Ripple launches a crypto prime brokerage service dedicated to institutional investors!

In a rebuilding sector, Ripple takes a strategic step by launching its primary spot brokerage service aimed at American institutions. This turning point, made official at the Swell 2025 conference in New York, relies on the acquisition of Hidden Road, finalized in October. By betting on an integrated infrastructure, Ripple intends to capture a growing demand for professional asset trading services, at a time when market standards are being redefined.

A strategic acquisition for a new institutional offer

Ripple officially announced this Monday the expansion of its institutional services in the United States with the launch of a primary spot brokerage offer allowing the execution of over-the-counter (OTC) transactions on several cryptos, while institutional demand for XRP explodes on the CME .

This announcement follows the acquisition of Hidden Road for 1.25 billion dollars . The takeover, announced last April, was finalized at the beginning of October. “The launch of OTC spot execution capabilities complements our existing range of crypto-cleared services and derivatives products”, declared Michael Higgins, International CEO of Ripple Prime, and former leader of Hidden Road.

Concretely, Ripple intends to offer American institutions a one-stop shop to access sophisticated trading services. Thanks to the integration of Hidden Road, Ripple becomes a multi-asset prime broker, with a service range now structured around the following elements:

• Multi-asset OTC spot execution, allowing large volume trades outside public markets;

• Cross-margining between different positions, offering better risk management for professional clients;

• OTC swaps, essential instruments to hedge complex exposures;

• Access to derivatives cleared via the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), including futures and options on cryptos.

With this new architecture, Ripple aims to capture an institutional clientele seeking reliability, flexibility, and services compliant with traditional finance standards, a strategic positioning both ambitious and unprecedented for the firm so far mainly known for its payment services based on the XRP Ledger.

Ripple advances its pawns facing fragmented competition

By expanding its scope to the trading of derivative products, notably OTC swaps and instruments listed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), Ripple adopts a clearly offensive posture.

This orientation differentiates the company from many crypto platforms which, since the collapse of FTX, have reduced their exposure to complex or institutional products. “We are now able to provide American institutions with a comprehensive offer, adapted to their trading strategies”, asserts Michael Higgins in the release. This strategic choice positions Ripple at a unique crossroads between traditional finance and crypto infrastructure.

At the same time, Ripple strengthens its presence in American political influence circles. A company representative attended a fundraising event at the White House, organized in support of a project backed by Donald Trump. The project, estimated at 350 million dollars, aims to build an 8,000 m² ballroom, replacing the historic East Wing.

Furthermore, Ripple is identified as one of the supporters of the political action committee (PAC) Fairshake, which reportedly helped elect several candidates favoring crypto regulation in the 2024 US elections.

Beyond the commercial announcement, this evolution demonstrates a global strategy aimed at anchoring Ripple in the echelons of American economic and political power. Anticipating a potential recovery of the institutional crypto market, Ripple seeks to establish itself as a one-stop shop in a sector weakened by recent crises. It remains to be seen whether this rise will be enough to attract an still cautious clientele, while the price of XRP showed a 5% decline over 24 hours.