XRP Adoption Grows as Air China Partners with Wetour for Travel Payments

XRP's latest price was $, in the last 24 hours. The cryptocurrency has seen significant developments recently, particularly in the travel and financial sectors. Air China's PhoenixMiles program has introduced XRP payments in collaboration with Wetour. This partnership enables XRP for airport transfers and car rentals for international markets, bypassing Chinese crypto regulations. This initiative signals a growing acceptance of cryptocurrency for practical use in travel, potentially influencing adoption trends and offering new conveniences to over 60 million PhoenixMiles members globally. In this partnership, Webus International Ltd., through its Wetour platform, enables the use of XRP. Nan Zheng, CEO of Webus International Ltd., noted, "This collaboration with Air China not only broadens Wetour’s global service footprint but also accelerates our vision of building a Ripple-integrated travel ecosystem." The integration noticeably impacts overseas PhoenixMiles members, offering them faster settlement options and reduced costs for services. The new payment system is highlighted as fostering adoption in competitive international travel sectors. Financial dynamics are projected to shift as the integration advances. Key advantages include enhancing liquidity options and boosting blockchain-enabled rewards for cross-border payments, aligning with international trends of crypto adoption. Current implementation does not affect ETH, BTC, or other altcoins, focusing exclusively on XRP and Ripple’s RLUSD. The broad historical context suggests growing international trends in adopting crypto for competitive edge. Projections for ongoing regulatory and technological impacts in cross-border finance hint at broader potential use cases. These may influence future adoption strategies or compliance policies for state-backed enterprises venturing into blockchain payments. Bill Morgan, Attorney and Pro-XRP Legal Commentator, mentioned, "For me, it shows adoption of XRP." Wetour, a company linked to the airline’s PhoenixMiles loyalty program, has rolled out support for XRP payments on its international platforms. The new option will allow customers to use XRP for add-on services such as airport transfers and private car rentals in overseas markets. Wetour positioned the rollout as a limited step, framing it as an experiment with digital asset payments in specific international settings rather than a full embrace of crypto. China’s Ban Shapes the Rollout Mainland China maintains one of the strictest bans on cryptocurrency usage, prohibiting all digital asset payments and steering consumers toward the state-backed digital yuan (e-CNY). For that reason, XRP payments will only be available to Air China’s 60 million PhoenixMiles members when traveling or living abroad. Air China itself is controlled by China National Aviation Holdings, a central government-owned conglomerate, making the development more notable as one of the few crypto-adjacent pilots tied to a state enterprise — even if implemented outside the mainland. Industry watchers see the announcement as part of a broader pattern: Chinese state-linked firms quietly experimenting with blockchain-based solutions in overseas environments while avoiding friction with domestic rules. By offering crypto payments abroad, companies like Wetour can study digital asset adoption and remain competitive with global travel players — all without crossing Beijing’s red lines at home. A recent tweet by crypto researcher SMQKE has drawn attention to new information concerning XRP’s recognition within global banking standards. The tweet, which included a video by XRP YouTuber and crypto enthusiast Working Money, referenced an official Basel Committee letter dated August 19, 2025. The document from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) identifies a select group of cryptocurrencies, including XRP, as compliant assets under liquidity classifications set out by Basel III regulations. In the video, Working Money explained that the Basel Committee’s letter classifies certain digital assets as Group 2A crypto assets. Under the committee’s framework, these assets must meet three hedging recognition criteria to be placed in this category. Only Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Solana, and Dogecoin were listed as meeting these requirements. This classification is significant because it means banks can use these assets to meet liquidity requirements established under Basel III standards. According to Working Money, XRP’s potential role extends beyond being a listed compliant asset. He emphasized that XRP allows banks to consolidate reserves into a single bridge asset, which reduces reliance on multiple Nostro accounts and cuts foreign exchange and treasury costs. The video highlighted how this streamlines liquidity management and lowers infrastructure expenses associated with processing cross-border payments. Working Money pointed out that Ripple has long envisioned XRP being used as a universal bridge asset, capable of providing banks with liquidity on demand once the market capitalization and trading volumes grow sufficiently. This aligns with Ripple’s stated goal of reducing opportunity costs for financial institutions by replacing or lowering their dependence on lower-yielding high-quality liquid assets required under Basel III regulations. The video also cited academic perspectives on the potential role of Ripple and XRP in financial infrastructure. Working Money referenced comments from a professor at the University of Basel, who stated that Ripple has a strong chance of replacing parts of the existing financial infrastructure. This view was reinforced by a passage he quoted from earlier research shared by SMQKE, which suggested that whenever protocols and interfaces can be unified and databases synchronized more efficiently, distributed ledger technology such as Ripple’s should be implemented. Examples of centralized systems mentioned in that research included Ripple and the R3 consortium, with both being described as having the potential to replace parts of the financial system. These observations support the argument that Ripple’s technology and the adoption of XRP as a liquidity tool are not just theoretical but are increasingly being integrated into broader discussions of regulatory frameworks and banking practices. The Basel Committee’s inclusion of XRP in its list of Group 2A liquidity-compliant assets represents a significant step for the cryptocurrency’s role in global finance. As Working Money emphasized, this development shows progress toward real-world utility for XRP within regulated banking structures. By enabling banks to simplify liquidity management and cut costs, XRP’s classification as a compliant asset could further support its use as a bridge currency in cross-border settlement. SMQKE, a well-known crypto researcher, recently shared a noteworthy post on X about Ripple and XRP. His post included an image excerpt from the Review of Banking & Financial Law, Volume 36, which contained references to Ripple’s potential role in the global payments ecosystem. By presenting this document, SMQKE highlighted an important perspective on Ripple from Morgan Stanley, one of the world’s largest financial institutions. The image shared by SMQKE features a passage that outlines Ripple’s cost-saving advantages for banks and remittance providers. It notes that using Ripple, banks can reduce processing costs by up to 60% on certain payments. This efficiency directly benefits remittance recipients by making more funds available after fees. The excerpt goes further by pointing to Ripple’s distributed ledger technology as a possible alternative to the long-established SWIFT system for interbank transactions. Specifically, it references Morgan Stanley’s evaluation of Ripple, citing the firm’s position that adopting a Ripple-like system could “shorten settlement periods, speed up transactions and reduce the risk of fraud.” Importantly, the document also states, “Morgan Stanley considers Ripple to be a leading international payment alternative to Swift,” reinforcing the role XRP and Ripple can play in global finance. This statement is significant because it reflects the perspective of a global financial powerhouse analyzing the impact of blockchain technology on traditional banking. It also shows XRP’s viability as a competitor in the international payments space. The efficiency gains outlined in the excerpt highlight the asset’s ability to streamline transactions, improve liquidity, and lower costs. These observations indirectly strengthen XRP’s adoption. The broader ecosystem supporting Ripple’s solutions relies on XRP to provide on-demand liquidity and enhance cross-border settlement processes. If Ripple’s technology serves as an alternative to SWIFT, XRP will play a central role in supporting the infrastructure, acting as a bridge currency for the payment system. SMQKE’s post sheds light on a documented perspective that elevates Ripple’s status beyond a niche blockchain solution. By referencing Morgan Stanley’s view of Ripple as a leading international payment alternative to SWIFT, the excerpt reinforces the seriousness with which Ripple’s model is taken in mainstream finance. For observers of XRP and its ecosystem, this adds weight to the argument that Ripple has established itself as a credible force in reshaping global payments, with XRP at the forefront. The XRP Ledger has activated its credentials amendment, introducing native identity verification capabilities designed to streamline compliance processes for financial institutions. XRP validator Vet confirmed the amendment’s activation, marking a significant step in Ripple’s strategy to position the network as a primary infrastructure for asset tokenization and institutional blockchain adoption. The credentials amendment enables native KYC and AML compliance verification directly on-chain, eliminating manual account approval processes. The update supports Ripple’s broader goal to capture part of the tokenized asset market, which the company projects will reach 10% of the global market by 2030.