Ripple confirmed the completion of the acquisition of Hidden Road for $1.25 billion in October 2025, after which the company rebranded Hidden Road as Ripple Prime. This acquisition marks a significant step for Ripple, which is now the first cryptocurrency company with a global multi-asset prime broker. With Ripple Prime, built on the existing business of Hidden Road, Ripple gained access to an established infrastructure that processes over $3 trillion in transactions annually for more than 300 institutional clients.
Ripple Prime offers multi-asset clearing services, cross-margining, portfolio financing, and risk-based financing in traditional and digital markets. This solution, according to the company, aims to create institutional demand for digital assets, including XRP and RLUSD, expanding Ripple's services beyond just settlements. Previously, Ripple focused on blockchain transactions and international payments; however, its business now encompasses a wide range of financial infrastructure. This model aims to unify operations, allowing institutional clients to manage both traditional and digital assets more efficiently.
At the same time, XRP continues to play a crucial role in Ripple's strategy. The company's CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, emphasizes that XRP is the "north star" for Ripple. He noted that the transformations in Ripple Prime are aimed at increasing the utility and trust in XRP, as well as in the XRP Ledger.
XRP started August at around $1.10, reaching approximately $1.42 by September 6, briefly rising to $1.44 on September 8-9, and then pulling back to $1.35-$1.37 by September 11-12. Despite the pullback, this is about 24-25% higher than the beginning of August. According to on-chain reports, during the rise from $1.00 to $1.70, wallets holding 1-10 million XRP increased their cumulative positions by 642 million tokens.
Related articles
