Press

AP WAS THERE: Journalists chronicled the Nazi surrenders and end of World War II in Europe

REIMS, France (AP) — When Allied forces brought World War II in Europe and the Holocaust to an end 80 years ago this week, AP reporters and photographers were there, chronicling the Nazis’ historic defeat. Here are excerpts of AP news reports that momentous week: ___ EDITORS’ NOTE: On May 7, 1945, AP’s Edward Kennedy […]

4 hours ago

FILE - The old Florida Capitol is seen with the tower of the current Capitol rising behind, during ...

Associated Press

Lawmakers seek to rein in citizen ballot initiatives with new requirements for petitions

Citizen activists supporting a public vote on important issues could have to brush up on their reading, writing and arithmetic if they want to get their initiatives on next year’s ballot in some states. A new Arkansas law will bar initiative ballot titles written above an eighth-grade reading level. And canvassers will have to verify […]

9 hours ago

FILE - The Supreme Court in Washington, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)Credit: ASSOCIAT...

Associated Press

America’s legal system is confusing. Here are some of the common terms used in the Trump lawsuits

It may feel like you have to attend law school to understand the American legal system. However, that is not the case. We broke down some of the most common legal terms used in the lawsuits surrounding the Trump administration. What’s the general process for a lawsuit? Lawsuits are sometimes called “ complaints ” for […]

9 hours ago

Negina Khalili poses for a portrait near her office in New Orleans, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Phot...

Associated Press

Can’t go forward, can’t go back: Afghan refugees stuck in Qatar wait for a way forward

WASHINGTON (AP) — Negina Khalili’s family sold their house and possessions in Afghanistan and flew to a U.S. base in Qatar in January, preparing for the last step in emigrating to America. Thirteen days later, the Trump administration took office — and suspended the refugee program that would have let them in. Now they are […]

11 hours ago

President Donald Trump speaks before Steve Witkoff is sworn as special envoy during a ceremony in t...

Associated Press

Trump plans to announce the US will call the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf, officials tell AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to announce while on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the U.S. will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Arab nations have pushed for a change to the […]

12 hours ago

XRP jumps 8% after Ripple’s CEO says SEC has dropped its case against the crypto currency