Ripple-Backed Firm Plans SPAC, Raising $1B to 'Create the Largest Public XRP Treasury'

Core Viewpoint - A newly formed Nevada company, Evernorth Holdings, plans to go public through a merger with Armada Acquisition Corp II, aiming to create a large publicly traded XRP treasury [1][2]. Deal Outline and Funding - The transaction is expected to raise over $1 billion in gross proceeds, including a $200 million commitment from SBI, with additional backing from Ripple, Rippleworks, Pantera Capital, Kraken, and GSR [3]. - Most of the net proceeds will be used to purchase XRP on the open market to build an institutional treasury, while the remainder will be allocated for working capital and deal expenses [4]. Company Positioning - Evernorth positions itself as a public vehicle providing simple exposure to XRP, with plans to actively grow XRP per share over time through lending to institutions, providing liquidity, and participating in decentralized finance strategies [5]. - The CEO emphasizes that Evernorth aims to create returns for shareholders while enhancing XRP's utility, with plans to run validators on the XRP Ledger and utilize Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin for XRP-based DeFi [6]. People and Governance - The leadership team includes former Ripple executive Asheesh Birla as CEO, along with CFO Matthew Frymier, COO Meg Nakamura, Chief Legal Officer Jessica Jonas, and Chief Business Officer Sagar Shah [7]. - Ripple is identified as a strategic investor, with Ripple executives expected to serve as strategic advisers, while Evernorth will maintain independent governance [7].