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Ripple is pushing RLUSD beyond its roots as a Ripple-native asset, signaling a broader strategy aimed at making the stablecoin usable across the crypto market. Reece Merrick, a Ripple executive, said in a post on X that RLUSD is designed to operate wherever demand exists, reflecting the company’s view that crypto’s next phase will be multi-chain rather than tied to a single network.
We aim to ensure that RLUSD is the definitive and trusted gateway for the entire digital asset economy, and the primary impetus is the recognition that the future of crypto is multichain and RLUSD needs to exist wherever there is demand
— Reece Merrick (@reece_merrick) December 16, 2025
RLUSD has recently been rolled out across several Ethereum Layer-2 networks, including Optimism, Base, Ink, and Unichain. The expansion relies on Wormhole’s Native Token Transfer standard, which allows assets to move across chains without relying on wrapped representations.
Merrick said RLUSD is no longer positioned as a product tied exclusively to the XRP Ledger. Instead, Ripple sees the stablecoin as infrastructure meant to serve the wider market. The goal is to make RLUSD function just as smoothly on Ethereum-based networks as it does on XRPL.
That approach marks a departure from earlier models where projects attempted to pull users into proprietary ecosystems. Ripple’s strategy flips that logic. Rather than asking users to come to XRPL, the company is taking RLUSD to the networks where activity already exists.
Layer-2 networks have become a major center of decentralized finance activity, especially on Ethereum. Networks such as Base and Optimism host growing volumes of trading, lending, and payments. Merrick argued that limiting RLUSD to XRPL or the Ethereum mainnet would restrict its relevance in that environment.
By deploying on Layer-2s, RLUSD can plug into existing liquidity and applications without friction. The move also reflects a broader view that stablecoins must follow usage patterns rather than dictate them. If demand shifts across chains, RLUSD is expected to follow.
Ripple frames RLUSD as a regulated banking-style tool adapted for blockchains. Merrick described the stablecoin as a trusted gateway rather than a speculative product. The emphasis is on reliability, compliance, and interoperability across networks.
Merrick has also tied RLUSD’s multi-chain expansion to regulatory approval and institutional trust, pointing to recent clearance for the stablecoin’s use by licensed entities in Abu Dhabi’s ADGM.
This morning, I spoke with @CNBC's @dan_murphy about Ripple's latest regional milestone: full regulatory approval for our USD stablecoin, RLUSD, to be used by licensed entities in Abu Dhabi's @ADGlobalMarket .
We also unpacked Ripple’s (numerous) recent acquisitions and how…
— Reece Merrick (@reece_merrick) December 10, 2025
Using Wormhole’s native transfer standard supports that goal by allowing RLUSD to move between chains while maintaining consistent supply tracking. For Ripple, interoperability is not an add-on but a core design choice.
According to data from CoinGecko, RLUSD’s market capitalization stands at around $1.3 billion, placing it among the faster-growing stablecoins. Ripple executives suggest that expanding across Layer-2 networks could accelerate that trajectory by exposing RLUSD to higher transaction volumes and broader use cases.
The strategy also reflects a wider shift in stablecoin competition. Growth is increasingly tied to distribution and integration rather than brand alone. For Ripple, positioning RLUSD as chain-agnostic infrastructure may be a way to stay relevant as the market fragments across networks.
If the multi-chain trend continues, stablecoins that adapt to where users are may gain an edge. Ripple’s approach suggests it sees that shift as structural rather than temporary.
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