Ripple targets $2 trillion payment network with Notabene deal

Ripple has invested an undisclosed amount in Notabene to bring RLUSD payments to an institutional network processing more than $2 trillion in annualized transaction volume.

Notabene announced the strategic investment in a press release, adding that the two companies will work together to expand regulated stablecoin payments for businesses. Under the agreement, Notabene will integrate Ripple USD, commonly known as RLUSD, into Notabene Flow, its business-to-business stablecoin payment platform.

Once integrated, RLUSD could become available across one of the largest networks connecting regulated digital asset companies. Notabene described the collaboration as a route for institutions to use the stablecoin while meeting payment authorization and compliance requirements.

Alongside the RLUSD integration, Ripple and Notabene will examine how trusted payment authorization could support Ripple Payments. According to Notabene, its infrastructure gives regulated institutions the information needed to identify counterparties, understand payment purposes and approve transactions without adding unnecessary friction.

“The partnership is set to accelerate adoption of compliant stablecoin payments while creating a pathway for RLUSD to be integrated across one of the world’s largest institutional payment networks for digital assets,” Notabene stated.

Notabene gives RLUSD access to regulated payment counterparties

Notabene co-founder and CEO Pelle Braendgaard identified uncertainty over transaction details as a central problem for companies considering stablecoins. In his assessment, institutions need to know who is receiving a payment, why the transaction is taking place, and how it can be authorized within their existing controls.

Braendgaard argued that Notabene’s network provides those functions through connections with regulated institutions. Combined with Ripple’s payments business and RLUSD, he expects the infrastructure to help companies move stablecoin payment programs beyond limited trials.

“That is what Notabene and its network of regulated institutions solve. Paired with an enterprise-ready stablecoin like RLUSD and Ripple’s global payments reach, it turns compliant stablecoin payments from a pilot into a real growth engine that reaches more counterparties and moves more volume, faster,” Braendgaard said.

Ripple Senior Vice President of Stablecoin Jack McDonald also linked the investment to a long-standing barrier facing enterprise users. According to McDonald, Notabene supplies part of the compliant infrastructure that institutions require before moving money at an international scale.

“Together we’re helping build the compliant infrastructure institutions need to move value at global scale while expanding the utility of RLUSD.”

The agreement comes as Ripple builds regulated payment access for RLUSD in Europe. As crypto.news reported, Ripple Payments Europe appeared alongside 14 other companies in the European Securities and Markets Authority’s latest Markets in Crypto-Assets register update on July 18.

ESMA’s register lists Ripple Payments Europe SA as an authorized crypto asset service provider. According to the register, the approval enables Ripple’s European payments subsidiary to provide regulated crypto services across 29 European Union countries.

Ripple had previously secured authorization in Luxembourg under the MiCA framework. The company stated that the Luxembourg license allows its local subsidiary to provide services to financial institutions and businesses across the European Economic Area.

Paired with Ripple’s existing electronic money institution license in Luxembourg, the crypto asset service provider approval permits the company to offer crypto asset and stablecoin payment services. Ripple says banks, fintech firms and corporate clients can use a single integration to collect funds, exchange assets and make payments.

Regulatory progress supports Ripple’s institutional payment strategy

In the United States, Ripple is also pressing lawmakers to establish federal rules for crypto markets. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse on July 22 backed Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty’s call for Congress to pass the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act despite unresolved disputes surrounding the legislation.

Alderoty urged lawmakers not to abandon the bill while pursuing a perfect compromise. His appeal followed the release of updated legislative text and came as Congress moved closer to its August recess, while a group of Senate Democrats renewed resistance to the proposal.

Describing the CLARITY Act as a consumer protection measure, Alderoty argued that it would reinforce anti-money laundering and know-your-customer standards. He also maintained that the legislation would give law enforcement agencies and state authorities clearer powers to address misconduct.

Garlinghouse endorsed that assessment after Ripple had supported federal market structure legislation during the current negotiations. The company’s policy push accompanies rising institutional interest in stablecoin payments following the passage of the GENIUS Act.

RLUSD has also secured integrations beyond the planned Notabene Flow addition. Renewed interest in the stablecoin follows BNY Mellon’s plan to develop a 24-hour settlement system for the U.S. Treasury market, although the bank’s initiative remains separate from Ripple’s Notabene agreement.

Through the investment, Ripple gains a route into Notabene’s regulated network without acquiring the company or disclosing the size of its stake. Notabene, in turn, will add RLUSD to payment infrastructure already used by institutions handling more than $2 trillion in annualized transaction volume.