XRP Surges 0.13% as BankSocial CEO Hints at Strategic Pivot

XRP's latest price was $2.33, up 0.13% in the last 24 hours. John Wingate, the CEO of BankSocial and a key developer within the Hedera ecosystem, has drawn significant attention following a recent meeting with Ripple’s team. Describing the discussion as “possibly the greatest meeting in the history of international settlements,” Wingate signaled that XRP is now central to a broader strategy that may reshape the future of decentralized finance. Wingate challenged observers to significantly scale their expectations, stating, “You’re not thinking BIG enough. Think BIG, then 1,000,000,000x it.” His comments have stirred new discussions around XRP’s role in cross-chain financial infrastructure.

While Hedera and its native token HBAR remain at the core of BankSocial’s foundational operations, Wingate has confirmed that XRP has been added to the mix, potentially signaling a strategic pivot. This move reflects a layered model where each blockchain asset is assigned a distinct utility. According to Wingate, the BankSocial roadmap now includes a multichain structure that integrates HBAR, XRP, and BankSocial’s native token, BSL. When asked how “@Ripple, @hedera and @BANKSOCIALio fit into place,” Wingate explained that HBAR is used for backend processes, state verifications, and application networks through the Hedera Consensus Service (HCS). XRP, on the other hand, handles global liquidity and facilitates international value transfers into targeted jurisdictions. While BSL functions as the operational token within BankSocial’s DAO, supporting lending, staking, and governance. Together, these assets form what Wingate refers to as “a new financial paradigm,” aiming to merge blockchain innovation with real-world financial systems.

Although no formal partnership has been disclosed between Ripple and BankSocial, several recent posts from the company suggest an increasing integration of XRP. A May 19 response from BankSocial on X confirmed this direction: “Multichain. XRP too,” when asked about blockchain support for their upcoming platform. The platform will reportedly enable users to purchase cryptocurrencies and stocks directly from bank and credit union accounts. Previously understood to be built entirely on Hedera, the mention of XRP indicates a broader blockchain inclusion strategy moving forward. Wingate has hinted at this direction in the past. In March, he shared that BankSocial was engaged with governments and financial institutions globally in areas such as asset tokenization and money movement. At that time, he named both XRP and HBAR as “major components” of these ongoing initiatives. Additionally, Wingate pointed to the fact that both XRP and HBAR are members of the DeRec Alliance, an initiative focused on decentralized recovery solutions, highlighting shared values and infrastructure priorities across both networks. John Wingate’s recent statements make it clear that BankSocial’s strategic outlook is evolving rapidly. With Hedera remaining central, adding XRP introduces new capabilities related to liquidity, jurisdictional reach, and interoperability. The crypto community will be watching closely to see how this multichain vision develops, and whether Ripple, BankSocial, and Hedera will formalize the collaboration hinted at in these statements.

The Ripple and XRP communities are discussing the possibility of buying out the stablecoin giant Circle. If the community’s expectations are met, XRP will be expected to outperform in the long term. In a recent post that seems to tackle both subjects, Kate Young Ju, an alternative X account for Ki Young Ju, the founder of the on-chain analytical platform CryptoQuant, clarified the discussion. “XRP gives off the vibe of a league of capital market pros. It’s got its flaws, but there’s something undeniably sharp about how it moves.” The pseudonymous account asserted. Addressing the rumors surrounding Ripple and Circle, the analyst remarked that Ripple acquiring the stablecoin issuer would mark a strategic move for the payment giant. According to a report, Circle kicked off “informal talks” with Ripple and Coinbase over the possibility of an acquisition deal. Insider sources reportedly disclosed that Circle is eyeing at least $5 billion in sale valuation, around the same amount as its Initial Public Offering (IPO) target. The analyst noted that with a rise in the demand for stablecoins among institutional investors from both the cryptocurrency and traditional markets, key players awaiting Circle’s IPO might throw their weight behind XRP going forward. As the analyst wrote, “There’s a rumor floating around that Ripple might acquire Circle. I don’t know if it’s true, but if it is, it’d be a very strategic move. With so many investors eager to bet on the future of stablecoins, those who were waiting for Circle’s IPO might end up buying XRP instead. Just to be clear — this post isn’t sponsored. I don’t hold any XRP.”

SMQKE, a popular crypto researcher on X, has drawn attention to a previously circulated document highlighting HSBC’s historical involvement with Ripple’s blockchain technology. His post was in response to a Cointelegraph update revealing that HSBC has debuted Hong Kong’s first blockchain settlement service with tokenized deposits. The researcher then features an excerpt that underscores HSBC’s participation in trials using Ripple’s infrastructure. The document outlines the role of Ripple in advancing blockchain-based payment infrastructure and emphasizes how major financial institutions have explored its solutions since 2014. Specifically, the text states that “dozens of financial institutions, including HSBC,” along with UBS and Western Union, “have announced trials or more advanced commercialisation efforts using Ripple’s technology.”

Ripple, a US-based company providing blockchain-based banking payments technology, has been recognized as a central figure in modernizing global payment systems. The document emphasizes that the shift toward blockchain infrastructure is intended to reduce the time and cost of cross-border transactions. It cites Ripple as one of the “leading players” in this transformation, particularly through its initiatives dating back to 2014. The significance of HSBC’s mention alongside other major institutions lies in the historical validation of Ripple’s enterprise engagements. HSBC’s inclusion among the early adopters involved in trials reflects a broader institutional interest in XRP and Ripple’s technology, one that predates many of today’s blockchain integrations. The document also references the Global Payments Steering Group (GPSG), a body founded by leading banks to guide governance around Ripple’s technology. It notes that institutions such as Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Santander, UniCredit, Standard Chartered, Westpac, and the Royal Bank of Canada “became the founding members” of this group. The document claims the GPSG was established to develop rules and governance around Ripple technology for global payments. Although HSBC is not listed among the founding members of the GPSG in the text, its earlier engagement in trials positions it within the ecosystem of financial institutions exploring Ripple’s solutions. HSBC’s recent launch of a blockchain settlement service using tokenized deposits represents a notable advancement in adopting distributed ledger technologies in traditional finance. While the new service may not explicitly involve Ripple or XRP, the resurfacing of documentation connecting HSBC to Ripple’s trials shows major banks’ longstanding interest in blockchain infrastructure. The document reinforces Ripple’s influence in shaping the dialogue around blockchain payments and governance. XRP and the XRP Ledger are globally recognized for their notable use cases, and HSBC’s inclusion further anchors Ripple’s position in the evolving landscape of financial technology.