XRP News Today: "Ripple Connects Cryptocurrency and Conventional Finance Through Integrated Trading Platform"

Ripple has introduced a digital asset spot prime brokerage service tailored for U.S. institutional investors, representing a major step into mainstream financial services after its $1.25 billion purchase of Hidden Road, a global multi-asset prime brokerage, according to

. The newly launched Ripple Prime platform supports over-the-counter (OTC) spot trading for leading cryptocurrencies such as and RLUSD, Ripple’s stablecoin, as well as derivatives, swaps, and forex products, as reported by . This setup lets institutions cross-margin OTC spot trades with swaps, CME futures, and options, giving them more flexibility in digital asset portfolio management, according to .

This launch highlights Ripple’s ongoing efforts to connect the crypto sector with traditional finance. By merging Hidden Road’s technology with Ripple’s regulatory approvals, the company now offers institutional clients a full range of services, including custody, payments, and trading, The Crypto Basic reported. Michael Higgins, International CEO of Ripple Prime, stated that this expansion equips Ripple to satisfy institutional needs for a broader array of trading solutions, CoinDesk noted. Ripple’s core assets, XRP and RLUSD, play a key role in these services, boosting liquidity and settlement speed for institutional users, CoinDesk added.

This development follows a series of strategic acquisitions. In 2024, Ripple bought Standard Custody & Trust, a U.S.-based crypto custodian, and in 2025, it acquired Rail, a stablecoin payments company, and GTreasury, a treasury management software provider, according to The Crypto Basic. These deals have enabled Ripple to handle more than $3 trillion in yearly transactions for over 300 institutions via Hidden Road, and post-trade processes are now shifting to the XRP Ledger, taking advantage of its rapid settlement capabilities to improve efficiency, The Crypto Basic reported.

As Ripple’s institutional initiatives accelerate, the XRP market remains intricate. On November 1, 2025, Ripple released 1 billion XRP (valued at around $2.49 billion) from escrow as part of its routine liquidity management, according to

. Generally, 70–80% of these tokens are locked up again, keeping the net increase in circulating supply between $500–750 million, estimates. Experts expect little immediate effect on price, but traders are watching the re-lock percentages as an indicator of Ripple’s liquidity approach for 2026, BeInCrypto mentioned.

Recent swings in XRP’s price have reignited discussion about how its market capitalization should be calculated. Some critics believe that escrowed tokens—totaling 35 billion XRP—should

be included in the effective supply, comparing them to Bitcoin’s lost coins, as BeInCrypto previously discussed. Ripple’s CTO explained that the company can sell rights to future escrowed XRP, giving institutions early access to upcoming supply, CoinPaprika noted. Meanwhile, investor sentiment is shifting: large holders are diversifying into altcoins such as (TAO), MemeCore (MEMECORE), and Remittix (RTX), which are seen as having practical applications, according to .

Regulatory hurdles remain. A federal court recently supported the Federal Reserve’s decision to deny a crypto bank’s application for a master account, citing concerns about systemic risk, as reported by

. Ripple has pushed for crypto companies to gain such access, but the Fed remains wary; with Jerome Powell’s term nearing its end, future policy changes could potentially relax these restrictions, Sistemi observed.