Cross River Bank announced on October 15 that it is integrating Ripple USD (RLUSD) into its proprietary Core Operating System, with support for the XRP Ledger. The integration aims to provide fintech customers with access to blockchain-based settlement as an additional payment option.
Through Cross River's platform, businesses will be able to use stablecoin rails alongside conventional payment systems including ACH transfers, wire transfers, and other bank payment services. Rather than creating a separate product, the bank is positioning on-chain settlement as another available route within its existing infrastructure.
On the XRP Ledger, transactions are designed to settle in approximately three to five seconds at costs that can be a fraction of a cent. These network characteristics have made RLUSD a candidate for cross-border payments, merchant settlement, and treasury transfers that fall outside traditional banking hours.
Cross River noted that a gap exists between blockchain transaction speed and the full time required to deliver funds to an end recipient. Compliance reviews, currency conversion, and the process of converting digital assets back into bank accounts can introduce additional steps beyond on-chain settlement.
For Cross River, stablecoin support represents part of a broader effort to make different payment methods accessible through a single integration. For Ripple, the integration provides another pathway for RLUSD into regulated banking workflows. Both companies characterized the integration as an additional settlement tool rather than an immediate replacement for existing payment networks, with actual adoption depending on which fintechs choose to integrate it into their operations.
