Conor McGregor Questions the U.S. Government’s Decision to Include XRP in Its Official Crypto Reserve

Conor McGregor questioned the U.S. government’s decision to include XRP in its official crypto reserve. His remarks sparked widespread reactions across the cryptocurrency community.

Conor McGregor has questioned the U.S. government’s decision to include XRP in its official crypto reserve, sparking reactions from the cryptocurrency community.

What Happened: McGregor's post follows former President Donald Trump’s March 2025 announcement about a national crypto reserve. The reserve will include Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Cardano, and Solana. This decision has drawn both support and criticism from different crypto camps.

The debate continues over decentralization, with Bitcoin supporters highlighting the importance of this aspect. McGregor, an unexpected voice in the global crypto discussion, has focused on whether XRP and others meet decentralization standards.

"I have learned from the events this week that not all blockchains are actually decentralised," McGregor said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

"A lot of people are telling me that BTC and ETH are the only truly decentralised networks. But the U.S. government is going to buy XRP, SOL, and ADA?" he asked, seeking opinions from his followers.

Why It Matters: McGregor's concerns arise as XRP is a subject of legal scrutiny in the U.S. While the SEC case against Ripple has progressed, there is uncertainty around XRP's classification. Despite that, the coin is widely used for cross-border payments.

Critics of XRP say that Ripple Labs closely holds the coin's supply. Supporters highlight its utility and rapid settlement speed, but the question of whether it's decentralized remains unanswered for many observers.

Following the announcement of the U.S. crypto reserve, Cardano's community responded quickly, pointing to its on-chain governance system. They claim that Cardano is more decentralized than XRP or even Ethereum.

"DeFi = decentralised finance. Not centralised mkfs making the decisions like in 99% of the cases in TradFi. Feels like BTCers missed that memo. But it's ok, we can educate," said one user.

While McGregor did not mention Cardano directly in his post, which highlighted all five reserve assets, Cardano representatives stressed that their network relies on community voting and independent stake pools. They maintain that this structure meets decentralization standards.

The U.S. government has not yet responded to the concerns raised about decentralization. Cardano continues to develop its governance and smart contract capabilities, and its presence in the reserve shows institutional confidence in its future.

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Solana's inclusion in the U.S. reserve list has also raised questions, particularly from Bitcoin advocates. They are surprised by the government's decision to select assets like Solana and XRP, which they feel are not sufficiently decentralized.

"The U.S. government is buying BTC, ETH, SOL, ADA, and XRP for its national crypto reserve," one X user said, adding that "the Bitcoin maximalists are having a meltdown because they think Solana isn's small number of validators makes it centralized."

Many Bitcoin supporters believe that assets with fewer independent validators should not be included in national reserves. However, the government appears to have considered other factors, such as transaction speed.

McGregor's inquiry about XRP also led to discussions about Solana's technical resilience, as several users pointed out that Solana has experienced downtime in the past.

The Irish mixed martial artist's broader focus remains on transparency and trust in reserve assets, which may influence how future reserves are structured globally.

As part of his campaign to encourage Ireland to adopt Bitcoin, McGregor has been hosting talks with Bitcoin experts since early May to build support for Bitcoin in Ireland's strategic reserve.