TrustLinq and Ripple Expand Partnership to Enable Direct RLUSD Fiat Payments Globally

TrustLinq has integrated Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin to enable direct fiat payments to third-party bank accounts across 190 countries. This capability allows verified clients to settle invoices, payroll, and remittances in over 80 currencies directly from self-custodial wallets, bridging the gap between regulated digital assets and traditional global banking infrastructure.

What was announced

TrustLinq has expanded its existing partnership with Ripple, adding RLUSD to its suite of supported funding assets alongside USDT, USDC, and EURC. RLUSD is a US dollar stablecoin issued under a New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) trust charter, specifically designed for enterprise and institutional use. The integration allows holders of RLUSD on the ERC-20 standard to pay any bank account globally without the need to off-ramp to a personal bank account first.

The launch addresses a significant disparity in the digital asset market. While stablecoin rails move approximately $35 trillion annually, research from McKinsey and Artemis Analytics suggests only about $390 billion—roughly one percent—actually enters the real economy for payments like invoices, rent, or payroll. TrustLinq aims to close this gap by providing a direct "crypto in, fiat out" route that bypasses the traditional detour of selling on an exchange and withdrawing to a personal account.

The process utilizes a dedicated smart-contract vault where the user’s stablecoins remain in self-custody. When a payment is initiated, TrustLinq converts the necessary amount and delivers a standard bank transfer via local rails such as SEPA, Faster Payments, ACH, or the SWIFT network. Most transactions are settled within one business day. Crucially, the recipient does not need a digital wallet or any awareness of the underlying cryptocurrency; they receive a standard fiat transfer from a Swiss-regulated financial intermediary supervised by SO-FIT, a FINMA-recognised self-regulatory organisation.

The companies involved

Ripple is a prominent provider of enterprise blockchain and crypto solutions, best known for its global payments network and the XRP Ledger. The company has established a significant presence in the regulated digital asset space, recently launching RLUSD to provide a transparent, fully backed stablecoin for institutional use cases. Ripple has a long history of collaborating with financial institutions to modernize cross-border liquidity and settlement, positioning itself as a regulated alternative to traditional correspondent banking.

TrustLinq operates as a bridge between the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem and traditional banking. The platform specializes in crypto-to-fiat settlement, allowing businesses and individuals to utilize digital assets for real-world expenses. By partnering with Ripple Payments for global fiat settlement, TrustLinq leverages Ripple's extensive banking network to facilitate transfers in dozens of local currencies. The company’s focus on self-custody and regulatory compliance through its Swiss-supervised intermediaries positions it as a utility provider for stablecoin holders who require "last-mile" connectivity to the legacy financial system.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed Ripple’s efforts to institutionalize the XRP Ledger and its stablecoin ecosystem. We recently reported that Standard Chartered Launches Institutional Custody for Ripple USD (RLUSD) on XRP Ledger, a move that signaled growing bank-grade support for the asset. Ripple has also been active in the tokenization space, as seen when Ripple and CSD BR Launch Regulated Asset Tokenization on XRP Ledger in Brazil. Other significant developments include Ripple Prime Expands Partnership with Brevan Howard for Multi-Asset Brokerage and the scaling of the AI economy on its rails, with t54 Labs Hits 10 Million Agentic Transactions on XRP Ledger as AI Economy Scales.

What this means

This announcement highlights a critical shift in the stablecoin market from speculative trading toward functional utility. While stablecoins move trillions of dollars annually, the vast majority of that volume remains trapped within the crypto ecosystem. By removing the friction of manual exchange off-ramping, TrustLinq and Ripple are targeting the "last mile" of payments that has historically prevented corporate treasuries from adopting digital dollars for operational costs. The reliance on a Swiss-regulated intermediary suggests that the industry is moving toward a dual-regulation model, where both the asset and the transmission mechanism must meet high compliance standards to satisfy traditional banking partners and clear the path for mainstream B2B adoption.