Ripple expands into securities markets with two new deals

Ripple announced partnerships with U.S. brokerage infrastructure provider DriveWealth and South Korean securities firm Meritz Securities on Oct. 14. The agreements extend Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, payments and custody services into brokerage and securities operations.

DriveWealth plans to integrate RLUSD on the XRP Ledger into its European settlement operations, with possible expansion into the United States. The companies said clients could use the stablecoin to fund brokerage accounts and manage collateral, with faster conversion to cash than traditional cross-border bank transfers.

DriveWealth supports more than 100 partners worldwide and provides access to U.S. equities 24 hours a day, five days a week. International clients can face delays when transferring funds across borders because banks operate on different schedules and in different time zones.

“We’ve already enabled 24/5 trading; now we need the funding to match,” DriveWealth Chief Executive Naureen Hassan said in the announcement.

The agreement includes Ripple Payments for cross-border funding and Ripple’s digital-asset custody infrastructure in Europe. The companies may expand those services into other markets. They are also exploring equity-financing opportunities through Ripple Prime’s Delta One business, which provides institutional services related to U.S. equities and equity derivatives.

The companies did not disclose expected settlement volumes, financial terms or a timetable for completing the integrations. DriveWealth’s network includes financial institutions, digital wallets and fintech companies that provide access to U.S. markets.

Meritz Securities will initially examine Ripple Custody and tokenization infrastructure for use in its securities operations. The South Korean firm is also evaluating possible applications involving fractional investment products, security tokens, trading platforms, spot exchange-traded funds and won-denominated stablecoins. The agreement does not require either company to launch those products.

Meritz is Ripple’s first Korean securities-firm partner and its fourth institutional partner in South Korea this year. Ripple previously announced agreements in the country with Kyobo Life Insurance, Kbank and Jeonbuk Bank. Those partnerships involve tokenized government-bond settlement, digital-asset custody wallets and cross-border remittances.

The Meritz agreement comes before South Korea’s planned introduction of a regulatory framework for tokenized securities. The Financial Services Commission has scheduled the framework’s first phase for Feb. 4, 2027, when amendments to the Electronic Registration Act are due to take effect.

The first phase is expected to cover selected institutional bonds and money-market funds, unlisted shares issued through trust structures and certain fractional investment securities. Public securities and stablecoin-linked settlement systems are planned for later phases.