Ripple’s RLUSD Hits Record High as UAE Opens the Door to Institutional Use
Ripple’s USD-backed stablecoin RLUSD has entered a brand new part of institutional development after being formally acknowledged by Abu Dhabi’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA). This milestone unlocks regulated use inside the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).
It coincides with RLUSD reaching a brand new all-time-high market capitalization of $1.261 billion in November, setting the stage for potential entry into the prime 5 international stablecoins.
ADGM Approval Unlocks Regulated Institutional Use for RLUSD
On November 27, Ripple introduced that RLUSD has been greenlisted by Abu Dhabi’s FSRA. This growth permits the stablecoin’s use as:
- Collateral on exchanges,
- For lending, and
- On prime brokerage platforms inside ADGM, which is Abu Dhabi’s worldwide monetary heart.
The recognition classifies RLUSD as an Accepted Fiat-Referenced Token, permitting any FSRA-licensed establishment to use it in regulated actions. Notably, nonetheless, that is contingent on the establishments assembly all firm-level compliance obligations.
The transfer follows the FSRA’s updates to its Digital Asset Regulatory Framework earlier this 12 months, designed to speed up institutional adoption whereas imposing strict oversight.
“The FSRA’s recognition of RLUSD as a Fiat-Referenced Token reinforces our dedication to regulatory compliance and belief – two non-negotiables when it comes to institutional finance,” read an excerpt in the announcement, citing Jack McDonald, Senior Vice President of Stablecoins at Ripple.
With the new designation, RLUSD can now serve as regulated settlement collateral. It also can assist lending flows and combine into prime brokerage channels working underneath ADGM oversight.
This positions the stablecoin for extra growth throughout certainly one of the world’s most active digital-asset financial hubs.
Market Cap Hits $1.261 Billion as Institutional Minting Accelerates
Meanwhile, DefiLlama information exhibits RLUSD’s market capitalization has surged previous $1.26 billion, with vital on-chain development throughout each Ethereum and the XRP Ledger (XRPL).
Ethereum hosts roughly 1.011 billion RLUSD, up over 30% this month, whereas XRPL issuance climbed 92.6% to 225 million RLUSD.
This development is especially notable given RLUSD’s institutional-only minting mannequin. Retail customers can not mint the stablecoin as issuance happens completely to certified establishments.
While this development is notable, particularly on Ethereum, issues rise about XRP’s position in stablecoin adoption. Despite Ripple’s framing of XRPL as the core infrastructure for RLUSD, new issuances since early 2025 have nearly exclusively launched on Ethereum.
To put it plainly, RLUSD’s Ethereum-heavy footprint challenges Ripple’s narrative that XRPL stays the spine of its ecosystem.
“An extended-time XRP holder found that RLUSD lives on Ethereum. He was in awe and questioned what the level of Ripple was. He later swapped his XRP for LINK and ETH,” wrote person jfab.eth.
Nonetheless, the tempo of institutional adoption has not gone unnoticed. Analyst X Finance Bull highlighted that greater than 100 million RLUSD has been minted on the XRPL in November alone.
“These are actual transactions, actual settlements, and actual capital flows. On-chain. Permissionless. Global,” they wrote.
The agency backing RLUSD, as issued underneath a New York DFS Limited Purpose Trust Charter, supplies full 1:1 USD backing through:
- High-quality liquid property,
- Third-party attestations,
- Strict reserve segregation, and
- Defined redemption rights.
Such constructions are important for approvals in tightly regulated markets like the UAE.
Analysts Say Top-Five Entry is Within Reach
Against this backdrop, analysts say top-five entry is inside attain for RLUSD amongst main stablecoins on market cap metrics.
RLUSD at the moment ranks thirteenth amongst stablecoins by market capitalization, in accordance to CoinGecko. To break into the higher tier, RLUSD would wish to surpass MakerDAO’s DAI ($4.44 billion).
With institutional companions ramping up utilization and new approvals rising throughout the Middle East, that milestone is more and more believable.
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