Ripple Ends Legal Battle with SEC as Both Parties Withdraw Appeals

Ripple ends its legal battle with the SEC after nearly five years, clearing the way for renewed global expansion.

Fridah Kangai
June 29, 2025
12:30 pm

Fridah Kangai

Fridah Kangai is a dedicated crypto journalist with a sharp eye for market trends, blockchain innovation, and digital asset movements. She specializes in breaking down complex topics into clear, engaging stories for both seasoned investors and curious newcomers. With a passion for decentralization and a pulse on the ever-evolving crypto space, Fridah delivers timely, accurate, and insightful coverage. Her work bridges the gap between technology and everyday understanding in the world of cryptocurrency.

Ripple officially drops cross-appeal as the SEC prepares to do the same, ending a five-year legal standoff.
Court ruling on XRP’s retail status remains unchallenged, bringing legal clarity for crypto exchanges and investors.
Ripple now shifts its focus to cross-border payment expansion using XRP, free from courtroom distractions.

Ripple Labs has officially ended its legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after nearly five years. According to a post by Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse on X, the company is withdrawing its cross-appeal.

SEC is also supposed to dismiss the appeal they had filed, which would mean the end of one of the most popular lawsuits against the crypto industry. The case arose in December 2020, and initially, it claimed that Ripple sold XRP as an unregistered security.

Ripple is dropping our cross appeal, and the SEC is expected to drop their appeal, as they’ve previously said. We’re closing this chapter once and for all, and focusing on what’s most important – building the Internet of Value. Lock in. https://t.co/ZsRgDfcpLh
— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) June 27, 2025

On July 2023, Judge Analisa Torres decided that Ripple’s institutional XRP sales do not comply with securities legislation. However, she did not find that sales under the programs sold in the open exchanges did so, giving Ripple a half-legal victory.

Later, Ripple moved to appeal the $125 million fine and the injunction that prevented institutions from selling XRP in the U.S. In its turn, the SEC attempted to contest the segment of the ruling that supported Ripple’s activities in the public market.

That was corrected in March 2025, when the SEC added that the firm did not intend to continue with the appeal. Ripple intensified until June 26, when the penalty and restrictions were denied by Judge Torres on a motion to lift.

On the next day, Garlinghouse stated that Ripple would not appeal the ruling in the future, prompting the cessation of the legal action. This being the case, both of them have finally ceased the courtroom battle.

Ripple Shifts Focus to Global Payment Innovation

Ripple agreed to comply with the court’s decision and to pay the entire fine of 125 million dollars. The business will also remain limited to selling institutional XRP in the American market.

In the meantime, the court’s decision on XRP as non-security in transactions among the general population stands without contest, which provides the financial market with regulatory certainty regarding its retail application. This ruling introduces regulatory clarity to the XRP holders and exchanges in the U.S.

Ripple is currently planning to concentrate on creating blockchain financial infrastructure. The company wants to utilize its international payment system with the help of XRP, which will serve as a bridge currency between their international transfers.

Since the legal issue is over, Ripple is set to pursue new opportunities. The company currently focuses on its vision of transforming value exchange with digital assets.

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