DriveWealth, a provider of brokerage infrastructure, said Wednesday, Oct. 14 that it has teamed up with Ripple to add stablecoin settlement, international payments and digital asset custody to its platform. The integration will run on the Ripple RLUSD stablecoin and the XRP Ledger, with settlement services launching first in Europe before a planned expansion to the United States.

The deal places the Ripple RLUSD stablecoin inside a brokerage network that serves more than 100 global partners, according to Crypto News. Fintech firms, digital wallets and financial institutions use DriveWealth's infrastructure to offer their customers access to U.S. markets, so the integration extends stablecoin funding to an established base of investing providers.

Ripple RLUSD stablecoin settlement on the XRP Ledger

Under the arrangement, DriveWealth will use Ripple's dollar-backed RLUSD token on the XRP Ledger for settlement, together with tools for minting and burning the stablecoin, Crypto News reported. Settlement in Europe comes first under the agreement, and the companies intend to broaden the service into the U.S. market at a later stage.

According to the press release cited by Yahoo Finance, the integration lets DriveWealth customers fund and oversee collateral accounts using stablecoins that can be redeemed for cash in near real time, so money can move around the clock rather than waiting on an international bank wire.

DriveWealth is also moving its treasury and custody infrastructure onto Ripple's rails. The announcement describes plans to link treasury and custody functions so that clients can see their dollar, stablecoin and crypto balances as they change in real time and shift funds among them, Crypto News reported.

Cross-border payments and custody

Beyond settlement, DriveWealth will integrate Ripple Payments to support incoming cross-border transfers from its international partners, connecting those flows with the infrastructure used to support investing accounts, according to CoinGape and Crypto News.

The agreement also covers digital asset custody in Europe, with the companies planning to extend custody support to additional markets over time, Crypto News reported. According to the release quoted by CoinGape, the "Partnership brings together stablecoins, payments, liquidity, custody, and prime brokerage across DriveWealth's global financial infrastructure."

Ripple said the collaboration folds its blockchain products into DriveWealth's brokerage stack. "The collaboration brings Ripple's suite of blockchain solutions into DriveWealth's brokerage infrastructure, creating a more unified experience across traditional and digital assets," the crypto firm said, according to CoinGape.

Executives on funding around the clock

DriveWealth CEO Naureen Hassan said the company already provides trading around the clock five days a week and wants funding to match that schedule, so clients can act while markets are open rather than waiting for bank transfer windows. With the integration, she said, customers' capital could keep working "instead of sitting idle overnight or over a weekend," Crypto News reported.

Jack McDonald, Ripple's senior vice president of stablecoins, said the scope of the deal grew during discussions. "DriveWealth came to Ripple with a specific challenge around cross-border settlement, but it quickly became clear there was an opportunity to do much more together," he said, adding that the integration modernizes how money moves across trading, custody and settlement.

The companies framed the product as a fix for a structural gap: stock trades in the U.S. take one business day to settle, whereas dollar transfers across borders can be slower, a mismatch they said can tie up capital and raise funding needs for firms handling international investment flows.

Ripple Prime and equity financing

The two firms are also exploring equity financing opportunities through Ripple Prime's Delta One business, according to the release. Crypto News reported that the companies characterize that effort as exploratory, in contrast to the settlement and payments pieces, which they describe as concrete integrations.

In August, Ripple Prime added stock trading to its offering, giving customers the ability to carry out return swaps tied to U.S. equities and equity derivatives, according to CoinGape. Ripple Prime said the service gives clients a single counterparty and lets them cross-margin positions spanning multiple asset classes, Crypto News reported.

A string of Ripple RLUSD stablecoin partnerships

The DriveWealth agreement is the latest in a series of Ripple RLUSD stablecoin integrations. It follows Ripple's partnership with Privy, announced Tuesday, Oct. 13, under which the Stripe-owned wallet provider integrated programmable wallet infrastructure on the XRP Ledger, expanding access to XRP and RLUSD payments, CoinGape reported.

The settlement functions in the DriveWealth deal draw on tools Ripple has built for institutions managing RLUSD. In July, the company launched Ripple Mint, which lets approved clients create, redeem, move and track the stablecoin on supported networks, according to a July 24 report from Crypto News.

Separately, Standard Chartered launched RLUSD custody on the XRP Ledger through its Dubai International Financial Centre branch, and the bank is working with Ripple and LMAX Group on a proposed arrangement to let clients use RLUSD as trading collateral while keeping the tokens in custody, Crypto News reported. LMAX has outlined intentions to deploy the stablecoin for collateral, margin funding and settlement within its institutional trading lineup.

Conclusion

DriveWealth's integration of the Ripple RLUSD stablecoin covers settlement, cross-border payments and digital asset custody, with European settlement as the starting point and a U.S. expansion planned. The companies have also opened exploratory talks on equity financing through Ripple Prime's Delta One business, though that work remains at an early stage while the settlement and payments components proceed as integrations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the DriveWealth and Ripple partnership cover?

The partnership brings stablecoin settlement, cross-border payments and digital asset custody onto DriveWealth's brokerage platform. DriveWealth will use Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin on the XRP Ledger for settlement and integrate Ripple Payments for incoming cross-border transfers from its global partners.

Where will DriveWealth's RLUSD settlement launch first?

Settlement services will launch first in Europe, with plans to expand to the United States afterward. Digital asset custody will also begin in Europe, with the companies planning to extend custody support to additional markets over time.

How will RLUSD change funding for DriveWealth clients?

Clients will gain the ability to put stablecoins into collateral accounts and redeem them for cash in near real time, meaning money can move around the clock instead of waiting on an international bank wire. DriveWealth serves more than 100 global partners through its brokerage infrastructure.

What did DriveWealth CEO Naureen Hassan say about the Ripple deal?

Hassan said DriveWealth already offers 24/5 trading and wants funding to match that schedule so clients can move with the markets. She said the integration lets customers' capital keep working "instead of sitting idle overnight or over a weekend."

What is Ripple Prime's role in the DriveWealth agreement?

The two firms are looking into equity financing possibilities via Ripple Prime's Delta One business, an effort the announcement frames as exploratory while the settlement and payments components are firm integrations. Ripple Prime launched stock trading in August, including return swaps on U.S. equities.