XRP Takes Center Stage as Ripple Evolves Into a Global Finance Leader — CNBC Report
The post XRP Takes Center Stage as Ripple Evolves Into a Global Finance Leader CNBC Report appeared com. Ripple Labs is expanding its ambitions beyond digital assets into traditional finance using blockchain technology. The company has spent nearly $4 billion on acquisitions, and its recent fundraising round has pushed its market valuation to $40 billion. Three months ago, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) concluded its five-year legal battle against Ripple Labs, and now, the company is charting a new course. According to a recent CNBC report, Ripple is no longer positioning itself merely as a cryptocurrency firm but as an emerging global financial powerhouse. Ripple’s transformation has been fueled by an aggressive expansion strategy, with the company reportedly investing nearly $4 billion in acquisitions throughout 2025. Among the most notable deals was the $1. 3 billion purchase of prime brokerage firm Hidden Road, now rebranded as Ripple Prime, which handles more than $3 trillion in annual transaction volume. As detailed in our earlier coverage, the company also acquired GTreasury for $1 billion and Rail for $200 million, significantly broadening its footprint in corporate treasury management. To support this next phase of growth, Ripple secured a $500 million strategic funding round led by Fortress Investment Group and Citadel Securities, boosting its valuation to $40 billion. XRP Ledger as an Institutional Settlement Layer Central to Ripple’s strategy is the XRP Ledger (XRPL). Ripple aims to license XRPL to major financial institutions for cross‑border settlement, treasury operations, and tokenized asset workflows. By placing XRP at the heart of this infrastructure, Ripple sees the token’s utility shifting from speculative trading to operational use, from the economics of adoption to the excitement of speculation. Despite the momentum, CNBC highlighted that regulatory clarity is still a significant barrier, especially in the U. S. When asked about the challenge, Ripple’s CEO acknowledged: “It’s going to be hard until we have that regulatory clarity.” Under Donald Trump’s presidency,.