Odaily Planet Daily News: Yoshitaka Kitao, CEO of SBI Holdings, a large financial services institution in Japan, recently responded to a post celebrating XRP's rise to the sixth largest cryptocurrency in terms of market value on X, and stated that once the SEC issues are resolved, Ripple should start preparing for an IPO as soon as possible.
SBI Holdings has been collaborating with Ripple since 2017 to drive innovation in cross-border payments. Kitao is a key figure in the Ripple SBI collaboration and joined the Ripple board of directors in April 2019. His long-term support for Ripple and XRP can be traced back to 2017, when he predicted XRP as the global standard for digital currencies, emphasizing its efficiency, low transaction costs, and scalability.
Under Kitao's guidance, SBI integrated Ripple's solutions into its operations. This partnership has played an important role in expanding Ripple's influence in Japan and the entire Asia Pacific region.
However, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse had previously downplayed the urgency of seeking an IPO. He emphasized the company's strong financial condition and stated that Ripple currently does not need to raise funds through the public market. In addition, Garlinghouse pointed out that the regulatory environment in the United States is challenging, largely due to ongoing disputes with the SEC, which have hindered IPO plans. Despite Ripple's exploration of international IPO prospects, such initiatives are still on hold. （(Bitcoin.com)）
