The crypto payment company stated that the investment will be channeled through Ripple’s University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI), targeting institutions in South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, and Australia.
Notably, Asia-Pacific has become a key hub for fintech, boasting a high concentration of neobanks and a growing number of markets with forward-thinking regulations.
According to Ripple, these factors, combined with active developer communities, make the region well-positioned to lead in blockchain research and adoption.
Ripple has extended its collaboration with Korea University in South Korea through a six-year agreement worth $1.1 million.
In Japan, new funding will support both Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo. The latter has now received over $1.5 million from UBRI.
Professor Yang Liu of the Nanyang Technological University said:
“With our current grant, we are developing an autonomous AI agent network on the XRP Ledger to create a transparent, modular, accessible, and collaborative AI platform harnessing blockchain technology. We believe this innovation will be pivotal in shaping the future of AI.”
Taiwan joins Ripple’s UBRI network through a new partnership with the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology. The collaboration will focus on real-world asset tokenization, with upcoming research exploring technical frameworks and regulatory implications.
In Australia, Ripple is strengthening ties with the Australian National University and launching a new partnership with Victoria University.
The combined funding of $1.3 million will support legal and policy research on blockchain, digital payments, and decentralized systems. It will also back faculty-led studies into platforms like Evernode.
