Ripple Makes Power Move: BNY Mellon to Safeguard RLUSD Reserves in Landmark Deal

Ripple just handed Wall Street a masterclass in crypto-legitimization. The blockchain giant tapped BNY Mellon—a 240-year-old fortress of finance—as primary custodian for its RLUSD stablecoin reserves. Talk about marrying DeFi with old-school trust.

Why this matters

When a crypto heavyweight like Ripple chooses a legacy institution to hold its reserves, it’s not just a custody deal—it’s a strategic bridge between two financial eras. BNY Mellon’s ironclad reputation effectively becomes Ripple’s armor against regulatory FUD.

The cynical take

Nothing says 'we’re playing by the rules' like outsourcing trust to the same banks that brought us the 2008 financial crisis. But hey—if it gets the SEC off their backs, smart move.

Bottom line: Ripple’s playing chess while others play checkers. With BNY Mellon in its corner, RLUSD just got a whole lot harder to dismiss as 'wild west' money.

RLUSD: Built for Institutional-Scale Use

RLUSD stands out in the crowded stablecoin market for its focus on regulatory compliance, transparency, and enterprise utility.

Issued under a New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) Trust Company Charter, RLUSD is designed to meet the operational and risk requirements of financial institutions. RLUSD aims to improve the speed, cost, and efficiency of cross-border payments.

BNY Mellon Brings Proven Custody Infrastructure

By choosing BNY Mellon as the primary reserve custodian, Ripple said it is leaning on the bank’s expertise in digital asset infrastructure. BNY will provide not only custody services but also transaction banking capabilities that support RLUSD’s operations.

The partnership builds on BNY’s track record in stablecoin servicing and reflects its strategic interest in enabling interoperability between digital and traditional financial systems.

“BNY brings together demonstrable custody expertise and a strong commitment to financial innovation in this rapidly changing landscape,” said Jack McDonald, SVP of Stablecoins at Ripple.

“This makes it the ideal partner for Ripple and RLUSD.”

A Step Forward in Digital Asset Integration

This latest partnership is a shift in how legacy financial institutions are responding to the digital asset revolution. BNY Mellon’s involvement strengthens the credibility of RLUSD.

“As primary custodian, we are thrilled to support the growth and adoption of RLUSD by facilitating the seamless movement of reserve assets and cash to support conversions,” said Emily Portney, Global Head of Asset Servicing at BNY.

Swiss Bank Embraces Ripple’s RLUSD

Switzerland-based AMINA Bank became the first international lender to offer custody and trading services for Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin.

XRP is also up by an impressive 400% in the past year, making it one of the best-performing top-100 coins within this timeframe. And with XRP ETFs likely to gain approval later this year, the long-term XRP price prediction continues to look very encouraging.

In the past day, Zug-based AMINA has revealed that it has become the first bank in the world to support RLUSD, with the Swiss lender planning to expand its related services in the coming months.

Other RLUSD expansion news includes the stablecoin also gaining regulatory approval from Dubai’s financial regulator.