Jake Claver says BlackRock XRP ETF could be coming as XRPL draws institutional interest
Jake Claver says a BlackRock XRP ETF could be coming, and the claim is getting attention as more firms look at the XRP Ledger. If it happens, XRP gets a cleaner institutional story almost overnight. Not a miracle. Not a sure thing. My take: the market will probably treat the headline as bigger than the filing, at least at first. Still, a BlackRock ETF would likely pull more money into the market and make XRP harder for traditional finance to brush off.
The talk started with Jake Claver, chairman of Digital Ascension Group, who said in a recent interview that a BlackRock XRP ETF is “on the horizon.” Claver tied the idea to wider use of the XRP Ledger (XRPL) by large financial firms, especially for payments and settlement, arguing that this could push XRP prices higher and make an ETF more likely. His comments landed as BlackRock prepared to add another crypto fund. The iShares Bitcoin Premium Income ETF (BITA) is scheduled to start trading on Nasdaq on June 16. The fund targets 15% to 25% annual yields through a covered call strategy tied to BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, IBIT. Why does this matter? Because BITA shows BlackRock is not just selling spot exposure anymore. It is building crypto wrappers for Wall Street buyers who want yield, structure, and a familiar product label.
Claver’s view has some support, but it is still speculation. That part matters. Odelia Torteman, director of XRPL Commons, has said firms including BlackRock, Mastercard, and Franklin Templeton are exploring the XRPL ecosystem. The appeal is not mysterious. XRPL can handle cross asset payments, and some of its infrastructure was built with regulated institutions in mind. But most ETF chatter skips the boring part. That is only half right. Payments are one lane; XRPL’s decentralized exchange and automated market maker are another. For XRP investors, the shift is from price talk to financial plumbing, which is less viral but more important.
Recent Ripple partnerships also make the institutional case easier to take seriously. Ripple recently expanded its work with Latin American fintech Bitso, bringing the Mexican peso backed stablecoin MXNB to the XRPL and adding it to its Payments on Decentralized Exchange infrastructure. That gives Ripple another regulated settlement asset for cross border payments. Ripple has also moved into AI payments with an AI Starter Kit for developers building agent based payment apps, along with support for the X402 protocol, which lets AI agents transact with XRP and RLUSD. I’ll be honest: the AI payments angle still feels early. Useful, maybe. Proven, no. But the direction is plain enough: Ripple wants XRP and XRPL to look useful to banks, fintechs, funds, payment developers, and regulated settlement desks. That is the part BlackRock would care about.
Jake Claver @beyond_broke Chairman of Digital Ascension Group, says an $XRP ETF from BlackRock is on the horizon. This will increase the price of $XRP. Who else is bullish on #$XRP?
Full interview with Jake will drop next week on Deep Dive podcast, linked in the comments! pic.twitter.com/7d0cgShlQERachel Wolfson (@Rachelwolf00) June 15, 2026
Claver said, “We could see a BlackRock ETF,” but added one catch: XRP may need to trade at “a significantly higher price” before it gets used more widely in settlement. In his view, institutional interest could lift the price, and a higher price could make XRP more useful for larger settlement flows. It is a tidy loop. Maybe too tidy. Yes, this slightly undercuts the bullish setup above, but that is the point: the argument depends on price and usage reinforcing each other at the same time. Still, there are real pieces on the board. Franklin Templeton and DBS are working on tokenized lending using RLUSD, and Securitize has enabled conversions between BlackRock’s tokenized BUIDL fund and RLUSD. These are not Telegram rumors or chart memes. They are integrations. That matters.
What this means
The BlackRock XRP ETF chatter, led by Claver’s comments, shows XRP is still trying to earn a place inside traditional finance. An ETF would be more than another ticker. It would give institutions a cleaner way to get XRP exposure without holding the token directly. Is this overkill for one interview clip? Maybe. But XRPL adoption by BlackRock, Mastercard, and Franklin Templeton, Ripple’s MXNB work with Bitso, and the push into X402 AI payment tools give the claim more context than a normal crypto rumor. For crypto investors, the real question is whether XRP can move from retail speculation into regulated products that attract deeper capital, as Bitcoin has done through funds like IBIT and now BITA.
The next thing to watch is BlackRock’s crypto ETF pipeline after BITA’s June 16 Nasdaq listing. Any filing or official comment about an XRP ETF would move the market quickly. Skip the guesswork. Watch the paperwork. XRP’s price also matters because Claver tied wider settlement use to a “significantly higher price.” A sustained move above major resistance levels would make his argument feel less theoretical. XRPL partnerships are worth watching too, especially anything involving banks, asset managers, tokenized funds, stablecoins, or payment rails. Counter to the usual advice, the quieter infrastructure deals may matter more than the loud ETF rumor.
FAQ
Q: Who is Jake Claver?
A: Jake Claver is the chairman of Digital Ascension Group, a firm focused on digital asset strategy and adoption.
Q: What is an XRP ETF?
A: An XRP ETF, or exchange traded fund, would track the price of XRP. Investors could get exposure to XRP without holding the cryptocurrency directly.
Q: Why does BlackRock matter here?
A: BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager. If it launched an XRP ETF, the product would likely bring more institutional attention and could draw new capital into XRP.
Q: What is the XRP Ledger (XRPL)?
A: The XRP Ledger is a decentralized, open source blockchain built for fast, low cost payments and other financial applications.
Q: What is the iShares Bitcoin Premium Income ETF (BITA)?
A: BITA is a BlackRock ETF that aims to generate annual yield through a covered call strategy tied to BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, IBIT.
Q: What role does Ripple play in the XRP ecosystem?
A: Ripple developed XRP and the XRP Ledger, and it works to expand their use through partnerships, payments products, stablecoins, and developer tools.
Q: What are examples of institutional XRPL adoption?
A: Mastercard and Franklin Templeton have explored XRPL, while Ripple has worked with Bitso on stablecoin integration and with Securitize on tokenized fund conversions.
Q: What is the X402 protocol?
A: X402 is a protocol that lets AI agents make payments with XRP and RLUSD on the XRP Ledger.
Q: What is RLUSD?
A: RLUSD is a stablecoin used in the XRP Ledger ecosystem, including tokenized lending work involving Franklin Templeton and DBS.
Q: What did Claver mean by a “significantly higher price”?
A: Claver suggested XRP may need to trade at a higher price before institutions use it more widely for settlement. In his view, price and utility could reinforce each other.