Growing speculation around whether Ripple could one day replace certain functions of traditional banking using XRP intensified last week after Paul Barron, the founder of the Paul Barron Network, outlined why XRP is positioned at the center of global finance. His statements highlight XRP’s potential to reshape the future financial infrastructure and increase its role in payments and digital money movement.
Why Ripple Could Replace Banks With XRP
On November 22, Barron sparked a debate on X by breaking down why he believes XRP may be engineered to take over core elements of traditional finance. According to his report, XRP stands out as one of the few digital assets that can operate without a counterparty, allowing it to serve as a neutral settlement layer across global institutions.
Barron highlighted that banks and blockchain applications are converging rapidly, creating a system in which lending, settlement, and cross-border transfers can occur on-chain instantly. He claimed that XRP is at the center of this shift, enabling seamless value flow between systems operating on different technical standards.
He believes XRP plays this central role because it serves as a bridge asset, routing transactions behind the scenes in high-volume environments where speed and reliability are critical. He also argued that every new stablecoin and tokenized Real-World Asset (RWA) deployed on blockchains inherently increases the need for a frictionless asset like XRP, which can move value across networks.
Barron’s statements suggest a future in which traditional finance rails operate less visibly as blockchain networks handle global money flows. He believes this transition is already underway, with XRP positioned as the connective mechanism capable of replacing legacy settlement workflows that are typically slow, limited, and dependent on multiple intermediaries.
Crypto Analyst Fires Back Against XRP Claims
Pseudonymous crypto analyst ‘Fishy Catfish’ has challenged and criticized Barron’s claims, arguing that XRP is unlikely to replace any traditional banking functions. He dismissed XRP as a “bank-themed meme coin” with minimal real-world use, citing low adoption metrics on the XRP Ledger (XRPL), limited developer activity, and negligible DEX volume.
Fishy Catfish emphasized that banks operate through established systems like SWIFT, which are controlled by thousands of financial institutions, leaving little room for XRP to take over core banking functions. He noted that SWIFT is not a third-party middleman to the banks—it represents the banks themselves. As a result, XRP could face significant barriers in displacing a legacy system like SWIFT.
The crypto analyst framed XRP’s role as overhyped on social media, stressing that the network “isn’t cheaper and solves nothing.” He also emphasized that XRP’s real-world activity remains far below levels needed to support institutional use. According to him, the low on-chain activity and the minor revenue generated from user fees highlight a fundamental mismatch between XRP’s current utility and Barron’s prediction that the cryptocurrency will replace traditional finance.
