BlackRock Now Using Ripple’s RLUSD as Collateral — Stablecoin Finds Institutional Footing in Cross-Border Finance
In a major step toward institutional crypto adoption, BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, is now using Ripple’s USD-pegged stablecoin, RLUSD, as collateral, signaling growing trust in blockchain-based finance.
Launched in late 2024 by Ripple Labs, RLUSD is a fully regulated, enterprise-grade stablecoin backed 1:1 by U.S. dollars and high-quality liquid assets.
Built to meet strict compliance standards, it operates across major blockchains including the XRP Ledger and Ethereum, and is rapidly gaining institutional adoption for its trusted regulatory framework and efficient settlement capabilities.
The BlackRock integration is part of a broader partnership with Securitize, a leading real-world asset tokenization platform.
Through this collaboration, investors in BlackRock’s USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) can now swap tokenized treasury fund shares directly for RLUSD on-chain, 24/7, positioning the stablecoin as a seamless digital collateral and settlement asset.
RLUSD’s use as collateral marks a major shift in how institutional finance operates. Traditional markets depend on slow, fiat-based settlement systems constrained by limited operating hours and layers of intermediaries.
By contrast, a compliant digital dollar like RLUSD enables always-on, near-instant settlement and liquidity, reducing friction and operational costs while bringing treasury-grade assets closer to real-time market efficiency.
Beyond collateralization, RLUSD is rapidly gaining traction in cross-border payments, an area where Ripple already has deep institutional adoption.
Integrating RLUSD into global payment rails allows institutions to move value across borders faster, more transparently, and at lower cost than legacy systems. The result is a more seamless, scalable global payments infrastructure tailored to the needs of large institutions and corporate treasuries.
Ripple’s strategy highlights a decisive shift in stablecoins, from speculative crypto assets to essential financial infrastructure. RLUSD’s adoption by BlackRock, alongside expanding institutional partnerships, underscores rising regulatory trust and the accelerating integration of blockchain into mainstream financial operations.
Conclusion
BlackRock’s adoption of Ripple’s RLUSD as collateral signals a decisive shift in institutional finance, from experimentation to regulated, scalable execution. By enabling real-time settlement, 24/7 liquidity, and efficient cross-border payments, RLUSD shows how stablecoins can move beyond crypto markets to solve core inefficiencies in global finance.
This milestone validates Ripple’s long-term vision and underscores a broader transformation underway, where blockchain-based money and tokenized assets become foundational infrastructure for next-generation financial markets.