Ripple has announced a strategic partnership with Meritz Securities, one of South Korea's leading securities firms and a subsidiary of Meritz Financial Group, to explore bringing custody and tokenization solutions to the country's capital markets. This marks Ripple's first deal with a Korean securities firm.
The companies will focus initially on bringing Meritz's existing securities business on-chain while aligning with current regulatory requirements. They plan to expand cooperation in stages as South Korea's digital asset framework evolves.
Institutional Focus
The partnership will explore Ripple Custody, which supports the secure storage, transfer, and settlement of digital assets for institutional clients. Meritz Securities is investigating opportunities including spot ETFs, fractional investment and security tokens, trading platforms, and KRW-denominated stablecoins.
"Korea is one of the most dynamic digital asset markets in the world and its institutions are preparing to move from exploration to real-world utility," said Fiona Murray, Managing Director, Asia Pacific at Ripple.
Expanding Korean Market Presence
The Meritz partnership follows three other institutional agreements Ripple announced in 2026 spanning banking, insurance, and capital markets. Ripple previously partnered with Kyobo Life Insurance, Kbank, and Jeonbuk Bank. Jeonbuk Bank adopted Ripple Payments for cross-border remittance services.
"This partnership lays the foundation for combining Ripple's global digital asset infrastructure with our capital markets capabilities. As Korea's regulatory framework evolves, we will prepare safe and trusted digital asset financial services in stages," said Byungha Kang, managing director at Meritz Securities.
