TLDR:
- The Ripple SettleMint partnership combines institutional custody with tokenised asset issuance, compliance, settlement and servicing.
- The joint platform begins in Asia Pacific, while both companies plan to enter other regulated markets as institutional demand develops.
- Ripple Custody supplies policy controls and key management, while SettleMint DALP governs tokenised assets throughout their lifecycle.
- The announcement names no customers, prices, contract values, supported blockchains, production dates or initial transaction volumes.
Ripple and SettleMint have launched an integrated platform for regulated institutions seeking to issue and securely manage tokenised assets. The Ripple SettleMint partnership combines Ripple Custody with SettleMint’s Digital Asset Lifecycle Platform, or DALP. Banks, market infrastructure providers, and sovereign entities can use one system for custody, issuance, compliance, settlement, and servicing. The companies began offering the solution across Asia Pacific on Sept. 1.
They plan to enter other markets as demand develops. The announcement reflects growing institutional interest in unified blockchain infrastructure. It also addresses a common problem: connecting separate vendors across the full lifecycle of a digital asset.
Ripple SettleMint Partnership Starts Across Asia Pacific
The Ripple SettleMint partnership begins in Asia Pacific, its first market. Ripple and SettleMint did not identify customers, countries, or implementation schedules. They also withheld pricing, volumes, and contract values. Those omissions leave commercial adoption largely unmeasured at launch.
Fiona Murray, Ripple’s Asia Pacific managing director, said institutions want to expand digital asset use without joining separate systems. Ripple Custody would hold and govern assets, while DALP would manage each asset throughout its lifecycle. This structure targets regulated firms needing clear operational controls.
The Ripple SettleMint partnership does not require the XRP Ledger, XRP, or Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin. The announcement currently names no supported blockchain networks. Therefore, the agreement does not establish direct demand for XRP. Each institution’s network, legal structure, and existing systems will shape deployment.
Ripple already tests custody infrastructure with financial institutions in the region. Kyobo Life, for example, has tested settlement for tokenised Korean government bonds through Ripple Custody. That pilot has no reported volume or commercial launch date.
The strategy follows tokenisation programs across Asia Pacific. Banks and asset managers there have tested tokenised funds, programmable collateral, and stablecoin settlement. A separate arrangement involving DBS and Franklin Templeton paired a tokenised money market fund with RLUSD. Future work may explore lending and repurchase transactions backed by tokenised fund units.
Unified Tokenisation Platform Covers the Asset Lifecycle
The Ripple SettleMint partnership places Ripple Custody at the security and governance layer. Institutions can hold and transfer cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and tokenised real-world assets. Configurable access controls, policy enforcement, and approval workflows support institutional operating requirements.
Ripple describes the platform as self-custody infrastructure installed within an institution’s own technology environment. Under that model, the institution retains private-key control. The service supports hardware security modules and multi-party computation for key management. Ripple lists FIPS 140-2 Level 4, ISO 27001, and SOC 2 Type II credentials.
SettleMint’s DALP handles product design, issuance, compliance, permissioning, settlement, and post-issuance servicing. Institutions can apply governance rules throughout the asset lifecycle. The platform also manages investor eligibility, ownership records, transfers, corporate actions, and redemptions.
By linking both systems, the Ripple SettleMint partnership seeks to reduce reliance on separate providers. External integrations may still be necessary. Requirements will vary by jurisdiction, blockchain network, and each institution’s legacy infrastructure.
The agreement adds lifecycle management to Ripple’s expanding custody network. Ripple acquired wallet and custody provider Palisade in November 2025. It later added Securosys for key protection and Figment for institutional staking. A Chainalysis integration provides transaction monitoring and compliance tools.
SettleMint uses DALP in pilots and production programs across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. The Ripple SettleMint partnership extends that platform through an integrated custody layer for regulated markets.
The companies cite a May 2026 Boston Consulting Group forecast that tokenised real-world assets could reach $88 trillion by 2035. The progressive scenario represents 16% of global investable assets. BCG valued publicly visible tokenised assets near $30 billion when preparing the report. The forecast also warns that banks slow to adapt could face profit declines of up to 30% by 2035.
