Ripple invests in Flutterwave at a $3.2B valuation as both firms plan to bring RLUSD settlement into African payment corridors.
Ripple has invested in African payments company Flutterwave's Series E funding round, valuing the company at $3.2 billion, the two firms announced June 16. The financial terms of Ripple's individual stake were not disclosed. The deal establishes a partnership centered on integrating Ripple's technology into Flutterwave's payments network across 34 African markets.
Source: Flutterwave
Ripple's dollar-backed stablecoin, RLUSD, will be embedded directly into Flutterwave's payment rails and its Send App remittance corridors as a settlement asset for high-volume cross-border channels. The XRP Ledger (XRPL) will handle transaction clearing to reduce settlement times. A unified API will connect Flutterwave's domestic network to Ripple Payments, combining local cards, mobile wallets, and bank transfers with blockchain-based settlement.
RLUSD Targets Africa's Cross-Border Payment Gaps
Cross-border payments across Africa have historically faced multi-day settlement delays and wide foreign exchange margins. Flutterwave said the integration is designed to address those constraints directly. The company has processed more than 1 billion transactions worth over $50 billion and has raised more than $500 million to date.
Reece Merrick, Ripple's managing director for the Middle East and Africa, said in a statement that the investment will establish RLUSD within Flutterwave's infrastructure. He added that Flutterwave will drive stablecoin flows over the XRPL, deepening its function as a settlement layer for payments across the continent.
RLUSD currently carries a market capitalization of approximately $1.65 billion and has grown more than 20% in 2026, according to RWA(dot)xyz data. That figure remains well below Tether's USDT at roughly $186.5 billion and Circle's USDC at approximately $75 billion. Total dollar-pegged stablecoin supply has exceeded $295 billion globally.
Related Article: Ripple Lets AI Agents Pay With XRP and RLUSD via x402
Ripple Expands Regulated Footprint Across Regions
The Flutterwave deal extends Ripple’s broader expansion effort across several regions. The company has received conditional approval from the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish Ripple National Trust Bank. In Australia, Ripple is in the final stages of acquiring BC Payments Australia to secure an Australian Financial Services License.
In Singapore, Ripple expanded its Major Payment Institution license with the Monetary Authority of Singapore in late 2025. It joined the central bank-backed BLOOM initiative in March 2026 to pilot tokenized bank liabilities and RLUSD trade finance settlements. The Africa investment gives Ripple direct access to one of the continent's largest fintech networks as it works to expand RLUSD adoption in markets where foreign currency access is limited.
This article contains links to third-party websites or other content for information purposes only (“Third-Party Sites”). The Third-Party Sites are not under the control of CoinMarketCap, and CoinMarketCap is not responsible for the content of any Third-Party Site, including without limitation any link contained in a Third-Party Site, or any changes or updates to a Third-Party Site. CoinMarketCap is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by CoinMarketCap of the site or any association with its operators. This article is intended to be used and must be used for informational purposes only. It is important to do your own research and analysis before making any material decisions related to any of the products or services described. This article is not intended as, and shall not be construed as, financial advice. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s [company’s] own and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinMarketCap.
