Ripple CEO highlights slow bond settlements; XRP Ledger enables near-instant on-chain transactions.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse criticized traditional bond settlement processes as slow and inefficient, highlighting that transfers typically take days due to multiple intermediaries and outdated systems. He emphasized that the XRP Ledger offers a faster, blockchain-based alternative where settlements occur in seconds, eliminating delays and reducing costs. The move towards tokenized bonds on-chain could transform fixed-income markets by enabling fractional ownership, improved liquidity, and instant verification. Regulatory support is growing, with the SEC backing blockchain tokenization, and early institutional trials involving Ripple and major banks suggest a future of streamlined, transparent bond markets on the blockchain.