Ripple Secures $500 Million Investment Amid Pursuit of U.S. National Bank Charter

Ripple, the blockchain and crypto solutions firm, has significantly advanced its long-held vision in banking and payments, notably by pursuing a U.S. national bank charter. This strategic move, which has been years in the making, has garnered attention from industry observers. As Eric Turner noted in a recent tweet, "> Gotta give @bgarlinghouse credit here. They've always had the vision of being in banking/payments, and now they're just building their own bank."

The company formally applied to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national bank charter in July 2025 and is also seeking a Federal Reserve Master Account. These applications aim to integrate Ripple deeper into the U.S. financial system, potentially allowing direct access to the Fed's payment infrastructure and enhancing regulatory legitimacy. If approved, Ripple would operate under both state and federal oversight, setting a new benchmark for trust in the stablecoin market.

Ripple has concurrently been building a comprehensive institutional financial platform, launching services such as Ripple Prime for digital-asset brokerage, Ripple Payments for real-time settlements, and Ripple Custody for institutional assets. This expansion follows a series of strategic acquisitions in 2025, including prime broker Hidden Road and custody firm Palisade, forming a vertically integrated enterprise spanning trading, custody, payments, and liquidity management.

Central to Ripple's strategy is its regulated dollar-backed stablecoin, RLUSD, which launched in December 2024 and has seen its supply surpass $1 billion by November 2025. The company recently secured a $500 million strategic investment, valuing it at $40 billion, further fueling its ambitions. This investment round was led by Fortress Investment Group and Citadel Securities, underscoring significant market confidence.

CEO Brad Garlinghouse has articulated Ripple's intent to "massively transform the space, leveraging our unique position and strengths of XRP to accelerate our business and enhance our current solutions and technology." This vision involves bridging regulated finance with decentralized settlement, aiming to provide liquidity, clearing, and settlement without relying on legacy banking infrastructure, positioning Ripple as a major player in the future of institutional finance.