Ripple and SettleMint announced a strategic partnership on September 1, 2026. The two companies are combining institutional digital asset custody services with tokenized asset issuance and management tools.
Their initial rollout targets regulated financial institutions across the Asia-Pacific region. The integration combines Ripple Custody with SettleMint’s Digital Asset Lifecycle Platform (DALP). Merging the two systems aims to provide banks, financial market operators, and institutions with a comprehensive foundation covering custody, issuance, compliance, settlement, and post-issuance services.
Institutional Security Without Network Mandates
Ripple Custody’s infrastructure comes with rigorous specifications. The system supports hardware security modules (HSM) and multi-party computation for cryptographic key management. The custody platform has also earned FIPS 140-2 Level 4 certification, ISO 27001 standards, and SOC 2 Type II compliance.
However, there is a notable caveat for the XRP ecosystem. The partnership announcement did not specify which blockchain networks are supported. The collaboration also does not require clients to use the XRP Ledger, the XRP token, or the RLUSD stablecoin - meaning Ripple’s latest business move creates no direct demand for its own tokens.
Chasing an $88 Trillion Market
Ripple’s business push aligns with substantial projections from Boston Consulting Group. In a May 2026 report, the firm projected that the value of tokenized real-world assets could top $88 trillion by 2035 under a progressive scenario. That figure represents 16% of total global investable assets. In comparison, publicly visible tokenized assets stood at around just $30 billion when the report was released.
To build out its supporting infrastructure, Ripple has steadily expanded its partner network. The company acquired Palisade in November 2025, partnered with Securosys and Figment in February, and integrated Chainalysis for transaction monitoring. Previously, DBS Bank even paired a tokenized money market fund with RLUSD alongside Franklin Templeton and Ripple.
Asset Trials in Asia
Implementation of Ripple Custody technology is already underway. In South Korea, insurance firm Kyobo Life is testing the settlement of tokenized government bonds using the custody platform. The testing remains a pilot project, with no published transaction volumes or confirmed date for a commercial rollout.
This partnership pattern underscores a clear trend across the institutional sector: infrastructure providers are prioritizing functional completeness over loyalty to a single network. For token holders, Ripple’s expansion into Asia demonstrates the enterprise strength of its builder - yet enterprise adoption no longer automatically translates into adoption for its token.
Reported via crypto.news.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only, not financial advice. Cryptocurrency assets are highly volatile and carry significant risk. Always do your own research (DYOR) and never invest more than you can afford to lose.
