Ripple Labs is on track to receive regulatory approval from New York state authorities for its dollar-pegged stablecoin, marking a significant expansion of the blockchain company's digital payments business.
The New York Department of Financial Services is expected to greenlight Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin as early as December 4. The development comes as Ripple seeks to strengthen its position in the cross-border payments market.
Industry observers view the approval as a crucial endorsement from one of the strictest financial regulators in the US. Ripple will operate the stablecoin under its New York Trust Company Charter.
The San Francisco-based company began testing RLUSD in August. Tests were conducted on both the XRP Ledger and Ethereum blockchain. The stablecoin is designed to be overcollateralized, addressing growing demand for regulated digital payment solutions.
Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple's chief executive, moved to quell concerns from XRP token holders about the company's strategy. "The stablecoin will complement our existing products," he said in October. The company maintains that XRP will continue to play a central role in its cross-border payment network.
Ripple has secured partnerships with cryptocurrency exchanges Uphold, Bitstamp, and Bitso to facilitate RLUSD adoption. The company has pledged monthly reserve reports and third-party audits of the stablecoin's underlying assets.
The move positions Ripple to compete with established stablecoin issuers like Circle's USDC and Tether's USDT. Company executives project the stablecoin market will reach $2 trillion by 2028. They anticipate multiple issuers will operate in the expanding sector.
The launch represents Ripple's most significant product expansion since its prolonged legal battle with US securities regulators. The company aims to leverage its regulatory compliance to differentiate itself in the digital assets market. Monthly audits and reserve transparency will be central to RLUSD's operations. These measures align with increasing regulatory scrutiny of stablecoin issuers in major financial centers.