XRP’s True Home in 2026: Is Europe Outpacing US? Ripple’s UK CEO Craddock Challenges Vegas Narrative

While the crypto community has gathered in Las Vegas for a major Ripple conference, discussing the future of XRP in the United States, a powerful contender for leadership has emerged from London. Cassie Craddock, Managing Director of Ripple in the UK and Europe, delivered a statement that forces a look at the question: has Europe truly become a more favorable environment for XRP than the U.S.?

In the States XRP is still often discussed through the lens of regulatory news, but in Europe the focus has shifted to pure execution. The adoption of digital assets has moved from pilot projects to production, Craddock says, and in her view, nowhere is this more evident than in Europe.

Why Ripple’s UK CEO believes Europe has taken the lead

According to her, the key advantage of the region in 2026 is infrastructure maturity. While other markets are experimenting, Europe is deploying Ripple Custody as a foundation, and Craddock emphasizes that without custodial architecture, any strategies – from payments to tokenization – carry impractical risks.

As her main proof, she also points to the integration of Ripple Custody by Italian giant Intesa Sanpaolo. For XRP, this may become not just a partnership, but a signal that the largest EU banks are ready to scale operations without compromise.

Craddock’s statement came at a highly symbolic moment, as right now, a conference dedicated to the XRP ecosystem is taking place in Las Vegas. And while the American part of the community is celebrating local successes, Craddock is effectively questioning U.S. dominance, pointing out that the next phase of the market – operational maturity – has already arrived in the Old World.

On one side, the U.S. with its massive capital and the energy of conferences in Vegas. On the other, Europe, which, according to Craddock, has already built an infrastructure “layer” that allows institutions to launch faster and operate with greater confidence thanks to built-in compliance.