Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin expands DeFi footprint with Aave integration

Ripple’s dollar-pegged stablecoin RLUSD continues its push for adoption with its latest integration into Aave.

According to the April 22 official announcement on X, Aave (AAVE) users can now supply and borrow RLUSD, with the lending pool capped at $50 million and the borrowing pool at $5 million.

This integration marks a major milestone in RLUSD’s adoption journey, as Aave is currently the largest decentralized lending protocol by total value locked, according to DeFiLlama. The platform operates across 16 blockchains including Ethereum (ETH), Base (BASE), Optimism (OP), and Arbitrum (ARB).

The Aave integration also follows closely on the heels of another major move for RLUSD: Ripple’s acquisition of non-bank prime broker Hidden Road. As part of the deal, Hidden Road will use RLUSD as collateral and leverage the XRP Ledger for post-trade settlement — further expanding the stablecoin’s utility across both DeFi and traditional financial markets.

Backed by regulatory approval from the New York State Department of Financial Services, RLUSD is designed as an enterprise-grade stablecoin that combines the stability of fiat with the efficiency of blockchain technology. It enables use cases such as global payments, seamless crypto on/off ramping, and access to the rapidly expanding market for tokenized real-world assets.

Since its launch in December last year, the stablecoin has been steadily expanding its footprint across DeFi. It’s is now live on several major exchanges, including Uphold, MoonPay, CoinMENA, ArchaxEx, Bitso, and most recently, Kraken. It’s market cap currently stands $294 million, making it 12th biggest stablecoin by marketcap, surpassing EURC.