As critics continue to bash XRP amid the Western Union–Solana deal, a new voice has entered the debate.
XRP supporter Dom Kwok, co-founder of EasyA, argues that the market’s focus is too narrow. He claims that headlines celebrating Western Union’s decision to launch a stablecoin on Solana overlook a much larger structural shift underway at Ripple.
In his view, the conversation shouldn’t revolve around Western Union’s “billions,” but around Ripple’s growing exposure to trillions in global payment and liquidity flows.
Trillions, Not Billions
Kwok noted that Western Union processes billions in annual volume, making its selection of Solana notable but not transformative.
According to him, Ripple is quietly aligning itself with a financial footprint several orders of magnitude larger. And unlike partnership pilots that can end abruptly, Ripple’s acquisitions give the company direct ownership and deeper influence over massive financial pipelines.
Kwok highlighted three key purchases from the past year:
- Hidden Road, a global prime brokerage that clears $3 trillion annually.
- GTreasury, a global treasury management firm powering trillions in yearly payment flows across 160+ countries.
- Rail, a fast-growing payments platform that handles 10% of all stablecoin-based payment activity worldwide.
Essentially, ownership is key. Unlike partnerships, which can dissolve when corporate strategies change, acquisitions give Ripple long-term control over how these new infrastructures evolve.
XRP as the Settlement Layer
Central to Kwok’s thesis is the idea that XRP sits “at the center of it all.”
With Ripple taking full control of platforms processing multi-trillion-dollar liquidity flows, the company has both the ability and the incentive to migrate settlement activity toward the XRP Ledger over time.
“Don’t Lose Sight of the Forest for the Trees”
Meanwhile, critics commenting on the Western Union–Solana deal are questioning XRP’s relevance beyond Ripple.
Specifically, market commentator Scott Melker questioned its role in today’s payments ecosystem, as Western Union chose Solana over the XRP Ledger, despite having tested the XRP network for years.
Western Union will launch its USDPT stablecoin on Solana in 2026 to enable global stablecoin transfers and cash-outs. The company could attract over $100 billion in annual cross-border follow to Solana.
For Kwok, the focus should be on the trillions of dollars Ripple plans to handle, not billion-dollar flows.
“Don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees,” he remarked, as Ripple assembles the machinery to push XRP into the heart of trillion-dollar institutional settlements.
“Trillions, not billions,” Kwok said in closing.
Other industry leaders share Kwok’s view. Flare CEO Hugo Philion previously dismissed concerns that Western Union’s Solana partnership impacts Ripple or the XRPL.
He stressed that Ripple is targeting trading and asset management, as demonstrated by its acquisitions of GTreasury and Hidden Road (Ripple Prime).
Moreover, Flare complements Ripple by expanding XRP’s DeFi and cross-chain capabilities.
DisClamier: This content is informational and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author's personal opinions and do not reflect The Crypto Basic opinion. Readers are encouraged to do thorough research before making any investment decisions. The Crypto Basic is not responsible for any financial losses.
