Singapore is deepening its role as a digital asset hub as regulators broaden the framework for Ripple payments under Major Payment Institution (MPI) license.
Summary
How is Ripple expanding its payment activities in Singapore?
On December 1, 2025, Ripple announced that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) had approved an expanded scope of payment activities for the Major Payment Institution (MPI) license held by its local subsidiary, Ripple Markets APAC Pte. Ltd. (RMA). With this decision, the company can widen its regulated payment offerings and deliver more value to customers in Singapore.
As one of the few blockchain-based institutions worldwide with an MPI license, Ripple positions this move as further evidence of its focus on compliance and regulatory engagement. Moreover, the approval reinforces Singapore’s ambition to stay at the forefront of digital asset regulation and innovation.
Why does MAS’ regulatory approach matter for Ripple?
Ripple President Monica Long praised MAS for having set “a leading standard for regulatory clarity in digital assets” and highlighted the importance of Singapore’s forward-thinking policy stance. She underlined that the company has always taken a regulation-first approach, arguing that clear rules enable innovation to flourish rather than constrain it.
According to Long, the expanded MPI license will strengthen Ripple’s ability to keep investing in Singapore and build the infrastructure that financial institutions need to move money efficiently, quickly, and safely. However, the strategic value goes beyond one market, as Singapore serves as a key hub for Ripple’s broader Asia Pacific operations.
What does Ripple Payments offer to institutions?
The company’s flagship solution, Ripple Payments, combines digital payment tokens (DPTs) with a global payout network to enable fast, transparent, and reliable cross-border payments. It supports on- and off-ramp services for banks, crypto companies, and fintechs around the world. With a fully licensed, end-to-end model, Ripple manages the underlying blockchain and operational complexity on behalf of clients.
That said, businesses can launch digital payment services more quickly because they do not need to build or maintain their own infrastructure. Ripple’s approach is designed to remove friction from cross-border transactions while remaining within regulated frameworks in key jurisdictions such as Singapore.
What are the key benefits of Ripple’s end-to-end solution?
Ripple highlights several advantages of its platform for institutional users. First, its end-to-end payments solution leverages digital payment tokens, including RLUSD and XRP, to settle payments in minutes. This is intended to reduce both the cost and the operational burden associated with constructing and maintaining legacy infrastructure.
Second, the company emphasizes a single onboarding model that allows clients to replace fragmented partner networks with one trusted provider. Moreover, Ripple supports the entire payment flow—from collection and holding to swapping and payout—through a single integration, simplifying operations for financial institutions and fintechs.
Third, the firm offers simplified access to digital assets by allowing institutions to connect to DPTs seamlessly and decide whether they want to hold such tokens. Ripple removes the need for additional bank relationships, specialized technical infrastructure, or direct management of digital assets, which can be a barrier for traditional players.
How does the expanded scope support Asia Pacific growth?
Fiona Murray, Ripple Vice President & Managing Director, Asia Pacific, noted that the Asia Pacific region leads the world in practical digital asset usage, with on-chain activity up roughly 70% year-over-year. She pointed out that Singapore sits at the center of this growth, making it a strategic base for the company.
With this expanded scope of payment activities, Murray said Ripple can better support the institutions driving that growth by offering a broad suite of regulated payment services. In her view, the enhanced license will help bring faster and more efficient cross-border payments to customers, which is critical as digital asset adoption accelerates across the region.
In this context, the company sees the new permissions under its Major Payment Institution framework as a way to solidify its regional leadership. Furthermore, the move underscores how regulatory clarity can attract institutional players seeking compliant exposure to blockchain-based payments.
What role does Singapore play in Ripple’s global strategy?
Singapore has been central to Ripple’s global business since the company established its Asia Pacific headquarters in the city-state in 2017. Over the years, MAS has earned a reputation as a leading authority in crafting clear regulatory frameworks for digital assets. As a result, the jurisdiction has become a preferred base for financial institutions exploring tokenization and blockchain-based payment flows.
Singapore was among the earliest markets worldwide to develop a forward-looking regime for digital assets, creating an environment that balances innovation with robust oversight. That said, this strategy also supports companies like Ripple, which seek to scale institutional-grade services within well-defined regulatory guardrails.
How does Ripple position its broader product ecosystem?
Beyond payments, Ripple presents itself as a financial technology company delivering a suite of crypto solutions for businesses. Its payments platform uses blockchain to make cross-border transfers faster, more transparent, and more accessible. In parallel, Ripple Custody offers customers a secure way to store and manage digital assets, addressing institutional demand for robust safekeeping.
Through Ripple Prime, the firm provides a global, multi-asset prime brokerage service for institutional clients. The company’s stablecoin RLUSD and its cryptocurrency XRP are integrated across these offerings to increase the efficiency of traditional financial workflows and unlock new use cases for digital assets.
In summary, the expanded payment permissions in Singapore mark another step in Ripple’s strategy to scale regulated, blockchain-based financial infrastructure. As MAS continues to refine its frameworks, the partnership between regulators and industry players is likely to shape the next phase of digital asset and payment innovation in Asia Pacific and beyond.
