Ripple has signed a comprehensive agreement with Cross River Bank to integrate its RLUSD stablecoin into core banking infrastructure for dollar transfers, cross-border payments, and round-the-clock settlement on the XRP Ledger. According to the latest announcement, Cross River will integrate RLUSD into its proprietary Core Operating System (COS) through a single API connection, allowing fintech companies to move between U.S. dollars and RLUSD through existing banking infrastructure. The bank's Adam Goller, head of fintech banking, explained that the agreement builds on stablecoin capabilities already under development, enabling fintech customers to convert between dollars and RLUSD while accessing conventional payment methods through the same platform. Cross River's services are currently available only in limited U.S. states, as reported by the bank on October 15, with the announcement not identifying specific regulatory approval for this RLUSD integration.
The Cross River partnership provides XRP Ledger transactions that typically settle within three to five seconds, cost fractions of a cent, and operate around the clock. Within its payment network, Cross River said RLUSD would give issuers and acquirers another option for settling funds during the day, with the bank expecting the integration to reduce settlement delays while supporting international payments and treasury transfers outside standard banking hours. For clients funding collateral accounts, the announcement describes stablecoin deposits that can convert into cash in near real time, reducing the need to wait for international bank wire transfers. Through Ripple Payments, Cross River plans to accept cross-border funds from its partners, connecting incoming transfers with the infrastructure used to support investing accounts. The operational case addresses bank-transfer windows and cutoff times that restrict when capital reaches investment accounts. The integration combines traditional payment access with stablecoin programmability and near-instant settlement in a single platform, potentially lowering the technical barrier for fintechs seeking an XRPL-based payment option.
According to the companies' release, European operations will be the starting point for stablecoin settlement, followed by a planned expansion to the United States. DriveWealth CEO Naureen Hassan explained that the company already offers 24/5 trading and wants account funding to operate on a schedule that supports clients using that service. The integration aims to allow customers' capital to keep working instead of sitting idle overnight or over weekends, addressing the capital tie-up issues that arise from traditional cross-border dollar transfers. As reported by multiple sources, the initial rollout of stablecoins is set to begin in Europe, then potentially extending to the U.S. in the future, though the companies have not provided specific launch dates or transaction volumes. The stated sequence is European settlement followed by a planned U.S. expansion, while custody begins in Europe and may reach additional markets later. The next measurable signal will be adoption: customer launches, payment volumes, and the extent to which fintechs use RLUSD for settlement rather than simply having the option available.
Beyond banking integration, the partnership includes European digital asset custody and exploratory equity financing work through Ripple Prime's Delta One business. According to the announcement, the companies are exploring equity financing through Ripple Prime's Delta One business, which covers U.S. equities and equity derivatives, while the settlement and payments components are described as integrations. In a separate development, Standard Chartered launched RLUSD custody on the XRP Ledger through its Dubai International Financial Centre branch, with eligible institutional clients able to hold the stablecoin through that operation. DriveWealth and Ripple Prime are separately looking at equity financing programs in the Delta One business, with plans to place the treasury and custody platform on top of the Ripple network, providing clients with a more integrated approach to managing dollars, stablecoins and crypto assets. The companies describe treasury and custody infrastructure moving onto Ripple's rails, where clients would have a real-time view of dollars, stablecoins, and crypto and the ability to move between them.
According to the latest reports, RLUSD has exceeded $2.5 billion in market capitalization, including more than $1 billion issued on the XRP Ledger. As reported by crypto.news on September 26, RLUSD's supply approached $2.5 billion, with CoinMarketCap placing circulation near 2.49 billion tokens. Ripple had reported that the stablecoin passed $2 billion in market value in late August. At the September snapshot, DefiLlama figures cited in the report placed the XRP Ledger's total stablecoin supply near $1.19 billion, with RLUSD accounting for about $1.10 billion, or more than 92% of the tracked total. For the U.S. issuance structure, Ripple identifies Standard Custody & Trust Company as RLUSD's issuer, which operates under a limited-purpose trust charter supervised by the New York State Department of Financial Services. According to Ripple's transparency disclosures, RLUSD reserves are subject to monthly independent attestations, with its published September 24 snapshot listing approximately $2.409 billion in circulating tokens against $2.5315 billion in reserve funds. The integration adds RLUSD as another payment rail for fintechs using Cross River's infrastructure, with customers accessing the stablecoin through the same API used for ACH, wire, and real-time payments, making RLUSD an additional rail rather than a replacement for existing methods.
