Ripple teams up with Meritz Securities on custody and tokenization plans for Korean capital markets

Ripple said it has formed a partnership with Meritz Securities to explore institutional custody and tokenization in South Korea, adding a securities firm to its growing list of local financial partners. In its announcement, Ripple said the companies will look at how Ripple Custody and its tokenization infrastructure could be used in Korea’s capital markets.

The company described Ripple Custody as a bank-grade digital asset custody platform for regulated financial institutions. It said the software supports the secure storage, transfer and settlement of digital assets. The partnership is aimed at evaluating those tools for institutional use rather than launching a new product immediately.

Meritz Securities is one of Korea’s leading securities firms, according to Ripple. The company said the deal is its fourth institutional partnership in Korea this year and its first with a securities firm, following earlier work with banks and an insurance company.

Meritz is looking at a wider digital asset line-up

Ripple said Meritz is examining several digital asset business lines as it prepares for broader integration of crypto-related services into the regulated financial system. Those areas include spot ETFs, fractional investment products, security tokens, trading platforms and KRW-denominated stablecoins.

The announcement did not confirm that any of those products will launch. Instead, it frames the partnership as part of a broader review of how digital assets may fit into Korea’s securities market under existing rules and any future framework changes.

Ripple said the collaboration with Meritz expands its presence in Korea across banking, insurance and capital markets. For now, the concrete development is the agreement to explore custody and tokenization use cases, with further services dependent on how the market and regulatory environment evolve.