Ripple CEO says crypto growth won’t hinge on CLARITY

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has said cryptocurrency's long-term development will not depend on passage of the CLARITY Act, even as he continues to support a federal market-structure law for digital assets.
Summary

• Garlinghouse said superior crypto technology can endure CLARITY setback despite his support for federal legislation.
• Senate rejected cloture 49-50 on September 15, leaving H.R. 3633 short of required sixty votes.
• Ripple says XRP's legal status remains unchanged after the failed Senate vote on CLARITY legislation.
• SEC and CFTC guidance currently identifies XRP as a digital commodity under their joint interpretation.
• Reuters reported Bitcoin fell more than 5% while Coinbase and Circle shares dropped sharply Tuesday.

Nate Geraci reported from a Kansas City digital-asset event on Sept. 15 that Garlinghouse argued technological performance could keep crypto moving even if Congress failed to advance the bill. "When you have a technology that's better, faster, stronger... that usually wins," Garlinghouse said, according to Geraci's account of the remarks.

An official Sept. 15 listing from the Economic Club of Kansas City showed Garlinghouse scheduled for a discussion titled "Disruption of Digital Assets," covering global payments, adoption and the development of digital finance.

Ripple CEO Says Crypto Will Win With or Without Clarity Act https://t.co/ves5On8DsT --- 🇳🇱 MackAttackXRP 🇳🇱 (@MackAttackXRP) September 16, 2026
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Ripple CEO says existing financial systems have fallen behind

During the Kansas City appearance, Garlinghouse said existing financial infrastructure had failed to keep pace with newer technology. His comments presented crypto adoption as a technology question that extends beyond the outcome of one U.S. bill.

Geraci reported that the Ripple chief questioned why the United States would risk giving other countries an advantage when numerous G20 jurisdictions already have crypto regulatory frameworks. Garlinghouse's comments represented his assessment of U.S. competitiveness, not a finding by a U.S. regulator.

The position followed several earlier calls from Garlinghouse for Congress to advance the CLARITY Act. Ascrypto.news previously reported, he said on Sept. 3 that making the United States a major center for digital assets remained "within reach" if policymakers completed the country's regulatory framework.

Ripple executives had supported the legislation because it proposed a statutory division of digital-asset oversight between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty had separately urged senators to consider the interests of American cryptocurrency holders before the procedural vote

Garlinghouse's argument that crypto could continue without CLARITY did not mean Ripple considered the legislation unnecessary. After the vote, the company described its failure as a missed opportunity for U.S. consumers and digital-asset businesses while confirming that it would continue advocating for congressional market-structure legislation.

CLARITY Act failed the Senate's 60-vote test

Hours after Garlinghouse's Kansas City comments, the Senate rejected cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 3633.

The official Senate roll call recorded 49 votes in favor, 50 against and one senator not voting. The cloture motion required three-fifths support. The vote took place at 2:19 p.m. Eastern time on Sept. 15 and did not constitute a final vote on passage of the CLARITY Act.

Republican Senators Susan Collins, Josh Hawley, Jerry Moran and Thom Tillis joined senators voting against cloture. Reuters reported that Tillis switched his position to a no vote as a procedural step that preserved a possible route to reconsider the motion later.

The final official Senate tally differs from some early reports that described the result as 50-49 in favor. Senate records compiled by the bill clerk list the definitive result as 49 yeas and 50 nays.

Disagreements remained over ethics rules, stablecoin provisions, banking issues and financial-crime protections despite revisions made before the vote. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott supported advancement and said afterward that the SEC and CFTC should establish workable rules using their current authority while lawmakers continue work on legislation.

Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren opposed the measure and called for further negotiations, citing concerns involving national security, financial stability, consumer protections and ethics rules. Her statements represented the minority leadership's case against the legislation presented to the Senate before the vote.

Ripple says CLARITY failure does not change XRP status

Ripple issued a formal response after the Senate vote stating that the outcome does not change its view of XRP's current regulatory position in the United States.

In itsSept. 15 post-vote statement, Ripple said it had spent more than $150 million during its litigation with the SEC and pointed to its earlier court case and subsequent federal regulatory guidance when discussing XRP's status.

A March 17 SEC interpretation provides a more recent federal agency reference. The SEC's crypto-asset interpretation established categories including digital commodities, digital collectibles, digital tools, stablecoins and digital securities. The CFTC joined the release with guidance stating that it would administer the Commodity Exchange Act consistently with the interpretation.

Federal filings describing the interpretation list XRP alongside Bitcoin, Ether and Solana among crypto assets identified as digital commodities as of the release date.

The distinction between agency guidance and legislation remains part of the policy debate. The March document is an SEC interpretation joined by CFTC guidance; it is not a statute enacted by Congress. The SEC itself said the action complemented congressional efforts to codify a comprehensive market-structure framework.

Crypto.news examined what remains from Ripple's SEC litigation, noting that the parties ended their appeals in August 2025 while the district court's final judgment remained in place.

Ripple's new statement says the company expects to keep participating in regulatory work at both the SEC and CFTC. The company expressed confidence in XRP's digital-commodity classification while maintaining its support for legislation that would place federal crypto market rules into statute.

Crypto markets fell as the Senate vote approached failure

Markets weakened as investors assessed the unsuccessful procedural vote. Reuters reported that Bitcoin fell more than 5% while it became clear the legislation would not secure enough support, producing its largest daily percentage decline since June.

Coinbase and Circle shares fell as much as 10% during the session, according to Reuters. The price moves coincided with the legislative setback, although market prices during the period were influenced by other macroeconomic developments as well.

Leveraged crypto positions suffered heavier losses during the decline. As crypto.news reported after the vote, exchanges liquidated roughly $571 million in long positions over 24 hours, based on CoinGlass data. Bitcoin and Ether longs accounted for approximately $190 million each.

XRP entered the vote with the legislation receiving particular attention from its market because Ripple had been one of the industry's most visible supporters of federal market-structure rules. Crypto.news previously examined the relationship between XRP and the bill when assessing what a CLARITY failure could mean for the asset.

Garlinghouse's comments in Kansas City did not make a price forecast for XRP or the crypto market. His argument was that adoption of technology he considers more efficient would continue over a longer period irrespective of one congressional vote.

SEC and CFTC rulemaking remains the next federal route

With H.R. 3633 stalled, federal agencies retain their existing statutory powers while Congress considers whether to revisit the legislation.

Scott said after the vote that it was time for the SEC and CFTC to establish "clear rules of the road" until Congress legislates. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong made a similar industry argument, telling Reuters that both agencies possess tools under existing authority and saying he expected them to continue regulatory work.

The agencies had begun coordinating before the Senate result. Their March interpretation addressed crypto-asset classifications, investment contracts, airdrops, protocol mining, protocol staking and wrapped assets. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins described the guidance as a bridge while Congress worked on bipartisan legislation.

Ripple said its own policy work will continue through that process. The company stated that it will remain engaged with the SEC and CFTC while continuing to advocate for market-structure legislation in Congress.

Garlinghouse's pre-vote comments therefore preceded a more detailed company position issued after the Senate result. Ripple said its payments, stablecoin and institutional businesses would continue operating under their existing strategy, while its U.S. policy team would keep pursuing statutory rules.

The official Senate record currently lists cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 3633 as rejected, and the Senate materials reviewed for this report do not provide a new date for another CLARITY Act vote.