An email from November 2013 recently gained fresh attention. Arthur Britto wrote it to Joseph Potvin, with the Web Payments Community Group copied in. The subject was XRP, and the content reads less like marketing and more like an engineering memo.
Britto’s Original Case
Britto co-founded Ripple alongside Chris Larsen and David Schwartz. In the email, he argued that XRP would work best as invisible infrastructure, not as a headline asset.
He wrote that most network users should be able to ignore XRP entirely, calling it “the hidden plumbing” of the system. Payments could be bridged through other currencies too. XRP would only get used if it offered a better rate than the alternatives.
Britto also addressed the price directly. He argued the value of XRP mattered less than the spread captured by market makers during a transaction. Efficiency, not speculation, was the design goal.
Arthur Britto: XRP is the Hidden Plumbing. 🇺🇸
— RIZ.. 🇺🇸 🇵🇷 (@RizXRP) July 5, 2026
Thirteen Years of Progress
XRP spent years tangled in a legal fight with the SEC before resolving. Now the regulatory picture is settled, and the practical uses Britto described are showing up in the market.
Ripple secured a preliminary Crypto Asset Service Provider license from Luxembourg’s CSSF on June 23, 2026. It came through a Green Light Letter, still subject to final conditions. Once approved, it will enable Ripple to offer regulated crypto and stablecoin services across all 30 EEA countries through one integration.
Binance, by contrast, has faced setbacks in securing MiCA approval. Ripple’s timing put it ahead of the EU’s July 1 deadline, a milestone competitors have struggled to reach.
The Community Reacts
Reactions to the resurfaced email split along a few lines. One commenter called it proof of Ripple’s original engineering philosophy. The goal is not to force XRP on anyone, but to make it the rational choice by winning on efficiency. Another reads the plumbing metaphor as validation, arguing that fiat-to-fiat exchange needs a bridge asset just as much as any cross-currency transaction.
One asked whether there’s even a ceiling on value for something meant to serve as the plumbing for the entire global financial system. Another argued that banks won’t overhaul their infrastructure for blockchain and XRP just to leave it optional, calling it the solution to an approaching currency crisis.
Can XRP Be the Plumbing Britto Suggested?
Britto’s vision was clear from the start. XRP would serve as invisible infrastructure, not speculation. Thirteen years later, that vision is materializing. Regulatory clarity, MiCA licensing, and consistent dominance in key markets like Korea and Japan suggest the plumbing is finally being built.
Disclaimer: This content is meant to inform and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author’s personal opinions and do not represent Times Tabloid’s opinion. Readers are advised to conduct thorough research before making any investment decisions. Any action taken by the reader is strictly at their own risk. Times Tabloid is not responsible for any financial losses.
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