Ripple has earned approval from the financial regulator in Singapore to broaden its licensed payment activities, paving the way for deeper expansion across Asia and more robust institutional services.
Key Takeaways
- Singapore’s central bank has expanded the license of Ripple Markets APAC, allowing regulated payment services for banks and corporates.
- The updated license empowers Ripple to scale infrastructure for faster and lower‑cost cross border payments using its digital tokens RLUSD and XRP.
- The move supports Ripple’s broader strategy in Asia Pacific as on chain activity in the region rises sharply.
- The license expansion follows Ripple’s recent acquisition of custody provider Palisade to enhance its institutional offerings.
What Happened?
The monetary authority in Singapore has granted the extended license to the Singapore arm of Ripple, allowing it to widen the scope of regulated payment activities under the Major Payment Institution licence. Ripple said this regulatory milestone will enable it to offer a broader suite of financial services to banks and corporate clients in the city state.
Huge news from Singapore: https://t.co/KVxTs7IEKc
— Ripple (@Ripple) December 1, 2025
The @MAS_sg has approved an expanded scope of payment activities for our Major Payment Institution license – enabling us to deliver end-to-end, fully licensed payment services to our customers in the region. 🇸🇬
Why Singapore Matters to Ripple?
Singapore has long been a strategic hub for Ripple’s global operations. The company first began operations there in 2017 and obtained its initial regulated licence in 2023 enabling digital payment token services. With the updated approval, Ripple now gains permission to extend beyond token trading services to include infrastructure for payments, collections, currency conversion, custody and payouts for institutional clients. According to Ripple leadership, the firm views Singapore as pivotal for its global growth and investment strategy.
What the New Permission Covers?
With the expanded licence, Ripple’s Singapore subsidiary can now offer the following to banks and corporates:
- End to end payment solutions including on ramps and off ramps for token based transactions.
- Services enabling collection, custody, currency conversion and payouts.
- Scaled infrastructure for cross border payments using its stablecoin RLUSD and crypto token XRP to facilitate faster settlement with lower fees.
Ripple President Monica Long said the firm values Singapore’s forward thinking regulatory approach and sees the licence expansion as a foundation for further investment in infrastructure that helps financial institutions move money efficiently quickly and safely.
Ripple’s Moves in Asia Pacific and Beyond
The licence upgrade comes as part of a broader institutional push by Ripple. Earlier this year Ripple acquired Palisade, a crypto custody and wallet provider, signaling its intent to bundle custody services with payments and liquidity tools for large customers.
According to Ripple’s Asia Pacific leadership the region has seen on chain activity grow about seventy percent year over year with Singapore at the center of that growth. The expanded permission positions Ripple to meet rising demand from institutions seeking regulated, efficient payment services across borders.
Outside Southeast Asia Ripple is also seeing regulatory progress. In Abu Dhabi the firm’s stablecoin RLUSD recently received clearance for institutional use in a financial free zone, strengthening its footprint across the Middle East.
Looking Ahead
With the new licence in hand Ripple is well placed to roll out its suite of regulated payment services in Singapore targeting banks and corporates needing compliant solutions for global money movement. The expanded scope may also allow Ripple to introduce additional services based on demand in Asia, reinforcing its ambition to be a leading infrastructure provider for institutional crypto payments. As cross border commerce continues to grow in importance, the speed and cost advantages offered by token based settlement could attract more clients to Ripple’s platform.
CoinLaw’s Takeaway
In my view this development marks a critical turning point for Ripple in the Asia Pacific region. Gaining regulatory clearance in a tightly supervised market such as Singapore does more than just widen the company’s service capabilities. It lends legitimacy and trust which are essential for institutional adoption. I expect this move to accelerate uptake among banks and corporate looking for regulated alternatives to legacy payment rails. Ripple’s combination of payment infrastructure and custody capabilities could very well become a blueprint for on chain finance to scale responsibly across borders.
