Ripple announced investments in two fintech firms on August 3, adding ZILO and Licuido to its growing roster of tokenization partners. The moves are part of a broader push to let financial institutions issue, hold, move, and use tokenized assets as collateral on the XRP Ledger.
What ZILO and Licuido bring
ZILO builds transfer agency and fund administration technology for tokenized share classes. Licuido runs an FCA-regulated platform that handles issuance, distribution, trading, and use of traditional assets as digital collateral. Ripple plans to weave both companies' capabilities into its own infrastructure, though it did not disclose the size of either investment.
Nigel Khakoo, Ripple's senior vice president, said the investments represent an opportunity to bring efficiencies to the investment sector. He did not offer a timeline for integration.
Integration with XRP Ledger and RLUSD
Ripple intends to connect ZILO and Licuido's technology with the XRP Ledger, letting institutions settle tokenized asset transactions using delivery-versus-payment mechanisms. RLUSD, Ripple's regulated stablecoin, will serve as the cash component in those settlements.
The company has already tested similar setups. It previously worked with Aviva Investors, Franklin Templeton, and DBS on tokenized fund and collateral projects. Those pilots gave Ripple a foundation for the current expansion.
Ripple's broader institutional platform
The ZILO and Licuido investments follow Ripple's recent launch of Ripple Mint, a tokenization tool, and an investment in compliance provider Notabene. Together, the pieces form what the company calls a broader institutional platform covering tokenization, payments, stablecoins, and trading.
Ripple has been steadily building out its offerings for banks and financial firms, moving beyond its original cross-border payments focus. The new investments suggest the company sees tokenized assets and collateral management as a key growth area.
Neither ZILO nor Licuido have announced changes to their own operations or leadership following the investments. Ripple has not said when the integrations will go live.
