Moving Past XRP: Standard Chartered's RLUSD Launch Signals New Ripple Era
Ripples expansion on Wall Street calls into question the market link between the company and the token historically associated with it. In October 2026, Standard Chartereds launch of a custody service for Ripples stablecoin, Ripple USD (RLUSD), outlined the contours of a new era. The fintech giant is building an institutional network in which the native XRP token risks becoming an optional element. Santiment analysts also lean toward the conclusion that this step signals Ripples ability to win in the major leagues without accompanying XRP growth. While the XRP price stagnates, RLUSD issuance is showing strong organic growth. The young assets market capitalization has reached $2.41 billion, placing it 39th in the global stablecoin ranking, close behind PayPal USD ($2.9 billion). Ripple USD (RLUSD) rank and market capitalization on the top stablecoin list, Source: CoinMarketCap However, big capital ignores volatility. Banks view RLUSD as a pure settlement instrument, and the stablecoins multichain nature spreads transactions beyond the XRP Ledger network. This deprives XRP of its role as the exclusive fuel of the ecosystem, shifting the focus of Ripple itself toward the high-yield business of managing fiat reserves and collecting infrastructure fees. What does a parallel reality where banks dont buy XRP look like? The integration with









