SEC Ends Coinbase Lawsuit? Armstrong Claims Victory, Ripple CEO Weighs In

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong Brian Armstrong   Brian Armstrong is the CEO of Coinbase Global, the biggest bitcoin exchange in the US. He is a former software developer for Airbnb. In 2012, Brian teamed up with Fred Ehrsam and launched Coinbase in San Francisco. Even though co-founder Fred Ehrsam left the company in 2017, he remains a board member and owns 6% of the business. On April 14, 2021, Coinbase went public through a direct offering on the Nasdaq. Soon it momentarily hit $100 billion in market capitalization. About 19% of company shares are owned by Armstrong. Quick Facts Full name Brian Armstrong Birth January 25, 1983 in San Jose, California, U.S. Education Bachelor of Arts/Economics, Master of Arts/Science, Rice University Nationality American Martial Status Married Net Worth $11.9B (Refer for real-time) He supports the need for clear regulations and policies for cryptocurrency trading and decentralized transactions. Brian has collaborated with diplomats to formulate the policies. He continues to contribute to the crypto community and blockchain technology. Brian Armstrong: Timeline of events 2010: Discovered Bitcoin – Read the Bitcoin whitepaper and became interested in decentralized finance. 2012: Co-Founded Coinbase – Launched Coinbase with Fred Ehrsam to simplify Bitcoin buying and selling. 2015: Expanded Coinbase Services – Introduced Coinbase Exchange and support for multiple cryptocurrencies. 2017: Led Coinbase Through Crypto Boom – Scaled operations as Bitcoin surged to $20,000, making Coinbase a top exchange. 2021: Coinbase IPO on NASDAQ – Took Coinbase public (COIN) at a $86B valuation, marking a major crypto milestone. 2022: Advocated for Crypto Regulation – Engaged with lawmakers to promote clear crypto regulations in the U.S. 2023: Launched Coinbase’s Layer-2 ‘Base’ – Introduced Base, a Layer-2 blockchain to improve Ethereum scalability. 2024: Pushing for Global Crypto Adoption, Married to Angela Meng. Year Award/Notable Work Details 2012 Co-Founded Coinbase Built one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. 2017 Fortune 40 Under 40 – Technology Recognized for leadership in the crypto industry. 2021 Coinbase IPO on NASDAQ Took Coinbase public with an $86B valuation, a first for a major crypto company. 2021 Time 100 Most Influential People Listed for his impact on mainstream crypto adoption. 2023 Launched Coinbase’s Layer-2 ‘Base’ Introduced a Layer-2 blockchain to enhance Ethereum scalability. Useful Links to Connect With Brian Armstrong Platform Link X (formerly Twitter) https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianarmstrong Coinbase Official Website https://www.coinbase.com Brian Armstrong’s Personal Blog https://brianarmstrong.com   EntrepreneurInvestorDeveloper/ProgrammerCrypto and Blockchain Expert announced on X that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has agreed to drop its lawsuit against the exchange. The news has sparked excitement in the crypto community, with Ripple CEO brad garlinghouse brad garlinghouse Brad Garlinghouse is the CEO of the financial technology company Ripple Labs, in 2012 by Chris Larsen and Jed McCaleb, and has a headcount of 1,120. It is a financial technology business that specializes in blockchain technology and the cryptocurrency XRP, founded by Brad Garlinghouse. He also played a unique and significant role in creating an advanced cross-border payment using blockchain technology. He is an extremely popular person across the globe in the crypto landscape. Brad has previously served as the CEO of Hightail, a file-sharing service, and is also an active angel investor. Joined Ripple as COO.  He was promoted to be the CEO in December 2016. Initially, he worked at AOL and Yahoo! where he filled in as Senior Vice President at Yahoo!, where he ran its Homepage, Flickr, Yahoo! Mail, and Yahoo Courier divisions. While at Yahoo, he also wrote an inner updated version known as the Peanut Butter Manifesto, requiring the organization to zero in on its core business instead of expanding itself. He is one of the Top Speakers in the Crypto and Blockchain field, where he shares the knowledge and evolvement of the technology in the current space    Quick Facts Full Name Bradley Kent Garlinghouse Birth 06-02-1971, in Topeka, Kansas Nationality American Education Bachelor's degree in Economics, MBA from Harvard Business School. Net Worth $10B (Refer here)   Ripple's native token, XRP is among the top digital assets. As per CoinGape, Brad's company has $100 billion worth of XRP tokens in its reserve. This will help further innovation in Web3 and blockchain projects. As per reports surfing on Binance’s blog, Brad Garlinghouse may step down as CEO of Ripple to join the Crypto Advisory Council, which is led by President Trump. This significant event will boost the adoption of decentralized finance and blockchain growth.   Brad Garlinghouse: Trivia 2007: Served as Senior VP at Yahoo!, heading communications and consumer products. 2012: Became CEO of Hightail, leading digital file-sharing innovations. 2015: Joined Ripple as COO to push blockchain adoption in cross-border payments. 2017: Became CEO of Ripple, driving XRP adoption and blockchain partnerships. 2020: Led Ripple’s defense against the SEC lawsuit over XRP’s security status. 2021: Expanded Ripple’s ODL (On-Demand Liquidity) network for global crypto payments. 2023: Got a partial success against the SEC, declaring XRP as not a security. 2024: Continue leading Ripple in CBDC collaborations and global blockchain finance. 2025: May join Trump's Crypto Advisory Council to set regulations.   Notable Works & Achievements by Brad Garlinghouse Year Achievements Details 2003 Wrote the 'Peanut Butter Manifesto' at Yahoo! Highlighted Yahoo!'s lack of focus in operations. 2015 Joined Ripple as Chief Operating Officer Took measures to integrate blockchain technology into banking systems. 2017 Appointed CEO of Ripple Expanded Ripple's global partnerships, enhancing cross-border payment solutions. 2020 Named in Forbes' List of Wealthiest in Cryptocurrency Recognized for significant contributions to the crypto industry. 2023 Legal Victory in SEC vs. Ripple Case Achieved a favorable ruling impacting cryptocurrency regulations.   EntrepreneurInvestorChief Executive OfficerBoard Member welcoming what he sees as a shift away from the SEC’s previous regulatory approach.

Here’s what you need to know.

SEC’s Legal Battle with Coinbase: A Quick Recap

The SEC filed a lawsuit against Coinbase in 2023, accusing the exchange of offering unregistered investment products. This was part of the regulator’s broader crackdown on crypto companies that it claimed were operating outside U.S. securities laws.

Armstrong stated that the SEC’s agreement does not require Coinbase to pay fines or change how it operates—an outcome that has surprised many in the industry. However, the SEC has yet to release an official statement confirming this settlement.

Ripple CEO and Legal Experts React

Brad Garlinghouse, a key figure in the crypto space, praised the development, saying it signals a move away from past regulatory policies.

Legal experts have also weighed in. Attorney Jeremy Hogan speculated that the SEC could be preparing for bigger regulatory changes. Former SEC official John Reed Stark went further, predicting that the SEC might soon drop its lawsuit against Ripple—an idea Hogan supports.

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What’s Next for Ripple?

Despite these predictions, the SEC recently filed its opening brief against Ripple in an ongoing legal battle. Ripple has until April 16 to submit its cross-appeal brief, showing that the case is far from over.

As regulatory decisions continue to shift, the crypto industry will be watching closely to see if the SEC’s stance on Coinbase signals a broader change in approach.

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Whether this is a true policy shift or just a one-off decision remains to be seen.