Key Takeaways
- • Ripple Prime CEO Mike Higgins says XRP, Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana could become institutional collateral for margin and settlement, rather than relying solely on dollars or U.S. Treasuries.
- • Higgins frames cross-margining as the mechanism that would let institutions use digital assets across multiple products without first liquidating positions.
- • Higgins links the vision to Ripple's acquisition of Hidden Road, which now operates as Ripple Prime and focuses on cross-margining across crypto spot, ETFs, futures and options.
- • Higgins says institutions are already building strategies around spot Bitcoin, Bitcoin ETFs and CME futures, but stronger cross-market settlement and collateral infrastructure is still needed.
Summary
Ripple Prime CEO Mike Higgins said cryptocurrencies such as XRP, Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana could play a substantially larger role in institutional finance through cross-margining and collateral systems, according to a TradingView report. Speaking about tokenized finance, Higgins said institutions may eventually use digital assets, stablecoins and tokenized money market funds as collateral for settlement and margin requirements, rather than relying solely on dollars or U.S. Treasuries. "Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana tokenizing anything of value as collateral for margin and settlement is the next step," Higgins said.
Higgins argued that the next phase of crypto adoption extends beyond trading and payments into using blockchain assets as high-grade collateral across financial markets. He said cross-margining allows institutions to deploy assets efficiently across multiple products without first liquidating positions, which could improve capital efficiency and increase the real-world utility of networks such as the XRP Ledger.
Higgins also noted that major crypto assets are increasingly being treated similarly to products listed on regulated exchanges as institutional infrastructure improves. He said trading opportunities across crypto spot markets, futures, ETFs and perpetual swaps remain significant, while cautioning that "we're still early on in the space."
Higgins tied this vision to Ripple's acquisition of Hidden Road, which now operates as Ripple Prime and focuses heavily on cross-margining between crypto spot markets, ETFs, futures and options. According to Higgins, institutions are already building strategies involving spot Bitcoin, Bitcoin ETFs and CME futures contracts, but he believes stronger infrastructure is still required to support smoother cross-market settlement and collateral management.
The remarks reflect Ripple's broader push into institutional finance as it expands beyond payments into tokenization, trading infrastructure and digital asset settlement services.
Higgins argued that the next phase of crypto adoption extends beyond trading and payments into using blockchain assets as high-grade collateral across financial markets. He said cross-margining allows institutions to deploy assets efficiently across multiple products without first liquidating positions, which could improve capital efficiency and increase the real-world utility of networks such as the XRP Ledger.
Higgins also noted that major crypto assets are increasingly being treated similarly to products listed on regulated exchanges as institutional infrastructure improves. He said trading opportunities across crypto spot markets, futures, ETFs and perpetual swaps remain significant, while cautioning that "we're still early on in the space."
Higgins tied this vision to Ripple's acquisition of Hidden Road, which now operates as Ripple Prime and focuses heavily on cross-margining between crypto spot markets, ETFs, futures and options. According to Higgins, institutions are already building strategies involving spot Bitcoin, Bitcoin ETFs and CME futures contracts, but he believes stronger infrastructure is still required to support smoother cross-market settlement and collateral management.
The remarks reflect Ripple's broader push into institutional finance as it expands beyond payments into tokenization, trading infrastructure and digital asset settlement services.
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