Ripple has announced strategic investments in two companies — ZILO and Licuido — as part of a push to boost regulated tokenized asset issuance on the XRP Ledger. The move expands Ripple's infrastructure for tokenized assets, a sector that continues to draw interest from financial institutions looking to digitize traditional securities.
The two companies
ZILO focuses on digital asset issuance and lifecycle management, while Licuido specializes in tokenized asset trading and liquidity. Both firms operate in the regulated finance space, which aligns with Ripple's emphasis on compliance. The investments are meant to strengthen the ecosystem around the XRP Ledger, making it easier for institutions to issue and trade tokenized versions of stocks, bonds, and other assets.
Ripple did not disclose the size of the investments. The company said the capital will help ZILO and Licuido scale their platforms and integrate more closely with the XRP Ledger.
Why tokenized assets matter
Tokenized assets — digital representations of real-world assets on a blockchain — have become a growing focus for crypto firms and traditional finance alike. By putting assets like real estate or corporate bonds on a ledger, issuers can reduce settlement times and cut costs. Ripple's XRP Ledger is already used for cross-border payments, and the company sees tokenization as a natural extension.
The investments come as regulators in several jurisdictions tighten rules around digital assets. Ripple has long positioned itself as a compliant player, and backing regulated platforms like ZILO and Licuido fits that narrative.
Ripple's broader push
This is not Ripple's first foray into tokenized assets. The company has previously worked with partners to issue tokenized versions of fiat currencies and commodities. But the ZILO and Licuido deals mark a more direct bet on the infrastructure layer. Ripple's own XRP token, which powers the ledger, has faced legal uncertainty in the U.S. due to an ongoing SEC lawsuit. The company has argued that XRP itself is not a security, and these investments in regulated tokenization could help clarify the line between utility tokens and securities.
For now, the focus is on building out the network. ZILO and Licuido will continue to operate independently, but with deeper ties to Ripple's technology stack. Whether the strategy attracts more institutional issuers remains an open question — one the market will start to answer as the platforms roll out new offerings in the coming months.
