XRP News Today: USDC and RLUSD Go Native on XRP Ledger Boosting Fast Settlements and Liquidity Efficiency

In a significant development for the stablecoin and cross-chain payment landscape, both USDC and Ripple’s RLUSD have launched natively on the XRP Ledger, marking a pivotal shift in how stablecoins operate and are integrated within digital finance infrastructure. This move enables faster, more efficient inter-chain transactions by eliminating the need for bridges, leveraging the XRP Ledger’s high throughput and low-cost environment [1]. Institutions and market participants are now positioned to benefit from real-time settlements, improved liquidity, and broader stablecoin adoption.

Circle, the issuer of USDC, and Ripple, the creator of RLUSD, have led this initiative. The native deployment of USDC on the XRP Ledger is a major milestone, allowing for seamless cross-border transactions that capitalize on the ledger’s capabilities [1]. According to CJB Crypto, a key enabler in this integration, the phased updates have significantly reduced settlement times for USDC from 10–30 minutes to just 30 seconds to 60 seconds, enhancing the user experience and liquidity efficiency [1]. This development aligns with the broader goals of building a more interconnected and efficient cryptocurrency ecosystem.

RLUSD, Ripple’s USD-pegged stablecoin, has also seen traction, particularly with its recent licensing in Dubai. Ripple has been integrating RLUSD into its broader payment infrastructure, positioning it as a reliable and predictable asset for digital transactions. Ripple’s CTO, David Schwartz, has emphasized that XRP remains the preferred asset for bridging and cross-border payments due to its liquidity and neutrality across currencies [3]. Although RLUSD is designed to complement XRP, the latter still holds a dominant position in the XRP Ledger ecosystem, with a market capitalization of $179.65 billion compared to USDC’s $64 billion [3].

The strategic move to offer RLUSD alongside XRP highlights Ripple’s broader vision of a diversified digital financial toolkit. By maintaining XRP as a core component of its infrastructure, Ripple aims to balance speed, stability, and compliance in the evolving payments landscape [3]. The XRP Ledger’s role in facilitating high-volume, time-sensitive transactions is further underscored by its daily trading volume, which frequently exceeds $10 billion, placing it at the center of the $155 trillion cross-border payments market [3].

While the integration of USDC and RLUSD on the XRP Ledger has been widely seen as a positive step, some critics have raised concerns about compliance and long-term adoption. Prominent crypto analyst ZachXBT has questioned the viability of these stablecoins in the face of regulatory scrutiny and market trust challenges [4]. Despite such skepticism, Ripple continues to advance its vision of a digital financial infrastructure powered by the XRP Ledger.

The coexistence of XRP and RLUSD within the same ecosystem suggests a hybrid model that leverages the strengths of both assets—XRP for speed and liquidity, and RLUSD for stability and compliance [3]. This dual-asset approach could offer a compelling alternative to traditional banking systems and other blockchain networks seeking to capture a share of the global payments market.

[1]https://www.ainvest.com/news/xrp-news-today-circle-launches-native-usdc-xrp-ledger-boost-fast-settlements-2508/

[2]https://eng.ambcrypto.com/how-ripples-rlusd-stablecoin-is-taking-crypto-payments-mainstream/

[3]https://dailycoin.com/ripple-chief-why-xrp-trumps-rlusd-as-chains-core-currency/

[4]https://cryptorank.io/news/feed/1c132-zachxbt-deletes-call-out-of-ripple-rlusd-adoption-but-questions-trust