Ripple competes with the Federal Reserve's main account, RLUSD and Ripple Prime promote the reconstruction of the global settlement system

Ripple is quietly advancing a strategic goal with far-reaching implications: securing a primary account qualification with the U.S. Federal Reserve. According to Ledarsidorna.se, if Ripple is approved for a main account, it will be able to directly issue and custody the RLUSD stablecoin and interact with the U.S. payment system without intermediaries. This means Ripple would leap from a traditional crypto enterprise role to an essential part of U.S. financial infrastructure. Due to limited coverage by mainstream media, many industry observers are surprised by this development.

Ripple has built a bank-grade compliance framework for RLUSD, enabling it to be integrated into the U.S. core clearing network. Once connected to the main account, cross-border settlement efficiency will significantly improve, and costs will be reduced. This move demonstrates Ripple’s vision not only to expand the XRP ecosystem but also to embed RLUSD deeply into the existing financial system, becoming the underlying infrastructure of a global settlement network.

Prior to this, Ripple acquired Hidden Road for $1.25 billion in 2025 and rebranded it as Ripple Prime, making it a leading multi-asset Tier 1 broker globally. Ripple Prime supports institutional trading of stocks, forex, commodities, and digital assets, with trading volumes comparable to some countries’ GDPs. This not only reshapes the competitive landscape of traditional brokerage industry but also showcases blockchain companies’ ability to merge and transform traditional financial institutions. Through Ripple Prime, Ripple is further promoting RLUSD’s international expansion and accelerating penetration into highly regulated institutional markets.

The global regulatory environment is also changing in response to Ripple’s developments. Influenced by the United States incorporating digital assets into its national economic security framework, the Swedish Central Bank and the European Central Bank are reassessing their stablecoin regulatory strategies. By the end of 2025, the Swedish Central Bank shifted from a cautious stance to active exploration, driven by the rapid expansion of the U.S. stablecoin system, which has exerted institutional pressure on Europe. Ripple’s technological and infrastructural capabilities are viewed as key drivers behind this policy shift.

Overall, Ripple’s development has gone beyond the cryptocurrency space, extending its influence to global transaction architecture, settlement systems, and modernization of securities markets. The main account application, RLUSD promotion, and Ripple Prime expansion constitute a systemic strategy, positioning Ripple as an indispensable core player in the reshaping of the international financial structure in 2026 and beyond.