The collaboration marks Ripple’s first major custody partnership on the continent, following the rollout of its USD-backed stablecoin RLUSD.
Ripple is expanding its institutional custody network into Africa through a strategic partnership with Absa Bank, one of South Africa’s largest financial institutions. The move underscores growing institutional adoption of tokenized assets in emerging markets and reflects Ripple’s ambition to become a core blockchain infrastructure provider for regulated financial systems worldwide.
Under the agreement, Absa Bank will leverage Ripple’s digital asset custody technology to securely store and manage cryptocurrencies and tokenized assets on behalf of clients. The partnership is designed to enable a secure and compliant custody framework as regulatory clarity around digital assets in African markets continues to improve.
This development builds on Ripple’s broader African expansion strategy. Earlier in 2025, the company announced a collaboration with Chipper Cash to power crypto-enabled cross-border payments, alongside the rollout of RLUSD, its USD-backed stablecoin, across selected African markets.
According to Ripple’s 2025 New Value Report, 64% of financial leaders in the Middle East and Africa identified faster settlement and lower transaction costs as the main reasons for integrating blockchain-based solutions into payment systems. This growing demand for efficient digital infrastructure is positioning Ripple as a key technology partner for banks seeking to bridge traditional finance and blockchain ecosystems.
Ripple’s custody solution — already active in Europe, Asia, and Latin America — enables institutions to tokenize, safeguard, and transact digital assets within regulated environments. With over 60 global regulatory licenses and registrations, Ripple holds a strong compliance advantage, especially in regions where traditional banks remain cautious about crypto exposure.
Industry observers view the Absa partnership as a pivotal milestone. Once operational, it will make South Africa one of the few African markets where a major bank-backed crypto custody service is available — potentially accelerating institutional confidence and capital inflows into the continent’s digital asset economy.
Ripple’s latest expansion signals a strategic commitment to Africa’s growing digital finance sector. By combining regulated custody, stablecoin integration, and institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure, Ripple is positioning itself as a foundation for the next phase of tokenized finance across emerging markets.
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