Ripple Exec Says Crypto Payments Are Where E-Commerce Was in 2000
June 24, 2026 — Ripple executive Reece Merrick said crypto payments are currently moving through the same early-stage adoption phase that e-commerce faced more than two decades ago, comparing today’s market to online retail in 2000 when internet shopping represented just 0.2% of global retail sales.
Immediate Details & Direct Quotes
Want to trade this news? Bitget offers professional charting tools and deep liquidity.
Merrick, a Ripple executive, drew direct parallels between the current state of crypto payments and the early days of e-commerce. “In 2000, the dot-com bubble was bursting and buying things online was globally negligible,” Merrick said in a social media post. “People simply didn’t trust the web with their money yet.”
The executive emphasized that just as global e-commerce was initially dismissed as overhyped, crypto payments face similar skepticism today. He argued that crypto payments are “quietly moving through the same slow, foundational phase before inevitable mainstream normalization.”
According to Merrick, the infrastructure now being built for crypto payments mirrors the foundational technologies that eventually made online shopping mainstream. Scalable blockchains, stablecoins, regulated fiat on-ramps and user-friendly wallets are playing the role that broadband, credit cards and smartphones played for e-commerce two decades ago.
Market Context & Reaction
Merrick’s comments focused on payment adoption rather than token price action, distinguishing between Ripple’s expanding payments business and XRP’s separate market demand. As previously reported by crypto.news, banks can use the XRP Ledger without purchasing large amounts of XRP, since stablecoins and tokenized assets can move on the ledger using only small XRP amounts for transaction fees.
This distinction matters for markets. While Ripple continues expanding its payments infrastructure, XRP price movements depend on direct token demand, exchange flows, ETF activity and broader market risk appetite — factors separate from ledger adoption for payment use cases.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse previously stated that stablecoins may become a primary entry point for businesses using crypto, with finance teams and treasurers increasingly reviewing stablecoins for payments and treasury operations, according to crypto.news.
Background & Historical Context
Ripple has been actively building its payment infrastructure through stablecoin integrations. The company partnered with Bitso to launch MXNB, a Mexican peso-backed stablecoin on the XRP Ledger, and reported that MXNB and RLUSD can support regulated settlement between the U.S. and Mexico.
Ripple also introduced an XRPL AI Starter Kit, allowing software agents to use XRP and RLUSD for automated payments through the x402 protocol. Mastercard has moved in a similar direction, launching a global settlement network supporting USDC, RLUSD and PYUSD, with dollar-backed stablecoin supply approaching $300 billion.
Like e-commerce’s evolution, crypto payment adoption depends on infrastructure improvements. E-commerce required secure payment gateways, better internet access and familiar devices. Crypto payments still need easier wallets, reliable stablecoins, clear regulation, merchant tools and strong consumer protection before mainstream adoption becomes normal.
What This Means
Merrick’s comparison suggests crypto payments may grow slowly before becoming routine, just as online shopping did after years of skepticism. The key lesson from e-commerce history is that adoption depends on trust.
If infrastructure improvements continue — including better wallets, regulated stablecoins, merchant integration tools and consumer protections — crypto payments may eventually become invisible to end users. Blockchain settlement would work in the background while users experience familiar payment interfaces.
The immediate focus for Ripple and similar companies remains building that foundational layer. Payment adoption rather than speculation represents the path toward mainstream normalization, though the timeline remains uncertain and progress will likely be measured in years, not months.
—