Ripple has finished its $1.25 billion purchase of Hidden Road and rebranded the firm as Ripple Prime, company leaders confirmed. According to executive remarks, the deal makes Ripple the first crypto company to own and run a global, multi-asset prime broker.
Ripple Prime will offer services such as clearing, financing, and prime brokerage across asset classes, including FX, derivatives, swaps, and digital assets. Hidden Road’s founder, Marc Asch, will remain involved and work with CEO Brad Garlinghouse and other leaders as integration continues.
RLUSD, Ripple’s institutional stablecoin, is already being used as collateral across several prime brokerage products. According to company statements, some derivatives clients have chosen to hold balances in RLUSD rather than other currencies.
The moves aim to expand custody, payments, liquidity, and treasury capabilities. Based on company comments, Ripple sees these buys as steps toward offering institutions a broader set of services tied to digital assets and traditional markets.
Ripple has said it will use blockchain tools to streamline operations at Ripple Prime and reduce costs. According to executive remarks, the plan is to mesh payments, custody solutions, and stablecoin utility with prime brokerage functions to increase adoption among institutional clients.
Monica Long’s upbeat message came with concrete moves rather than just words. Reports show Ripple Prime’s expansion and RLUSD’s institutional traction could make XRP more useful to banks and asset managers.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has repeatedly emphasized the company’s commitment to XRP, and Ripple’s latest steps put the token inside a wider set of services aimed at professional users.
XRP has been moving quietly within a tight range lately, holding between $2.30 and $2.50. The broader crypto market has stayed calm, and the token continues to trade comfortably above $2.20, showing resilience despite muted activity.
According to crypto analysts, XRP’s quiet phase might not last long, pointing to a potential setup for a massive rally that could lift the coin far beyond its current zone — possibly reaching above $27 in the long run.
Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
