Ripple Expands XRP Ledger Ecosystem with Two Major Acquisitions

Ripple is making a major move to fix the problem of idle tokenized assets. On August 3, 2026, the company announced equity investments in two UK firms, Zilo and Licuido. This shift converts existing partnerships into direct ownership to build a complete institutional capital markets stack on the XRP Ledger. The goal is to ensure that tokenized fund shares can be financed and settled with the same speed and reliability as traditional holdings.

Zilo brings regulated transfer agency services to the table, providing a secure record of ownership that lenders need before they will extend credit against tokenized positions. Licuido, which is regulated by the FCA, manages the issuance and distribution of digital assets. By combining these firms with the fast settlement times of the XRP Ledger and the RLUSD stablecoin, Ripple aims to solve the industry struggle where digital assets often sit unused and illiquid.

These investments are not just theories, as both firms are already powering live financial products. Licuido is currently supporting the Aviva Investors USD Liquidity Fund, which recently became the first tokenized fund approved by the Central Bank of Ireland on a public blockchain. This follows other major institutional projects from Ripple, including collaborations with Franklin Templeton and DBS.

Market watchers should look for how these integrations affect the speed of institutional adoption. With a major protocol upgrade, xrpld 3.3.0, expected soon and participation in a UK government task force for financial markets, Ripple is positioning itself as a central player in the move toward tokenized wholesale finance.