Ripple, a blockchain-based digital payment network, has made a strategic investment in African payments company Flutterwave as part of the firm’s Series E funding round, deepening a partnership aimed at integrating RLUSD stablecoin into cross-border payment infrastructure across the continent.
According to the announcement on Tuesday, Ripple participated in Flutterwave’s Series E funding round, which values the African payments company at $3.2 billion. The partnership will support stablecoin-based settlement by combining Ripple’s blockchain infrastructure with Flutterwave’s payments network.
The investment gives Ripple a strategic entry point to expand the use of its RLUSD stablecoin across one of Africa’s largest payments networks, targeting cross-border business payments and remittances.
How RLUSD will work inside Flutterwave
The partnership centers on integrating Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin into Flutterwave’s payment rails and Send App remittance corridors for cross-border settlements. According to the companies, RLUSD will serve as a settlement asset for high-volume payment channels, while the XRP Ledger (XRPL) will be used to facilitate transaction clearing. The integration also includes a unified API designed to connect Flutterwave’s domestic payment infrastructure with Ripple Payments, Ripple’s enterprise cross-border payments network.
The companies said the goal is to reduce settlement times, improve liquidity, and lower transaction costs for businesses operating across African markets.
Ripple expands stablecoin strategy in Africa
The investment marks another step in Ripple’s broader effort to expand the real-world use of RLUSD, which has increasingly been positioned as an enterprise-focused stablecoin for payments and settlement.
Reece Merrick, Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa at Ripple, said Flutterwave has built one of Africa’s largest payment networks and that the partnership is intended to establish RLUSD as part of its settlement infrastructure while extending Ripple Payments across the region.
Rather than focusing solely on cryptocurrency transactions, the partnership combines stablecoins with existing payment methods, including bank transfers, mobile wallets, and local card networks.
RLUSD’s global expansion continues
The Flutterwave investment follows a series of partnerships aimed at expanding Ripple’s enterprise payments ecosystem. Last week, Ripple and Bitso announced plans to bring the peso-backed stablecoin MXNB to the XRP Ledger (XRPL), adding regulated Mexican peso liquidity alongside RLUSD for enterprise cross-border settlements, particularly between the United States and Mexico.
Previously, Ripple also joined Mastercard’s Agent Pay for Machines initiative, where RippleX is providing the XRP Ledger and RLUSD as settlement infrastructure for AI-driven machine-to-machine payments.
Flutterwave doubles down on stablecoins
Flutterwave said the investment builds on its long-term strategy of incorporating stablecoin technology into its payment services. The company plans to integrate RLUSD into its existing settlement infrastructure to support businesses making international payments and remittances.
Flutterwave said the unified system is designed to reduce dependence on traditional correspondent banking channels by providing faster settlement and more predictable liquidity for cross-border transactions.
Why the funding matters
Ripple participated in Flutterwave’s latest fundraising round, which values the payments company at $3.2 billion. Flutterwave said it has raised more than $500 million to date and has processed over 1 billion transactions with a cumulative value exceeding $50 billion. The company said the new funding will support further expansion of its digital payments infrastructure and stablecoin capabilities across African markets.
The deal also expands Ripple’s enterprise payments footprint in Africa, where demand for faster and lower-cost cross-border settlement continues to grow as stablecoin adoption accelerates.
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