Ripple SVP Explains How XRP and RLUSD Fit Into Company’s Institutional Strategy

Ripple has unveiled a series of institutional partnerships involving the XRP Ledger (XRPL).

The company said collaborations with Mastercard, JPMorgan, Ondo Finance, and OKX are to expand blockchain use across traditional and digital finance.

In a video shared by Grayscale, Ripple SVP Jack McDonald outlined the company’s latest institutional strategy. He highlighted the role of both the XRP Ledger and Ripple USD (RLUSD) in driving real-world adoption.

Mastercard, JPMorgan, and Ondo Finance Collaboration

During the interview, McDonald, CEO of Standard Custody and Ripple’s Senior Vice President of Stablecoins, said Ripple is focusing on building institutional-grade infrastructure for moving value.

McDonald said Ripple recently announced a collaboration involving Mastercard, JPMorgan, and Ondo Finance. Trades in the initiative will settle on the XRP Ledger.

“Everything we do at Ripple is built around serving institutions and building institutional-grade infrastructure to help move value,” McDonald said.

He described the collaboration as another step toward connecting traditional finance with blockchain-based settlement.

OKX Expands RLUSD Support

McDonald also highlighted Ripple’s recent partnership with OKX. He said the exchange now supports RLUSD across multiple products.

According to McDonald, RLUSD can be used for spot trading, derivatives trading, and as collateral. This expands the stablecoin’s use beyond payments.

The partnership is part of Ripple’s effort to make RLUSD available on major crypto exchanges before expanding its enterprise use cases.

RLUSD Shifts Focus from Growth to Utility

McDonald said RLUSD has gained strong momentum since launching about 18 months ago. The stablecoin has grown to a market capitalization of roughly $1.6 billion.

However, he said Ripple considers real-world utility more important than market capitalization over the long term.

According to McDonald, Ripple has largely achieved its initial goal of listing RLUSD on major exchanges. It has also built supporting infrastructure through market makers and custodians.

With that foundation in place, Ripple’s next focus is expanding institutional use cases for RLUSD. The company also plans to continue using the XRP Ledger as its settlement infrastructure.

Accelerated RLUSD Issuance in July

As The Crypto Basic reported earlier this month, Ripple accelerated RLUSD issuance in early July, minting $291.6 million across the XRP Ledger (XRPL) and Ethereum in two days. About $225.8 million (77%) was issued on XRPL.

On July 1, Ripple minted $169.8 million in RLUSD, with nearly all of it on XRPL. The following day, it minted another $121.8 million while burning $68.1 million as it adjusted supply between the two networks.

Across both days, XRPL recorded $225.8 million in mints and $58.1 million in burns, resulting in a net increase of $167.7 million. Ethereum saw $65.8 million in mints and $10.05 million in burns, adding $55.75 million to supply.