XRP marked its 14th anniversary on Tuesday, June 2, with Ripple executives and long-time community figures reflecting on the asset’s origins just as the company announced a larger footprint in Washington, D.C. The timing places XRP’s history and Ripple’s policy ambitions side by side, at a moment when US digital asset regulation remains a central issue for the industry.
XRP Celebrates 14 Years
David Schwartz, Ripple’s former chief technology officer and one of the most visible architects associated with the XRP Ledger, framed the anniversary as a broader community milestone rather than a founder-centric celebration.
“14 years ago, we got together with an idea to build a better way to move value. What happened next was something none of us could have built alone. And by ‘us,’ I don’t just mean the three of us. I mean the developers, validators, businesses, community members, and everyone who helped shape XRP into what it is today.”
Schwartz closed the post with a simple message: “Happy Birthday, XRP!” Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse echoed the sentiment, writing that “14 years later” it was “still the honor of a lifetime to be part of the XRP family.”
The anniversary refers to a specific early code change in the rippled repository. On June 2, 2012, Arthur Britto committed a patch titled “Fix starting number of XNS,” modifying the creation of the first ledger so that its starting balance was defined by SYSTEM_CURRENCY_START rather than a hardcoded number.
At the time, the system currency code was still listed as “XNS,” an early name before XRP became the standard market ticker. The constants added in the commit multiplied 1,000 by 100,000,000 by 1,000,000, creating 100,000,000,000,000,000 base units; with six decimal places, that corresponds to 100 billion XNS, the fixed supply later known as 100 billion XRP.
Ripple Expands Presence in Washington D.C.
The anniversary lands as Ripple is also sharpening its institutional and policy presence in the United States. In a separate announcement, Ripple said it has opened an expanded Washington, D.C. office, describing the move as a reinforcement of its long-term commitment to engagement with policymakers, regulators and industry partners in the capital.
Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty said the larger office reflects the company’s effort to stay close to the policy process as lawmakers and agencies weigh digital asset frameworks.
“Ripple has always believed the future of digital assets should be built with policymakers and regulators, not around them,” Alderoty said. “Expanding our Washington, D.C. presence reflects our long-term commitment to constructive engagement, regulatory clarity, and US leadership in financial innovation. As blockchain and digital assets become more integrated into the financial system, Ripple is committed to helping shape policy that protects consumers, supports responsible innovation, and keeps America competitive.”
The company said the D.C. expansion comes at a “defining moment” for US digital asset policy, pointing to ongoing discussions around market structure, stablecoins, payments modernization and responsible blockchain innovation. Ripple positioned the new office as a hub for policy engagement and stakeholder convening, including conversations with policymakers, regulators, financial institutions, industry partners and other leaders involved in financial infrastructure.
For Ripple, the move is also consistent with its broader enterprise-facing posture. The company describes itself as a provider of blockchain-based solutions across traditional and digital finance, with products spanning global payments, custody, liquidity and treasury management. Ripple also cited its stablecoin RLUSD and XRP as assets underpinning parts of its product suite.
At press time, XRP traded at $1.24.
Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
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