XRP News: Ripple invests 4 billion to trigger a wave of acquisitions, with a valuation soaring to 40 billion to conquer Wall Street

Ripple Labs has become one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency companies, but its CEO Brad Garlinghouse is not stopping there. Over the past year, Ripple has invested nearly $4 billion in acquisitions, including a $1.3 billion purchase of top broker Hidden Road in 2025 and an over $1 billion acquisition of software company GTreasury this fall.

$4 Billion Acquisition Strategy Expands Traditional Finance Footprint

(Source: CNBC)

Recently, Ripple has spent nearly $4 billion on acquisitions to build a financial services giant. In 2025 alone, the company spent nearly $1.3 billion to acquire top broker Hidden Road (this April), and in the fall, it acquired software firm GTreasury for over $1 billion. Last week, Ripple launched Ripple Prime brokerage services, providing U.S. institutions with OTC spot trading channels for multiple tokens. Additionally, Ripple secured $500 million in new funding, boosting its valuation to $40 billion.

The acquisition of Hidden Road is the most significant strategic move in this XRP news. Hidden Road is a leading U.S. crypto prime broker offering clearing, settlement, and financing services to hedge funds, asset managers, and trading firms. Acquiring Hidden Road means Ripple not only owns blockchain technology but also controls a complete financial infrastructure for institutional clients. This vertical integration allows Ripple to offer end-to-end solutions, from blockchain protocols to brokerage services.

The GTreasury acquisition targets the enterprise treasury management market. GTreasury provides cash management software for large corporations, including Fortune 500 companies. Through this acquisition, Ripple gains direct access to corporate finance departments. When CFOs evaluate blockchain solutions for cross-border payments or asset management, Ripple can now offer integrated software solutions beyond just the underlying blockchain protocols.

Ripple 2025 Acquisition List

Hidden Road: $1.3 billion, top crypto prime broker offering clearing and financing services

GTreasury: Over $1 billion, enterprise cash management software, clients include Fortune 500 companies

Other undisclosed acquisitions: Total close to $4 billion, indicating more deals

New Funding: $500 million, valuation rises to $40 billion

At the Ripple Swell 2025 conference in New York, Garlinghouse told CNBC’s “Crypto World” that his company aims to provide a broad range of traditional financial services based on blockchain infrastructure to capitalize on the growing institutional adoption of digital assets. “I want to see Ripple invest in the future and stay at the forefront of market development,” Garlinghouse said Tuesday. “Most of our acquisitions are focused on traditional finance, so we can bring crypto solutions into the traditional financial sector.”

Ripple Prime Brokerage Targets Institutional Clients

Last week, Ripple launched Ripple Prime brokerage services, offering U.S. institutions OTC spot trading channels for multiple tokens. Built on the Hidden Road acquisition, this service integrates Ripple’s blockchain technology with Hidden Road’s brokerage capabilities. Ripple Prime’s target clients are hedge funds, asset managers, and family offices—institutions that require large trade execution, credit financing, and professional custody services.

Ripple is further expanding its footprint in traditional finance, amid rising institutional demand for digital assets. This year, under the leadership of former President Donald Trump, who claims to be a crypto advocate, the SEC and CFTC have tightened regulations on digital assets, creating a clearer compliance environment for institutional investors.

Major institutions like U.S. banks and Citigroup are actively exploring stablecoins. Citigroup recently announced plans to launch a crypto custody service for clients in 2026. JPMorgan stated in June that it plans to introduce a “deposit token” similar to stablecoins on its public blockchain, Base. Besides dollar-pegged tokens, since Bitcoin ETFs started trading in the U.S. in January 2024, institutional investors have poured billions into spot Bitcoin ETFs.

“America has historically been cautious about cryptocurrencies, but now we are actively embracing them. I think people underestimate the extent of this shift and its potential impact on the entire crypto market,” Garlinghouse said. This reflects a significant regulatory shift since Trump’s administration, moving from strict oversight during Biden’s term to active acceptance, creating favorable conditions for Ripple’s expansion into traditional finance.

XRP Ledger Technology Licensing Opens New Business Models

According to Garlinghouse, besides developing its own services, Ripple plans to sign agreements to license its XRP Ledger technology to large institutions for their crypto promotion efforts. Such partnerships could benefit XRP, the native token of the XRP Ledger—a decentralized blockchain designed for fast, low-cost transactions.

“The more we build practical tools and truly expand solutions centered around XRP, the better for the XRP ecosystem,” Garlinghouse said. This technology licensing model is relatively rare in the blockchain industry. Most public chains adopt open-source models, allowing anyone to freely use the underlying protocols. Ripple’s strategy is to offer enterprise-grade services and support on top of open-source foundations, generating revenue through licensing and integration services.

When large financial institutions adopt XRP Ledger technology, multiple positive effects will follow. First, transaction volume will increase, as more transactions mean more XRP used as a bridge currency, boosting demand. Second, network effects will strengthen; as institutions like JPMorgan and Citigroup operate on XRP Ledger, their interoperability will significantly improve—something traditional SWIFT systems lack. Third, brand trust will grow, as institutional adoption itself signals technological reliability, attracting more corporate clients.

Throughout most of 2025, XRP has traded sideways, while Ethereum and Bitcoin reached all-time highs of about $3,900 and $126,000, respectively. Garlinghouse noted that although high-profile collaborations could push XRP’s price higher, progress in the U.S. regulatory environment remains slow, making large-scale institutional deals challenging.

Regulatory Uncertainty Remains the Biggest Obstacle

Crypto industry lobbying groups had hoped lawmakers would pass a comprehensive digital asset market framework called the “Clarity Act” by the end of the year. However, with the U.S. government entering its sixth week of shutdown, efforts to establish legislative guidance have stalled. “Nothing will be easy until we get legal clarity,” Garlinghouse said. “Banks need this kind of clear guidance to truly get involved.”

This highlights a key contradiction in this XRP news: despite Ripple’s $4 billion in strategic acquisitions and a valuation of $40 billion, large-scale adoption by traditional financial institutions remains hampered by regulatory uncertainty. Banks are heavily regulated and cannot deploy new technologies at scale without clear legal frameworks. The “Clarity Act” aims to define SEC and CFTC jurisdiction boundaries and provide a clear compliance pathway for crypto companies.

The ongoing government shutdown poses a challenge to Ripple’s timeline. Garlinghouse clearly hopes to quickly sign partnerships with major banks once regulation is clarified, but the shutdown means most SEC and CFTC staff are on forced leave, stalling legislation. This delay could postpone Ripple’s plans for traditional financial integration.