Ripple advances RLUSD institutional payment application, stablecoin used for on-chain settlement of the BlackRock BUIDL fund

In January 2026, Ripple once again became a focal point of discussion in the crypto market. Topics related to its USD stablecoin RLUSD and its potential connection with asset management giant BlackRock continued to heat up on social platforms. On January 13, the Ripple community account revealed that the company is promoting RLUSD for deep integration into institutional payment and settlement scenarios, sparking widespread attention within the XRP ecosystem.

Some market rumors suggest that BlackRock has used RLUSD as collateral assets for real-time blockchain settlements. However, based on publicly available information, this claim appears to be significantly exaggerated. The reality is that the cooperation between Ripple and BlackRock is more focused on tokenized asset settlement layers rather than a comprehensive funding or collateral relationship.

RLUSD is Ripple’s compliant USD stablecoin, backed 1:1 by USD cash and short-term US Treasury bonds, and has received approval from the New York State Department of Financial Services. Unlike stablecoins aimed at retail transactions, RLUSD has been designed from the outset for institutional applications, with core objectives including cross-border payments, fund clearing, and on-chain asset settlement. By the end of 2025, RLUSD’s market cap exceeded $1 billion, and it was deployed on both the XRP Ledger and Ethereum networks.

From a partnership structure perspective, Ripple had established a cooperation with tokenization platform Securitize as early as 2025. Under this framework, RLUSD is used to settle the BlackRock-issued on-chain US Treasury fund BUIDL. This fund allows institutional investors to hold Treasury assets in token form, with RLUSD serving as the settlement medium, enabling instant 24/7 exchange between BUIDL shares and USD. This mechanism significantly enhances the liquidity and operational efficiency of on-chain funds, but it does not mean that BlackRock uses RLUSD as a universal collateral asset across all its operations.

Institutional interest in RLUSD reflects the broader trend of traditional finance accelerating its embrace of asset tokenization. Banks and funds are increasingly focusing on low-cost, real-time settlement and compliant stablecoin solutions. If more institutional payment and tokenization projects connect with RLUSD in 2026, its role in institutional crypto payments and on-chain financial infrastructure could be further strengthened.