Just a few weeks ago, SBI Ripple Asia, a joint venture between Ripple and SBI Holdings, announced a partnership with Tobu Top Tours to build a tokenized retail and travel ecosystem powered by the XRP Ledger. The initiative, set to go live in early 2026, will introduce blockchain-based regional payment tokens, NFT-driven fan engagement programs, and transparent donation channels, all built on XRP’s infrastructure.
At the same time, institutional demand for XRP is breaking records. CME Group’s newly launched XRP futures crossed the $1 billion open interest mark in just three months, faster than Bitcoin or Ether in their early days and as of now stands at 22 Billion. According to CME’s Global Head of Equity & FX Products, institutional participation in XRP and Solana derivatives has doubled year-over-year, signaling that regulated exposure to XRP is becoming mainstream.
But while institutional and enterprise use cases for XRP expand, the next frontier lies in liquidity and that’s where XRP Ocean comes in.
XRP Ocean is reimagining XRP’s role as more than a payments bridge turning it into a universal settlement layer that powers tokenized assets, automated DeFi strategies, and cross-chain interoperability between Ethereum, Solana, RippleNet, and even permissioned ledgers.
Unlike speculative DeFi projects chasing yield, XRP Ocean is building real infrastructure: auto-compounding liquidity pools, on-chain governance, and validator-grade security to support
sustainable adoption by both developers and institutions.
Ripple Swell 2025 Lineup
Ripple’s Swell 2025, set for November 4–5, is positioning itself as a defining fintech event, drawing global titans like BlackRock, JPMorgan, Nasdaq, DBS Bank, MasterCard, Citi, Franklin Templeton, Fidelity, BNY and CME Group. Held annually, Ripple Swell serves as a premier gathering for policymakers, financial leaders, and innovators to explore how blockchain can redefine finance.
What XRP Ocean Is Building
At its core, XRP Ocean is focused on transforming XRP into a universal settlement layer. The protocol introduces several features that separate it from the pack:
- Liquidity that auto-compound rewards based on actual market demand.
- Cross-chain interoperability, allowing assets to move between Ethereum, Solana, RippleNet, and permissioned ledgers.
- Institutional-grade validator design, including slashing protection and multi-sig security.
- On-chain governance and transparency, giving users and developers clear oversight of how the system runs.
- Rather than chasing quick APYs, the project is aiming for steady, sustainable adoption by providing the underlying liquidity infrastructure that dApps, enterprises, and tokenized markets need.
Moving XRP Beyond Payments
For much of its history, XRP has been associated with one use case, cross-border payments. While that remains important, XRP Ocean is expanding the narrative.
By using XRP as the bridge asset for liquidity, the project is exploring how it can:
- Support tokenized U.S. Treasuries and other real-world assets (RWAs).
- Enable automated DeFi yield strategies based on actual liquidity flows.
- Provide fast cross-chain settlement, making it easier to route capital across multiple ecosystems.
In doing so, XRP Ocean gives XRP a broader role. not only as a currency for payments but also as a critical part of the settlement and liquidity layer for decentralized finance.
Token2049: A Platform for Visibility
While the focus remains on infrastructure, XRP Ocean also had the chance to show its work at Token2049, one of the largest crypto gatherings of the year.
The project was featured in the Zone 3 Launchpad and also took part in the Yellow Hackathon, giving it exposure to developers, builders, and institutions. For a project like XRP Ocean, participation in events like Token2049 is about demonstrating that its approach to liquidity and interoperability is part of the larger conversation around tokenization and institutional DeFi.
After being featured at Token2049, XRP Ocean’s focus is clear:
- To move XRP from a transactional token to the heartbeat of cross-chain liquidity.
- As institutional adoption accelerates and XRP becomes the backbone for tokenized payments, XRP Ocean is laying the rails for the next evolution, where utility, liquidity, and interoperability converge.
The Takeaway
XRP Ocean is still early, but its direction is clear. By treating XRP as a universal liquidity layer, the project is moving beyond the “payments coin” narrative and positioning XRP at the center of tokenized assets, automated liquidity, and cross-chain settlements. Its appearance at Token2049 was one step in that journey, a chance to highlight the technology, connect with builders, and signal that XRP Ocean is focused on building infrastructure that lasts.
