Top SWIFT Exec Takes Aim at XRP, Says Surviving Lawsuit Isn’t Resilience

SWIFT’s Chief Innovation Officer, Tom Zschach, has taken aim at Ripple and XRP, arguing that merely surviving lawsuits does not equate to true resilience. He shared this perspective in a comment on his LinkedIn post , stressing that trust and shared governance remain the true pillars of financial stability. In the post, Zschach stated that every major shift in finance has been built on trust, rather than purely on technology. He believes that while technology may initiate change, it is trust that ultimately drives adoption. Calling attention to past trends, from internet payments to blockchain, Zschach argued that financial institutions only act when compliance, security, and legal enforceability are firmly established. He pointed out that many past innovations, such as stablecoins and DeFi, failed to gain widespread adoption because they lacked the necessary trust and legal backing. However, Zschach believes public blockchains have become too significant to ignore in 2025. They are beginning to support real-world use cases, such as tokenized government bonds, blockchain-based financial guarantees, and cross-border payments that settle quickly and securely. Still, he stressed that blockchains alone are not the complete solution. Safeguards and legal protections are required for institutional trust and adoption. Advocate: Ripple Already Shows Readiness for Institutional Use Meanwhile, in response to Zschach's comments, Osama E., Agile Lead at Sharkforce Consulting, argued that the XRPL stands out as one of the most thoroughly tested blockchains in the industry. He highlighted Ripple’s long-standing focus on compliance and regulatory engagement. He asserted that XRP has been “battle-hardened” through nearly five years of intense legal scrutiny, making it unique among public blockchains. According to Osama, Ripple’s decade-long commitment to interoperability and its global regulatory partnerships demonstrate its readiness for institutional adoption. "Surviving a Lawsuit Is No Big Deal" However, Zschach disagreed. He stated that simply surviving legal battles does not make a blockchain resilient. The industry expert argued that true resilience comes from neutral, shared governance. He further stressed that institutions will not operate on infrastructure controlled by a single company. According to him, real compliance isn’t about one company securing regulatory approval. Instead, it’s about an entire industry agreeing on open standards not governed by any one entity. Ripple’s Survival Means a Lot for the Industry Meanwhile, Osama countered by presenting Ripple’s legal battle as a major turning point for the entire blockchain industry. He argued that Ripple’s ability to continue growing—even while XRP was being labeled a security in the U.S.—shows a different kind of resilience. He also pointed to Ripple’s global expansion and strategic acquisitions as evidence that the company is helping to establish important legal precedents that may benefit other blockchain firms in the future. XRP Army Reacts Zschach's comments have stirred strong reactions from the XRP community. Supporters see his remarks as yet another attack from a traditional financial institution feeling threatened by Ripple and XRP. The long-standing narrative of XRP potentially replacing SWIFT has been a hot topic in the crypto space—and one that hasn’t sat well with SWIFT or its allies. Prominent XRP community figure Eri previously revealed that SWIFT's official X account had blocked her amid her XRP advocacy. Notably, Ripple’s CEO once predicted that XRP could be handling up to 14% of SWIFT’s volume by the end of this decade.