DeutschArtificial intelligence dominates the headlines, billions are flowing towards Silicon Valley, and yet, amidst this tech frenzy, an old acquaintance from the crypto world suddenly reappears: Ripple. The company behind XRP, of all things, is the only crypto firm that made it onto the prestigious ‘Disruptor 50’ list of the US broadcaster CNBC this year.
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The message behind it is clear. While many crypto projects are struggling for trust after the turmoil of recent years, CNBC presents Ripple as part of a new financial era. A remarkable term was used for the company: ‘New Money’. Ripple landed at number 16 on the list, which annually recognizes companies that, according to CNBC, could change or completely redefine existing industries.
CNBC highlights ‘new money’: This crypto firm is making waves
The selection is considered a barometer for future trends in the tech and financial world. The fact that only a single traditional crypto company is represented this time says almost as much as the ranking itself. Because the big winner of this year’s list is clearly artificial intelligence. The industry now dominates almost everything. First place went to Anthropic, one of the most aggressive AI companies in the world right now. OpenAI, last year’s leader, slipped to second place. A detail on the side seems almost ironic:
Just hours before the list was published, it was announced that renowned AI researcher Andrej Karpathy was moving from OpenAI to Anthropic. The AI world is currently devouring talent like a hungry whale devours plankton. The numbers behind the list also seem almost absurd. The estimated total value of the companies on last year’s ‘Disruptor 50’ list was still around $798 billion. This year it is already $2.4 trillion.
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An explosion in valuations – in the midst of a period of high interest rates and economic uncertainty. 43 of the 50 listed companies also stated, according to CNBC, that artificial intelligence now plays a central role in their business model. AI is no longer just an add-on. It is becoming standard equipment for modern tech companies – almost like electricity or the internet. And in the midst of this AI storm now stands Ripple.
Why Ripple is suddenly back in focus
This is remarkable because the crypto industry had recently become significantly quieter. After market crashes, insolvencies, and regulatory pressure, many projects disappeared from the spotlight. Ripple, however, seems to be increasingly positioning itself as an infrastructure company for digital financial flows – less loud, but more strategic.
CNBC’s selection thus also shows a change within the crypto scene. The focus is no longer on the flashiest projects or fastest meme coins, but on companies that deliver concrete applications and can withstand regulatory scrutiny. In addition to Ripple, the prediction platforms Kalshi and Polymarket also appeared on the list, but both operate more at the intersection of technology, betting, and data analysis than in the traditional crypto space.
The geographical concentration also remains striking. 23 of the 50 companies are from California. The center of the tech world continues to defend its power with impressive consistency. For Ripple, the placement is likely more than a PR success. At a time when artificial intelligence dominates almost every future discourse, the company is the only major crypto brand to make it onto a list full of billion-dollar valuations and AI hype. This almost serves as a quiet reminder: crypto has not disappeared yet. The market has only changed. (mck)
