Ripple Senior Executive Officer and Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa Reece Merrick shared on Nov. 30 on social media platform X that crypto, including the Ripple USD stablecoin (RLUSD), could reshape payment costs in a way similar to how internet messaging disrupted expensive SMS services.

“Back in the 2000s, texting was a cash cow with carriers charging something like $0.10–$0.20 per SMS, or sold in ‘bundles’ of 500 texts for $10–$20 per month,” he stated, adding: “Globally, SMS revenue peaked at over $100 billion per year.”

Merrick suggested that blockchain-based settlement could compress costs and accelerate value transfer across borders, echoing how data-driven messaging overtook SMS. He wrote:

Crypto will do for payments what Whatsapp did to SMS and Ripple are ready for it # XRP #RLUSD.

Read more: Ripple Sees Tremendous Traction With Africa and Turkey Fueling Flows

The Ripple executive pointed to Whatsapp’s expansion: “By 2014, it had 500 million users; by 2018, over 1.5 billion.” Noting that more than 3 billion people rely on the platform each month, he further said: “People realised they could send unlimited messages, photos, videos, voice notes for free (or just the cost of mobile data, which was falling fast).”

Supporters of crypto argue that shrinking fees, quicker clearing, and wider adoption could encourage both consumers and companies to consider decentralized rails instead of traditional bank-linked systems.

• What comparison did Reece Merrick make between crypto and SMS disruption?
  He said crypto could slash payment costs the same way internet messaging replaced expensive SMS services.
• How does RLUSD factor into Ripple’s payment vision?
  Merrick highlighted Ripple’s RLUSD as part of the crypto tools that could modernize global settlement.
• Why did Merrick reference Whatsapp’s growth?
  He used its rapid adoption to illustrate how cost-efficient technology can quickly overtake outdated systems.
• What benefits do crypto supporters cite for payments?
  They point to reduced fees, faster cross-border clearing, and increased adoption of decentralized rails.

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