Ripple's Stablecoin Hits $1B Milestone; Company President Discusses M&A Strategy to Fuel Growth

Core Insights - Ripple USD (RLUSD) has surpassed $1 billion in market capitalization within less than a year of its launch in December 2024, making it the 10th largest U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin by market cap [1][2] - The token is backed by dollar reserves and short-term U.S. Treasuries, and is designed for integration into Ripple's broader payments and liquidity infrastructure [2] - RLUSD's rapid growth indicates strong early demand, leveraging Ripple's existing customer base and global financial network [4] Market Position - RLUSD's market cap is significantly smaller compared to Tether's USDT at $183 billion and Circle's USDC at $76 billion, but its rise reflects a growing interest in the stablecoin [3] - The circulating supply of RLUSD is currently $819 million on the Ethereum blockchain and $203 million on the XRP Ledger network [3] Adoption and Demand - Ripple has seen a rise in demand for its payment services, processing nearly $100 billion in payment volume to date, with RLUSD being the primary stablecoin used for these payment flows [5] - The company has doubled its customer base over the year and now holds over 75 global licenses [5] Acquisition Strategy - Ripple has been active in acquisitions, purchasing four companies this year to enhance its digital assets offerings for institutions and enterprises [6] - The acquisitions include Hidden Road for $1.25 billion and Rail for $200 million, with ongoing efforts to acquire GTreasury and Palisade [6][7] - The acquisition strategy focuses on targets that either accelerate existing offerings or expand into new verticals [7]