Will Ripple’s $1.3B RLUSD Expansion Boost XRP Adoption?

XRP continues to trade under pressure amid a bearish crypto market. The token stands near $1.89 at the time of writing, reflecting an 8.7% decline in the past seven days and a 16.4% drop over the last 30 days. 

Price weakness comes as Ripple accelerates efforts to expand RLUSD and XRP beyond the XRP Ledger into Ethereum-based networks and other major blockchains. Can infrastructure growth outpace market sentiment?

RLUSD Targets Ethereum Layer-2 Networks

Ripple announced plans to expand its RLUSD stablecoin to Ethereum layer-2 networks next year. The company confirmed that RLUSD will undergo testing on Optimism, Coinbase’s Base, Kraken’s Ink, and Uniswap’s Unichain. Ripple said the integration will rely on interoperability protocol Wormhole to enable cross-chain functionality.

Ripple described Optimism as a key entry point due to its OP Stack, which supports a growing Superchain ecosystem. Several layer-2 networks use the OP Stack, allowing shared standards and seamless communication between chains. This structure positions RLUSD to reach multiple networks through a single technical framework.

Stablecoins as a DeFi Gateway

Ripple executives framed the expansion around utility and compliance. Jack McDonald, Ripple’s Senior Vice President of Stablecoin, said stablecoins act as the gateway to decentralized finance and institutional adoption. He stated that the expansion focuses on setting standards that align regulatory compliance with on-chain efficiency.

Ripple acknowledged that the XRP Ledger includes a built-in decentralized exchange that has operated since 2012. Still, the company said digital asset markets now operate across many chains, requiring stablecoins to meet demand wherever users transact. This approach signals a shift toward multichain deployment rather than single-network reliance.

Usage Data Highlights Early Activity

Ripple said the upcoming integrations will support RLUSD usage in consumer-facing services such as swaps, checkout options, and payments. Over the past 24 hours, RLUSD generated $32 million in trading volume, according to CoinGecko data. Most of that activity occurred on Bullish, the crypto exchange that went public in August, which handled roughly $24 million across several trading pairs.

RLUSD also recorded trading activity on Kraken and Bitstamp, the exchange acquired by Robinhood. These venues expand RLUSD’s reach across both institutional and retail platforms. Does liquidity follow infrastructure, or does infrastructure chase liquidity? Ripple appears to plan for both.

Wormhole Connects Institutional Assets

Wormhole’s role extends beyond RLUSD. In October, Wormhole said its NTT token standard supports over 100 natively multichain assets. These include BlackRock’s BUIDL fund and the Apollo Diversified Credit Fund, both tied to tokenized government debt and credit products. Ripple’s use of Wormhole places RLUSD alongside tokenized real-world assets that already operate across chains.

Last week, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse confirmed conditional approval to establish a national trust banking charter in the United States. He described the approval as a major step forward for RLUSD, which reached a valuation of $1.3 billion earlier this week. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted similar approvals to stablecoin issuers Paxos and Circle during the same period, signaling broader regulatory momentum.

Wrapped XRP Expands DeFi Access

Ripple-linked XRP also moves into multichain DeFi through a separate development. Digital asset custodian Hex Trust announced the launch of wXRP, a wrapped version of XRP backed 1:1 by native tokens held in custody. The wrapper enables XRP usage on Ethereum, Solana, Optimism, and HyperEVM, with more networks planned.

Hex Trust said wXRP will launch with $100 million in total value locked to support liquidity. The firm’s public dashboard shows over 50 million XRP in reserves and an equal amount of wXRP already circulating on Ethereum. Solana support is scheduled to follow, while Optimism and HyperEVM have deployed contracts with limited circulation so far.

Infrastructure Links XRP and RLUSD

Hex Trust executives said wXRP and RLUSD will operate on compliant infrastructure that supports broader DeFi access across chains. Ripple executives echoed that view, noting growing institutional demand for XRP beyond the XRP Ledger. Ripple also pointed to earlier RLUSD integrations, including partnerships with Mastercard and Gemini for settlement in card transactions.

As XRP and RLUSD extend into Ethereum and Solana ecosystems, Ripple continues to align stablecoin growth, custody, and interoperability under one framework. The strategy now unfolds as markets watch whether multichain access reshapes XRP’s role in decentralized finance.