Ripple Labs XRP/USD is set to repurchase $285 million of its shares from early investors and employees, reflecting the company’s robust financial standing and strategic growth plans.
What Happened: The tender offer, which essentially values Ripple Labs at a substantial $11.3 billion, allows investors to sell a maximum of 6% of their holdings, Reuters reported Wednesday.
Ripple Labs also revealed its intention to allocate an additional $500 million to cover the costs associated with converting restricted stock units into shares and related tax expenses.
Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, reportedly said the company possesses over $1 billion in cash and more than $25 billion in crypto assets, predominantly XRP coins.
Ripple Labs plans to conduct further share buybacks regularly to offer liquidity to investors, he said. The company does not foresee a public listing in the U.S. shortly due to ongoing regulatory uncertainties.
Why It’s Important: Ripple’s decision follows a notable victory in its protracted legal battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Also Read: ‘Very Late Step’ In The Game: Cboe Exchange Greenlights ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF
A U.S. District Judge ruled in July the sale of XRP on public exchanges does not constitute unregistered securities offerings.
This legal win marks a significant milestone for Ripple.
Founded in 2012, Ripple Labs has been at the forefront of developing a payment system that supports cross-border transactions while advocating for the use of XRP.
The company acquired Switzerland-based crypto custody firm Metaco for $250 million in May of last year.
Garlinghouse highlighted the company’s resilience and growth despite the challenges posed by the SEC lawsuit, noting that 95% of Ripple’s customers are non-U.S. financial institutions.
He did not disclose the specifics of the payment business’ size.
Photo via Shutterstock.
