New custody and treasury tools aim to position XRP and RLUSD for regulated finance, though proof of institutional uptake remains limited.
Large financial institutions are reassessing how digital assets could fit into regulated balance sheets as infrastructure matures beyond retail trading. Against that backdrop, Ripple has spent the past two years assembling what supporters describe as an institutional-grade stack designed to make XRP usable inside banks, pensions, and corporate treasuries.
The effort reflects a broader shift in crypto markets, where the focus has moved from speculative access to operational readiness. For institutions, the barrier is no longer how to buy a token, but how to custody it, account for it, and settle transactions within existing compliance frameworks.
An engineer and AI founder posting under the name Vincent Van Code argued this week that Ripple has largely solved those operational hurdles. In a post on X, he said the company now offers a “Wall Street kit” combining payments, custody, treasury management, and prime brokerage services tied to the XRP Ledger and Ripple’s dollar-backed stablecoin, RLUSD.
The commentary is not an official Ripple announcement, but it highlights how the company is framing its strategy as it courts traditional finance during 2025 and 2026.
From payments rails to custody
Ripple’s core pitch rests on linking XRP Ledger settlement to tools already familiar to banks. Ripple Payments is positioned as an ISO 20022-compliant cross-border transaction system that can integrate with existing banking standards rather than bypass them.
On the treasury side, Ripple acquired enterprise platform GTreasury for about $1 billion, according to the post. The software is designed to manage cash, liquidity, and risk for large organizations, a capability institutions typically require before holding or transacting with digital assets at scale.
Prime brokerage is another pillar. Ripple Prime, which Van Code said is powered by the company’s acquisition of Hidden Road for $1.25 billion, is described as providing clearing, financing, and over-the-counter trading services with settlement on the XRP Ledger. Such services are common in traditional markets but have been limited in crypto outside of major exchanges.
Custody remains central to institutional participation. Van Code pointed to Ripple Custody, strengthened through the Palisade acquisition and earlier integrations with Standard Custody and Metaco. The service is described as offering multi-party computation security, multi-chain support, and compliance features aimed at regulated entities. He also said RLUSD reserves are held with BNY Mellon, a detail that underscores Ripple’s attempt to anchor its stablecoin within established custodial infrastructure.
The argument is that institutions managing pensions, retirement funds, or bank balance sheets cannot rely on self-custody models common in crypto. Instead, they need audited, regulated custody that aligns with risk and compliance mandates.
Adoption still an open question
While the infrastructure narrative is gaining visibility, analysts caution that building tools does not automatically translate into adoption. Institutional participation is typically measured by observable capital flows, sustained liquidity, and production deployments within financial operations.
Ripple did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the claims made in the post. Market observers note that XRP’s role inside institutions will only be clear once banks and asset managers are seen using the ledger and RLUSD at scale for settlement or treasury functions.
The timing matters. As regulators in major jurisdictions continue to clarify rules around custody and stablecoins, firms like Ripple are racing to position themselves as compliant service providers rather than disruptive outsiders.
Whether XRP can shift from a trading-focused asset to a piece of financial plumbing will depend less on forecasts and more on evidence. For now, Ripple’s expanding stack suggests the company believes the institutional moment is approaching, even as the market waits for confirmation in the data.
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