Summary
Crypto analyst Arthur asserts that, in spite of Ripple’s recent Hidden Road purchase, the firm still will not integrate with SWIFT.
At its inception, Ripple’s aim was to supplant SWIFT, rather than build any form of collaboration.
Ripple’s $125-million acquisition of Hidden Road grants the firm straight access to traditional finance.
Several members of the XRP community still discuss the prospect of XRP overtaking SWIFT’s transaction volumes.
Arthur contends that, in today’s context, SWIFT has turned into a liability.
Ripple’s strategic trajectory throws doubt on the theories that the firm could partner with SWIFT.
By spending $125 million to acquire prime brokerage firm Hidden Road, Ripple keeps stirring substantial debate within the crypto industry. In direct contrast to the chatter, crypto analyst Arthur contends that Ripple’s strategic shift is no indicator of an impending SWIFT integration.
Arthur calls out a primary inconsistency in these theories:
“From day one, Ripple cast itself as a more efficient and transparent substitute for the SWIFT messaging system.”
Ripple’s initial vision of rendering the legacy system obsolete is at odds with any notion of collaboration.
Hidden Road: A Strategic Bypass, Not a Bridge
Combined with the Hidden Road acquisition, Ripple is signaling a more intricate strategy than merely linking its platform to traditional finance.
Arthur maintains that this acquisition grants Ripple direct entry into fundamental financial infrastructures such as clearing, custody, FX, and prime brokerage services.
Arthur proclaims that “this isn’t a bridge to the old system; it’s a shortcut aiming to bypass it.”
The strategic implication is unmistakable: Ripple can now do without SWIFT.
This viewpoint contests long-standing conjecture in the XRP community that XRP could obtain a share of SWIFT’s daily transaction volume—a claim some point to when projecting a value for XRP of up to $500 apiece.
SWIFT’s Evolving Appreciation in Global Finance
Pushing his analysis even farther, Arthur contends that SWIFT has effectively shifted from an asset to a liability.
He observes that SWIFT has effectively been transformed into an instrument of sanctions and control and notes that institutions are increasingly leery of centralized systems within today’s complex geopolitical landscape.
Such weakness paves the way for blockchain-centric platforms like Ripple.
Emerging markets that are actively pursuing censorship-resistant, impartial alternatives are likely to view Ripple’s target architecture as greater than SWIFT’s offerings.
TradFi Adaptation in Place of Integration
The analysis ultimately determines that Ripple’s strategy centers on drawing institutions to align with its own terms instead of watering down its platform to fit antiquated infrastructures.
By providing liquidity services, custody solutions, and blockchain-driven compliance tools, Ripple equips institutions to leverage modern settlement rails while preserving security.
The introduction of Hidden Road into its network positions Ripple further as an institutional-grade substitute for conventional finance—advancing past SWIFT rather than having to coexist with it.
Nevertheless, without formal validation from Ripple, such analyses continue to rest on purely speculative assessments of the company’s strategic course.