Ripple announced partnerships on October 14 with U.S. investment-infrastructure provider DriveWealth and South Korea’s Meritz Securities, extending its business beyond cross-border payments into global brokerage and securities markets. The agreements cover stablecoin settlement, cross-border funding, digital-asset custody and securities tokenization, but the companies have not disclosed expected transaction volumes, commercial terms or a full integration timeline.
At the time of publication, XRP was trading at $1.33, down 3.04% over 24 hours, 6.77% over seven days and 9.27% over 30 days. The partnerships are not a confirmation that the products are already broadly available.
DriveWealth plans RLUSD settlement in Europe
DriveWealth provides investment and brokerage infrastructure to more than 100 partners. Under the agreement, it plans to add Ripple-issued RLUSD to settlement workflows built on the XRP Ledger, starting in Europe, with the possibility of expanding to the U.S. market.
The firm already supports U.S. stock trading 24 hours a day, five days a week. But international customers may still face delays when funding accounts or moving collateral because of bank opening hours, time-zone differences and traditional cross-border transfer processes. Ripple and DriveWealth aim to let customers fund accounts and manage collateral with stablecoins, then convert to fiat currency in near real time, reducing the time cash sits idle while bank transfers are processed.
DriveWealth CEO Naureen Hassan said the company had established 24/5 trading and that the next step was to make funding arrangements match those trading hours. The focus of the partnership is therefore on improving the availability of funds across borders, rather than extending trading hours.
The agreement also covers Ripple Payments, which DriveWealth plans to use for cross-border transfers involving international partners. The company will also integrate Ripple’s digital-asset custody infrastructure in Europe and assess expansion into other markets. Separately, the firms are exploring equity-financing opportunities through the Delta One business of Ripple Prime, which serves institutional clients in U.S. equities and equity derivatives.
For Ripple, DriveWealth’s existing brokerage network offers a route to distribute its infrastructure to financial institutions, digital wallets and fintech platforms that provide access to U.S. markets. The companies have not said how much transaction volume RLUSD could handle or when specific institutions will complete integration.
Meritz becomes Ripple’s first securities-firm partner in South Korea
Ripple’s agreement with Meritz Securities brings institutional custody and asset-tokenization work into South Korea’s capital markets. Meritz will initially assess Ripple Custody and tokenization infrastructure within its existing securities business. The scope of the partnership may expand as South Korea’s digital-asset regulations develop.
Areas under review include fractional investment products, security tokens, trading platforms, spot exchange-traded funds and won-denominated stablecoins. The agreement is exploratory; it does not mean the companies have decided to launch any of these products.
Meritz is Ripple’s first securities-firm partner in South Korea and its fourth institutional partner in the country this year. Ripple previously partnered with Kyobo Life Insurance, Kbank and Jeonbuk Bank on areas including tokenized government-bond settlement, digital-asset custody wallets and cross-border remittances. The Meritz deal extends Ripple’s local focus from payments and custody into infrastructure related to securities issuance, trading and registration.
South Korea’s tokenized-securities framework starts in 2027
South Korea’s Financial Services Commission has scheduled the first phase of its tokenized-securities regulatory framework to begin on February 4, 2027. Amendments to the Electronic Securities Act are due to take effect then, initially covering certain corporate bonds and money market funds, unlisted shares issued through trust structures, and some fractional investment securities.
Broader public securities and settlement infrastructure linked to stablecoins are planned for later stages. The rules could prompt securities firms to prepare systems for issuing, registering and transferring blockchain-based financial instruments. Whether particular products launch will depend on detailed regulations, institutional approvals and market demand.
The two agreements show Ripple extending its focus from cross-border payments into brokerage settlement, institutional custody and securities tokenization. So far, the companies have announced planned technical integrations and product assessments; transaction volumes, revenue contributions and the pace of rollout in South Korea remain undisclosed.