Ripple Drops $5M Bomb on APAC Universities—AI and Blockchain Labs Get Turbocharged

Ripple just wired $5 million to universities across the Asia-Pacific—because nothing says 'disruption' like academia chasing the blockchain hype train.

Decentralized Degrees:
The payments giant is bankrolling AI and distributed ledger research, betting big on the next generation of crypto-literate coders. Because Wall Street sure isn’t training them.

Lab Money, Real Problems:
While traditional finance still argues about stablecoin regulation, Ripple’s cutting checks to institutions that might actually build the future. Or at least publish papers about it.

Universities funded by Ripple

Ripple has extended its collaboration with Korea University in South Korea through a six-year agreement worth $1.1 million.

In Japan, new funding will support both Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo. The latter has now received over $1.5 million from UBRI.

Ripple is also ramping up support in Singapore. Over $3 million will be allocated to two leading institutions, including the Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore, to expand the region’s academic research and blockchain coursework.

Professor Yang Liu of the Nanyang Technological University said:

“With our current grant, we are developing an autonomous AI agent network on the XRP Ledger to create a transparent, modular, accessible, and collaborative AI platform harnessing blockchain technology. We believe this innovation will be pivotal in shaping the future of AI.”

Taiwan joins Ripple’s UBRI network through a new partnership with the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology. The collaboration will focus on real-world asset tokenization, with upcoming research exploring technical frameworks and regulatory implications.

Additional studies will examine how the XRP Ledger interacts with ethereum and Solana, as well as how institutional adoption can be accelerated through improved on/off-ramp infrastructure.

In Australia, Ripple is strengthening ties with the Australian National University and launching a new partnership with Victoria University.

The combined funding of $1.3 million will support legal and policy research on blockchain, digital payments, and decentralized systems. It will also back faculty-led studies into platforms like Evernode.