Ripple Raises $500 Million in Funding
Blockchain payments firm Ripple raised $500 million in new equity funding. The investment round values Ripple at $40 billion. Fortress Investment Group and Citadel Securities led the funding. Other participants included Pantera Capital, Galaxy Digital, Brevan Howard, and Marshall Wace.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said in a press release that the investment shows Ripple’s strong momentum. He added it confirms the market opportunity they are pursuing.
Garlinghouse explained Ripple was founded in 2012 to make payments faster and cheaper. Since then, it has expanded into stablecoins, custody, and prime brokerage using the XRP Ledger.
Growth Through Acquisitions and Expansion
The new funds will help Ripple accelerate growth and expand global partnerships with institutional clients. Ripple recently completed a $1 billion tender offer at the same valuation.
- Ripple Payments handles over $95 billion in transaction volume.
- The RLUSD stablecoin has grown rapidly since its launch less than a year ago.
- CoinMarketCap reports RLUSD’s market cap has surpassed $1 billion.
- RLUSD is also used as collateral on Ripple Prime, the company’s institutional brokerage platform.
- Ripple acquired six companies in the past two years, including Metaco, Rail, and GTreasury.
- These acquisitions have expanded Ripple from payments into a full financial services platform.
- The company holds 75 regulatory licenses worldwide, supporting its growth.
Stablecoin Regulation and Market Trends
Ripple’s progress continues amid growing global stablecoin regulation. Countries are adopting frameworks similar to the U.S.’s GENIUS Act. Europe enforces the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation. Japan and South Korea are also developing their own rules.
Reports from Keyrock and Latin American exchange Bitso predict the stablecoin market could reach $1 trillion by 2030.
