A single speech from a Federal Reserve governor has set off intense discussions across the crypto world, particularly within the XRP community. What began as a formal policy address has become a viral moment, thanks to X user Levi Rietveld, who shared a key clip highlighting the Fed’s evolving stance on digital assets and blockchain technology.
The clip’s message was unmistakable: the United States’ top monetary authority is now publicly exploring the integration of tokenization and distributed ledger technology into the future of payments.
Levi Rietveld’s Post Sends Ripples Through the XRP Community
Levi Rietveld’s post triggered a surge of interest and debate online. The video features the Federal Reserve Governor acknowledging that digital assets are no longer peripheral to the financial system. In his exact words:
This is an acknowledgement that distributed ledgers and crypto assets are no longer on the fringes, but are increasingly woven into the fabric of a payment and financial system.
Fed Governor Drops #XRP Bombshell pic.twitter.com/aQA60u1yR9
— Levi | Crypto Crusaders (@LeviRietveld) October 22, 2025
For XRP supporters, who have long argued that Ripple’s blockchain is uniquely positioned for institutional integration, this statement resonated deeply. The governor went further, emphasizing the Fed’s dual role in both supporting innovation and ensuring systemic stability.
The Fed’s Vision: Tokenization, Smart Contracts, and AI in Payments
The Fed governor outlined a proactive approach toward understanding and potentially leveraging blockchain-based technologies. He explained:
Before we hear from these innovators, I would like to touch on the roles that the Federal Reserve plays to support the private sector. These include serving as a convener to solve coordination problems and operating the core payment settlement infrastructure. We are also looking ahead, conducting hands-on research on tokenization using smart contracts and the intersection of AI and payments for use in our own payment systems.
We are on X, follow us to connect with us :- @TimesTabloid1
— TimesTabloid (@TimesTabloid1) June 15, 2025
He added that these initiatives aim “to understand the innovation happening within the payment system” and “to evaluate whether these technologies could provide opportunities to upgrade our own payment infrastructures and enable us to have deeper conversations with the industry on these new technologies.”
This candid acknowledgment is one of the clearest signs yet that the Federal Reserve is not merely observing digital asset innovation from the sidelines; it is testing and evaluating its potential applicability to the U.S. financial infrastructure.
Implications for XRP and the Broader Crypto Market
The implications of the governor’s statement are significant. For XRP holders and Ripple advocates, the idea of the Fed researching tokenization and smart contracts fuels speculation that the institution could eventually integrate such technologies into settlement systems — a space where Ripple has long offered enterprise-grade solutions.
Levi Rietveld’s post amplified that optimism, with the XRP community interpreting the speech as tacit validation of Ripple’s long-term vision. The timing also aligns with growing institutional exploration of real-world asset tokenization, where Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin and XRP Ledger technologies could play critical roles.
A Historic Turning Point or Just an Opening Chapter?
While the remarks don’t name XRP or Ripple directly, they signify a crucial turning point in central bank discourse. For the first time, the Federal Reserve is publicly addressing blockchain technologies as tools that may “upgrade” payment systems rather than disrupt them.
Still, experts caution that acknowledgement doesn’t equate to adoption. The Fed’s “hands-on research” is an exploratory step, not an operational integration. Nevertheless, for the XRP Army long awaiting institutional validation, this is a watershed moment that confirms what many have believed for years: distributed ledgers are no longer the future; they are becoming the fabric of finance itself.