John Squire, an XRP influencer, has again pressed Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse over the company’s partnership strategy. His complaint is simple: announcements keep coming, but XRP holders want to see results that affect the token itself. The comments came after Ripple announced a new deal with DriveWealth, a global brokerage services platform. Ripple says the partnership will focus on digital asset infrastructure, including payments, settlements, custody and institutional financing.
A Familiar Frustration
Squire posted on X that the XRP community is tired. He said holders believe in the vision but need progress reflected in XRP. He also told Garlinghouse that hope needs results. That message lands with a community that has watched Ripple expand its business while XRP’s price remains weak. XRP trades near $1.30, down about 5% in a day and 29% since the start of the year. It briefly reached $1.70 in August but has since pulled back by more than 20%. The token has also stayed below its 2018 high of $3.84 for nearly a decade. Bitcoin, by contrast, has moved into six-figure prices, which makes the gap harder for some holders to accept.
What the DriveWealth Deal Covers
The DriveWealth partnership has several parts. DriveWealth plans to use Ripple USD, or RLUSD, on the XRP Ledger to settle payments in Europe, with a possible US expansion later. The firms will also use Ripple Payments for cross-border transfers. Ripple will help DriveWealth with digital asset custody in Europe, with other markets planned. They are also discussing financing through Ripple Prime, which covers US stocks and stock derivatives. DriveWealth clients could fund accounts and manage collateral with stablecoins that convert to cash quickly, reducing reliance on bank transfers. DriveWealth CEO Naureen Hassan said the company already offers round-the-clock trading five days a week and wants payments to move just as efficiently.
Will XRP Benefit
That is the open question. The deal uses RLUSD on the XRP Ledger and Ripple’s payment and custody products. But using Ripple’s services does not mean every transaction uses XRP. RLUSD and XRP are separate assets, and RLUSD payments do not automatically create demand for XRP. Ripple’s partnerships may still help the company’s business. For XRP holders, though, the pressure is to show a clearer link between those deals and the token’s market performance. Squire’s post captures that impatience, perhaps more plainly than Ripple would like.
