DeFi
Ripple CEO: XRP Ledger is “the blockchain of choice for institutional DeFi use cases”
On July 19, 2024, Ripple CEO Monica Long published a detailed blog post outlining Ripple’s vision and progress in leveraging blockchain technology for financial services. Long began by reflecting on Ripple’s founding belief that blockchain would become the global financial infrastructure of the future, enabling more affordable services for individuals and businesses around the world. She noted that the early days of crypto lacked the infrastructure, liquidity, trust, and regulatory clarity needed for institutional adoption.
Long Underlines She highlighted that significant advances in the last decade, such as the approval of the first BTC and ETH Spot ETFs in the United States, BlackRock’s launch of its tokenized fund, and the EU’s comprehensive regulation of cryptocurrencies under MiCA, have helped to establish support measures for cryptocurrencies. She highlighted that financial institutions such as Fidelity, Itaú Unibanco, Stripe, and PayPal are now facilitating the exchange, holding, and use of cryptocurrencies, marking substantial progress in the acceptance and maturity of the cryptocurrency market.
According to Long, Ripple has evolved to seize these opportunities, validating blockchain’s potential to deliver faster, cheaper, and more reliable financial services. She emphasized the need for a simple and reliable digital asset infrastructure, similar to the essential components of running an internet-based business. This infrastructure includes on-ramps, off-ramps, custody, and liquidity.
Ripple’s first major initiative, using the XRP Ledger (XRPL) for cross-border payments, showcased the capabilities of the blockchain. Long explained that Ripple Payments now has near-global coverage, processing over $50 billion in volume across more than 80 payment markets. She also mentioned that Ripple’s services have expanded to provide secure and compliant digital asset infrastructure for financial institutions.
Long also discussed Ripple’s acquisition of Metaco, a digital asset custody technology provider, now rebranded as Ripple Custody. She believes the acquisition allows Ripple to execute on its global product roadmap and expand its custody services.
Additionally, Long announced Ripple’s plans to launch a stablecoin, Ripple USD (RLUSD), on the XRP Ledger and Ethereum blockchains; she expects the move to bridge traditional finance with crypto, improving Ripple payments.
Long concluded by reaffirming Ripple’s commitment to using blockchain technology to deliver superior financial services, emphasizing its goal of being the premier digital asset infrastructure provider for financial services.
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