18-6-2025 – The XRP Ledger (XRPL) has forged a functional bridge with the global financial giant SWIFT, a connection now operational through GateHub, as revealed by crypto researcher SMQKE in a recent X post. This pivotal development, succinctly captured in SMQKE’s declaration—“XRPL —> SWIFT via Gatehub Confirmed”—lends credence to long-standing speculation about seamless interoperability between digital assets and traditional finance. Accompanying the announcement were two compelling visuals: a technical schematic from a Purdue University study, illustrating GateHub’s pivotal role within a Ripple credit network, and a snapshot heralding the partnership between XRPL Labs and GateHub, cementing the latter’s role in bridging fiat and crypto ecosystems.
GateHub’s role: From Ripple gateway to global liquidity node
GateHub, a veteran gateway within the XRP Ledger’s framework, has bolstered its infrastructure to facilitate fluid transfers across major financial networks, including SEPA, SWIFT, Bitcoin, and Ethereum. This enables users to channel fiat currencies directly through XRPL wallets, creating vital liquidity corridors for real-world transactions. A statement on GateHub’s website underscores its collaboration with XRPL Labs, developers of the Xumm wallet, which supports seamless on- and off-ramping for 14 distinct assets. This positions the XRPL as a robust settlement layer, intricately woven into the fabric of global financial systems.
Ripple’s vision: 14% of SWIFT volume in 5 years?
The announcement dovetails with bold projections from Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, who, speaking at the 2025 XRPL Apex event in Singapore, envisioned the XRPL capturing up to 14% of SWIFT’s global transaction volume within five years. During a Q&A session alongside Ripple CTO David Schwartz, Garlinghouse championed XRP’s capacity for rapid, real-time settlement, contrasting it with SWIFT’s role as a messaging protocol. He argued that the future of cross-border payments hinges on liquidity movement, a domain where XRPL and XRP excel by offering efficient, transparent, and cost-effective alternatives to legacy systems.
Stablecoins and strategic expansion
This milestone aligns with Ripple’s broader ambition to integrate with traditional financial architectures while revolutionising outdated settlement mechanisms. The GateHub-SWIFT connection, visually substantiated by SMQKE’s shared diagram, positions GateHub as a critical node facilitating credit links between users and fiat-denominated values. A second image from GateHub’s site confirms this live integration, underscoring its role as a conduit for fiat-crypto exchanges. Meanwhile, Ripple’s strategic push into stablecoins with RLUSD and its expanding enterprise partnerships further solidify XRPL’s standing as a cornerstone of global financial settlement.
