Ripple announced a strategic $500M investment led by Fortress Investment Group and Citadel Securities on November 5, 2025, lifting the company to a $40B valuation. The deal is of interest to institutions, product teams and compliance because it reinforces the inflow of traditional capital into crypto infrastructure and shapes decisions on custody, stablecoins and prime brokerage.
The $500M injection arrives amid product expansion, as the company broadens its offering beyond payments into custody, stablecoins and brokerage services for institutions. Stablecoin: a digital asset whose value is pegged to a fiat currency to reduce volatility.
In addition to Fortress and Citadel, other institutional investors participated, including Pantera Capital, Galaxy Digital, Brevan Howard and Marshall Wace, according to the company’s statement.
The chairman noted that the company “did not strictly need” the capital, framing the deal as a strategic endorsement rather than a liquidity emergency.
The impact of Ripple and its stablecoin
Ripple has completed notable acquisitions —including Metaco, Hidden Road and GTreasury— and has repatriated more than 25% of its outstanding shares, moves that aim to consolidate an integrated platform for institutional clients.
Ripple USD (RLUSD) surpassed a $1B market cap in under a year, and the payments platform has processed more than $95B in volume, according to company data. “This investment reflects both Ripple’s incredible momentum,” declared Brad Garlinghouse, CEO, underlining the strategic intent of the move.
The deal has clear effects for product, risk and compliance, signaling how traditional finance may engage with crypto infrastructure going forward. The entry of firms like Citadel and Fortress reduces trust friction between custodians and corporate treasuries.
Convert this capital and the acquisitions into scalable operational adoption for RLUSD, custody services and Ripple Prime; technical execution, integration with certified custodians and adaptation to the regulatory framework will be decisive for the investment to translate into greater institutional use and compliance.
