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On April 13, Ripple rolled out ‘Liquidity Hub’ – a liquidity product for businesses to bridge the gap between fiat and crypto. The pool supports several major cryptocurrencies, but it left out Ripple’s XRP token, possibly due to its legal dispute with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Liquidity Hub Aims to Help Businesses “Supercharge Liquidity,” Says Ripple
Ripple announced the launch of a crypto liquidity pool for businesses on Thursday as the blockchain firm seeks to reduce the gap between crypto and fiat. The new solution, Liquidity Hub, currently lists several cryptocurrencies, including BTC, ETH, LTC, ETC, and BCH. However, it does not support Ripple’s native token, XRP.
The exclusion of XRP raised questions among some in the Ripple community, given that the crypto token played a pivotal role in most liquidity solutions previously launched by the fintech firm. Moreover, XRP was one of the cryptocurrencies mentioned during the liquidity pool’s pilot stage.
According to Ripple, Liquidity Hub represents a response to the wide gap and flaws associated with bridging crypto and fiat currencies. The pool operates as an independent product alongside Ripple’s widely-used cross-border payments solution known as on-demand liquidity (ODL).
“We wanted to make it as frictionless as possible for businesses looking to supercharge liquidity, power crypto payments and operations, or support end-customers interested in buying, selling or holding crypto.”
– Ripple said in the announcement.
Ripple said Liquidity Hub leverages smart order routing to obtain a range of cryptocurrencies at optimized prices, sourcing them from multiple liquidity venues such as crypto exchanges, market makers, and over-the-counter (OTC) desks. The pool also utilizes a streamlined application programming interface (API), allowing businesses to start working on their crypto strategies without engaging in “intensive integrations,” said Ripple.
The Never-Ending Battle with the SEC
The launch of the Liquidity Hub comes amid Ripple’s ongoing court battle with the SEC. Some from the Ripple community argued that the company’s dispute with the securities regulator could be why Ripple left out XRP from its new liquidity solution.
Earlier this week, the SEC filed a Letter of Supplemental Authority to reinforce its motion for summary judgment in its suit against Ripple, citing a legal precedent that renders the fintech firm’s fair notice defense helpless. However, Ripple smashed the SEC’s argument in its response, arguing that the precedent does not supply “additional authority” for the SEC to rebuff the fair notice defense.
Ripple’s legal dispute with the SEC dates back to 2020, when the regulator filed against Ripple, accusing the company of raising $1.3 billion through an unregistered security offering by selling XRP to investors. Ripple has been backed by several major firms in the crypto industry in its battle against the SEC, including the crypto exchange Coinbase.
Do you think Ripple excluded XRP from the Liquidity Hub due to the SEC lawsuit? Let us know in the comments below.