Ripple has raised $500 million in a funding round led by Citadel Securities and Fortress Investment Group, strengthening its position as a leading player in blockchain-based payment and stablecoin infrastructure. The round, which also included participation from existing institutional investors, marks one of the largest digital-asset fundraises of 2025.
Executives said the new capital will be used to expand Ripple’s U.S. operations, accelerate development of its stablecoin RLUSD, and grow partnerships with banks and payment providers adopting blockchain settlement. The funding follows Ripple’s rapid growth in cross-border payments, where RLUSD has become one of the most widely integrated dollar-backed tokens in enterprise networks.
Citadel’s involvement is viewed by analysts as a major endorsement for regulated stablecoin firms seeking institutional legitimacy. Fortress, which has invested heavily in digital-credit markets, is expected to provide strategic guidance as Ripple scales its tokenized liquidity and treasury products. The collaboration highlights increasing alignment between traditional finance and blockchain infrastructure providers.
Ripple executives emphasized that the company will focus on compliance and transparency as it expands its stablecoin footprint. RLUSD reserves are held entirely in short-term U.S. Treasury assets, and the firm publishes independent audit attestations to maintain regulatory confidence. This approach, Ripple stated, is intended to ensure the stablecoin’s long-term reliability and integration with institutional payment systems.
The company’s valuation has reportedly reached $15 billion following the latest round, up from $11 billion in early 2024. Analysts believe the surge reflects rising demand for transparent, U.S.-regulated stablecoin issuers capable of bridging on-chain and traditional financial ecosystems. Ripple’s ongoing partnerships with regional banks and fintech platforms are also driving adoption, particularly in Latin America and Asia.
Industry observers note that the investment underscores a wider trend of Wall Street capital flowing into stablecoin and tokenization ventures. As regulators finalize rules for reserve-backed digital assets, established hedge funds and private-equity firms are positioning early to capture the next phase of financial-infrastructure modernization.
For Ripple, the infusion of capital comes at a critical time as competition intensifies among major issuers. The company plans to introduce new use cases for RLUSD in trade finance, cross-border settlements, and decentralized lending protocols. Executives said the goal is to position RLUSD as the preferred institutional settlement token by combining liquidity access with clear regulatory oversight.
The $500 million round represents more than just an expansion of capital it signals growing investor confidence in regulated blockchain finance. Ripple’s success could accelerate institutional adoption of stablecoins and reinforce the view that compliant digital-asset models are becoming central to global payment transformation.
