In January 2026, Ripple once again became a focal point of discussion in the crypto market. Topics related to its USD stablecoin RLUSD and its potential connection with asset management giant BlackRock continued to heat up on social platforms. On January 13, the Ripple community account revealed that the company is promoting RLUSD for deep integration into institutional payment and settlement scenarios, sparking widespread attention within the XRP ecosystem.
Some market rumors suggest that BlackRock has used RLUSD as collateral assets for real-time blockchain settlements. However, based on publicly available information, this claim appears to be significantly exaggerated. The reality is that the cooperation between Ripple and BlackRock is more focused on tokenized asset settlement layers rather than a comprehensive funding or collateral relationship.
RLUSD is Ripple’s compliant USD stablecoin, backed 1:1 by USD cash and short-term US Treasury bonds, and has received approval from the New York State Department of Financial Services. Unlike stablecoins aimed at retail transactions, RLUSD has been designed from the outset for institutional applications, with core objectives including cross-border payments, fund clearing, and on-chain asset settlement. By the end of 2025, RLUSD’s market cap exceeded $1 billion, and it was deployed on both the XRP Ledger and Ethereum networks.
From a partnership structure perspective, Ripple had established a cooperation with tokenization platform Securitize as early as 2025. Under this framework, RLUSD is used to settle the BlackRock-issued on-chain US Treasury fund BUIDL. This fund allows institutional investors to hold Treasury assets in token form, with RLUSD serving as the settlement medium, enabling instant 24/7 exchange between BUIDL shares and USD. This mechanism significantly enhances the liquidity and operational efficiency of on-chain funds, but it does not mean that BlackRock uses RLUSD as a universal collateral asset across all its operations.
Institutional interest in RLUSD reflects the broader trend of traditional finance accelerating its embrace of asset tokenization. Banks and funds are increasingly focusing on low-cost, real-time settlement and compliant stablecoin solutions. If more institutional payment and tokenization projects connect with RLUSD in 2026, its role in institutional crypto payments and on-chain financial infrastructure could be further strengthened.
Disclaimer: The information on this page may come from third parties and does not represent the views or opinions of Gate. The content displayed on this page is for reference only and does not constitute any financial, investment, or legal advice. Gate does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information and shall not be liable for any losses arising from the use of this information. Virtual asset investments carry high risks and are subject to significant price volatility. You may lose all of your invested principal. Please fully understand the relevant risks and make prudent decisions based on your own financial situation and risk tolerance. For details, please refer to
Disclaimer.
Related Articles
ETH drops 1.23% in 15 minutes: Retail’s concentrated sell-off and amplified ETF fund outflows weigh on the spot order book
2026-04-16 13:45 to 14:00 (UTC), ETH spot prices fell by 1.23% in just 15 minutes. The candlestick price range covered 2291.2 to 2336.98 USDT, with a swing of 1.96%. Market volatility intensified, sell pressure on the board became concentrated, and the trading community’s focus clearly shifted toward changes in capital outflows.
The main driver behind this abnormal move is large-scale, concentrated selling from retail. In the spot market, net outflows in the first 5 minutes reached as high as -$95.57M. Although some lead/major funds attempted to accumulate at lower prices (net inflows of +$18.95M in large orders over 5 minutes), the overall scale was limited and unable to effectively hedge the overall short-term selling pressure. Meanwhile, the ETH futures market did not show extreme liquidations or large-scale position closures, indicating that the core of the abnormal move came from a spot supply-and-demand imbalance rather than leveraged liquidation cascades.
In addition, ETH spot ETF funds have continued to experience net outflows in early April. On April 1, the single-day net outflow was $7.1M. The overall trend in Q1 was bearish, directly reflecting weakening institutional capital allocation intent and further undermining market confidence. Some funds have shifted to on-chain staking and emerging DeFi protocols. It is also worth noting that large holders with holdings in the 100,000-ETH range have continued to reduce their positions since the end of March. Whale capital outflows have persisted, and retail has followed the above signals, leading to a multi-factor selloff resonance effect in the short term. Although both the number of active addresses on the ETH chain and daily trading volume have hit historical highs, network usage and liquidity are overall strong, but capital flow has not formed any substantive spot buy orders, making it difficult to drive a price reversal.
At present, short-term market risk remains significant. Investors should pay attention to the strength of subsequent retail selling, the direction of ETF fund flows, and changes in large-holder positions. If large holders and major funds do not form a strong follow-through/acceptance, the spot market may continue to be affected by the release of structural supply. It is recommended that investors monitor key support zones in real time, track large on-chain fund movements, and watch for macro news developments, in order to reasonably mitigate the risk of short-term price fluctuations and promptly obtain more market information.
GateNews23m ago
ETH falls below 2300 USDT
Gate News bot message, Gate quotes show that ETH has fallen below 2300 USDT, with the current price at 2296.29 USDT.
CryptoRadar31m ago
Charles Schwab Launches Schwab Crypto Spot Trading for Bitcoin and Ethereum
Charles Schwab launched Schwab Crypto on April 16, a spot cryptocurrency trading service for retail customers. It supports direct trading of Bitcoin and Ethereum and offers education and support, integrating with existing financial services.
GateNews39m ago
Ethereum Foundation Funds $1M Audit Program for Smart Contract Developers
The Ethereum Foundation has launched a $1 million subsidy program designed to help Ethereum mainnet builders pay for professional smart contract security audits.
Key Takeaways:
The Ethereum Foundation launched a $1 million audit subsidy program on April 14, 2026, to help builders cover security r
Coinpedia1h ago
InterLink Launches Visa Card Supporting USDT and ETH Across 100M+ Merchants
InterLink has launched a Visa card allowing users to spend USDT and ETH at over 100 million merchants worldwide. It offers instant crypto-to-fiat conversion and integrates with mobile payment apps, enhancing the use of digital assets in daily transactions. Future updates will include support for InterLink's native tokens.
GateNews2h ago
