Grafa logo

Ripple marks rapid rise of RLUSD into top stablecoin tier

Written by Heidi Cuthbert Published Dec. 18 2025Last Updated Dec. 18 2025

Share

Ripple has marked the first anniversary of its US dollar stablecoin RLUSD, highlighting its rapid rise into the top tier of regulated stablecoins.

The company said RLUSD moved from launch to becoming a top five USD stablecoin within a year.

Bullish sentiment around RLUSD increased after Ripple shared performance updates on social media platform X.

Ripple senior vice president of stablecoins Jack McDonald said the token achieved significant scale in a short timeframe.

I’m excited to celebrate the one-year anniversary of RLUSD – we’ve gone from 0 to a top 5 USD stablecoin in record time. - Jack McDonald said.

McDonald said RLUSD crossed a $1 billion market capitalisation milestone in November.

RLUSD officially crossed a $1B market cap in November – one of the fastest climbs in the regulated stablecoin space. - Jack McDonald said.

He added that institutional demand reflected a growing focus on trust and compliance.

McDonald emphasised Ripple’s regulatory positioning in the United States.

The OCC conditionally approved Ripple’s national trust bank charter, pairing federal oversight with our NYDFS licence. - He added.

He said the approach aimed to establish a gold standard for enterprise-grade stablecoins.

Ripple said RLUSD’s reserves are custodied by BNY, with Deloitte providing independent attestations.

The stablecoin is being used as a liquidity rail for tokenised funds including BlackRock’s BUIDL and VanEck’s VBILL through Securitize.

Ripple said RLUSD is also integrated with financial institutions including DBS and Franklin Templeton.

The company highlighted regulatory recognition for RLUSD in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

McDonald said RLUSD has expanded across multiple blockchains including Optimism, Base, Ink and Unichain.

It was undeniably the year of the stablecoin, and I can’t wait to see what 2026 has in store. - Jack McDonald said.

Ripple celebrated the milestone publicly, describing the past year as a breakthrough period.

Ripple managing director for the Middle East and Africa Reece Merrick said the company is well positioned for further growth.

It’s been a great year and we’re perfectly positioned to have an incredible 2026,” said Reece Merrick.

Ripple chief executive Brad Garlinghouse referenced an earlier forecast on US television.

I predicted RLUSD would be a top 5 USD stablecoin by the end of the year. - Brad Garlinghouse said.

He said regulatory alignment and institutional connectivity are reshaping competition in stablecoins.