defi ·
Robinhood adopts Ripple RLUSD stablecoin, Treasury software, and trading loans
The integration of Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin onto the XRP Ledger for institutional settlement at Bitstamp, alongside the adoption of Ripple Treasury for Robinhood's global cash management, signifies…
2 outlets · Decrypt · unchainedcrypto.com
The integration of Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin onto the XRP Ledger for institutional settlement at Bitstamp, alongside the adoption of Ripple Treasury for Robinhood's global cash management, signifies a deepening of the partnership between the two entities.
Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin has been made available on Robinhood Chain and the Bitstamp exchange, with plans indicating its arrival in the primary Robinhood application later this year, according to a statement released by Ripple. RLUSD functions as a stablecoin, a digital token engineered to maintain a peg to one U.S. dollar, thereby enabling cross-blockchain monetary transfers without reliance on traditional banking delays. This token debuted in December 2024, and Ripple noted that its current market capitalization, representing the aggregate worth of all circulating tokens, exceeds $2.5 billion.
Furthermore, Robinhood intends to utilize Ripple Treasury, a software suite designed to oversee a corporation's capital, managing functions ranging from payments to cash-flow projections and risk assessment, for its worldwide treasury functions.
The collaboration also extends to institutional financing; Ripple Prime, a prime broker responsible for lending and trade clearing for major institutions such as hedge funds, currently furnishes Bitstamp with lending and margin financing across approximately twenty digital assets. Ripple acquired this firm, previously known as Hidden Road, for $1.25 billion in a transaction disclosed in April 2025. Clients utilizing Ripple Prime on Bitstamp can access spot trading, and the platform is slated to incorporate perpetual futures trading later this year—contracts that speculate on a cryptocurrency's future price and do not expire.
Robinhood, which serves 28.6 million customers who have funded their accounts, is incorporating this digital dollar created by Ripple, the organization whose founders originated the XRP cryptocurrency.
Johann Kerbrat, senior vice president and general manager of Robinhood Crypto and International, commented on the strategic implications, stating, “Utility is what moves stablecoins forward. Working with Ripple, Bitstamp and Robinhood will have access to RLUSD for institutional settlement, Ripple Treasury for our operations, and Ripple Prime for financing,” adding, “That is what a connected, global financial system looks like.”
This development follows a period where Robinhood reduced its cryptocurrency offerings during the SEC's scrutiny of Ripple and other crypto firms, though the application added XRP for U.S. users in November 2024. Now, Ripple's software will support the operational aspects of Robinhood's internal treasury department. This strategic move comes as Robinhood implemented staff reductions of roughly 10% in June, following a 34% decline in revenue within its crypto transaction segment during the first quarter, reporting $134 million. Robinhood is scheduled to release its third-quarter results after market close on Tuesday, marking the first report covering a complete quarter since the July 1 launch of Robinhood Chain.
In a related development, Monica Long, president of Ripple, remarked that this partnership "reflects growing institutional demand for integrated solutions that support both customer-facing offerings and core financial operations."
RLUSD, which was launched in December 2024, showed a market capitalization of about $2.62 billion according to CoinGecko data on Wednesday. Robinhood reported having 28.7 million funded customers in its third-quarter results, which Unchained covered on Tuesday. This agreement occurred amidst several positive developments for RLUSD, including Ripple securing final federal approval for a national trust bank to manage the stablecoin’s reserves, and Moody's assigning RLUSD an A2 deposit rating. Separately, BNY has begun providing custody services for XRP to institutional clientele and plans, in coordination with Ripple, to allow these clients to mint and redeem RLUSD within the bank, pending final approvals, with no specific timeline provided.
These institutional integrations underscore a broader trend where established financial intermediaries are increasingly adopting decentralized ledger technology and stablecoin infrastructure to streamline back-office operations and facilitate complex cross-border capital movements.
Why it matters
This integration signals a significant push toward institutional adoption of stablecoins and blockchain infrastructure within major retail platforms. For DeFi and L2 observers, this highlights the practical utility of stablecoins in corporate treasury management and settlement layers. The deepening ties between these entities could influence the regulatory landscape for digital asset operations.
