Ripple has acquired global prime broker Hidden Road for $1.25 billion in a landmark deal that could reshape institutional access to crypto. The move secures Ripple’s position as a hybrid financial powerhouse, combining traditional market infrastructure with blockchain-native innovation. CEO Brad Garlinghouse calls it a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to merge the trust of traditional finance with the speed and efficiency of blockchain via XRP and RLUSD.
Key Points
- Acquisition Value: $1.25 billion – one of the largest in crypto history.
- Prime Brokerage Expansion: Hidden Road clears $3 trillion annually and services 300+ top-tier institutional clients.
- RLUSD as Collateral: First stablecoin to enable cross-margining between digital and traditional assets.
- XRPL Integration: Hidden Road will migrate post-trade activity to XRP Ledger, cutting costs and settlement times.
- Institutional DeFi: Ripple gains strategic edge by offering traditional market access with blockchain-grade tools.
- Regulatory Footing: Ripple boasts 60+ licenses, streamlining global integration post-acquisition.
Short Narrative
With the acquisition of Hidden Road, Ripple has become the first crypto-native firm to operate a full-scale, multi-asset prime broker, effectively collapsing the artificial wall between TradFi and DeFi. Ripple’s deep war chest now fuels a broker that clears trillions in traditional markets and is trusted by hedge funds, quant traders, and market makers. Crucially, Ripple is not just acquiring clients – it’s redefining the back-end infrastructure of institutional finance by weaving in XRP and RLUSD.
Garlinghouse’s message is crystal clear: The regulatory fog is lifting in the U.S., and the big money is ready to move. Hidden Road won’t just serve as a broker – it will become a testbed for showcasing XRPL’s real-time settlement capabilities and RLUSD’s utility as collateral across asset classes. That’s not just infrastructure—it’s transformation.
Actionable Insight
This move is a wake-up call for institutions still sitting on the crypto sidelines. Ripple is building a future where USD-backed stablecoins like RLUSD power collateral flows between ETFs and tokenized assets, and XRPL settles trades faster and cheaper than legacy rails ever could. Investors and compliance teams should prepare for a new institutional norm: crypto infrastructure integrated with TradFi precision.
Call for Information
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