Ripple announced partnerships with DriveWealth and Meritz Securities on October 14 to extend its infrastructure into brokerage and securities markets. The agreements mark Ripple's expansion beyond cross-border payments into traditional capital markets, where financial institutions are exploring blockchain technology to reduce settlement delays and tokenize assets.
Under the DriveWealth arrangement, the brokerage infrastructure provider will integrate Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin on the XRP Ledger to support settlement in Europe, with potential expansion into the US. DriveWealth currently supports 24-hour US equity trading five days a week but faces delays when international clients transfer funds across borders during bank downtime.
The integration enables clients to fund and manage collateral accounts with stablecoins convertible to cash in near real time, reducing capital held idle during traditional bank transfers. DriveWealth will also integrate Ripple Payments for cross-border funding and use Ripple's digital-asset custody infrastructure in Europe, with plans to expand to additional markets. The companies are exploring equity financing through Ripple Prime's Delta One business, which provides institutional services for US equities and derivatives.
DriveWealth provides investment infrastructure to more than 100 partners worldwide, creating a distribution channel for Ripple's services across its existing network of financial institutions, digital wallets, and fintech platforms. The companies did not disclose expected settlement volumes, financial terms, or integration timelines.
Ripple's separate agreement with South Korea's Meritz Securities positions the company to participate in the country's tokenized-securities framework. The companies will explore Ripple Custody and tokenization infrastructure within Meritz's operations as South Korean regulations develop. Meritz is evaluating opportunities in fractional investment products, security tokens, trading platforms, spot exchange-traded funds, and won-denominated stablecoins, though the agreement does not commit either party to launching specific products.
Meritz becomes Ripple's first Korean securities-firm partner and its fourth institutional partner in the country this year, following arrangements with Kyobo Life Insurance, Kbank, and Jeonbuk Bank covering tokenized government-bond settlement, digital-asset custody, and cross-border remittances.
South Korea's Financial Services Commission has scheduled the first phase of its tokenized-securities framework to begin February 4, 2027, when amendments to the Electronic Registration Act take effect. The initial phase will cover selected institutional bonds, money market funds, unlisted shares issued through trust structures, and certain fractional investment securities, with broader public securities and stablecoin-linked settlement planned for later stages.
