• Ripple has announced the allocation of US$10M into tokenised US T-bills on the XRPL network.
  • TBILL tokens are backed by short-term US T-bills and reverse repurchase agreements.
  • Purchasers will be able to mint TBILL tokens via Stablecoins, including Ripple USD, which is due to launch later this year.
  • This is the first time a traditional finance instrument has been enabled on the platform.

Ripple, the digital payment network, has invested US$10M (AU$15.4M) in tokenised US treasuries on the XRP Ledger (XRPL).

The tokenisation of real-world assets (RWA) is gaining momentum in the cryptocurrency industry as it attracts more traditional institutions, including BlackRock and Goldman Sachs.  Several blockchain networks, such as Ethereum and Solana, are building the infrastructure to allow these sorts of instruments. 

Now, Ripple is joining in and allowing OpenEden’s TBILL tokens to launch on the XRPL, which is Ripple’s decentralised blockchain network for business-focused applications. 

According to the press release, OpenEden’s TBILL tokens are backed by short-term US T-bills and reverse repurchase agreements collateralised by US Treasuries.

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Bringing tokenized T-bills to the XRP Ledger is the next step in our exciting journey. Purchasers will be able to mint our TBILL tokens via stablecoins, including Ripple USD when it launches later this year,” said Jeremy Ng, founder of OpenEden.

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Related: Ripple Forms Partnership to Boost Blockchain Adoption Across Brazil

The Rise of Tokenisation

Tokenisation is particularly attractive due to several benefits, one of which is fractionalisation of assets. Fractionalised ownership increases the liquidity of traditionally illiquid assets by making them accessible to a broader range of investors.

This sort of democratisation of assets allows retailers to access investment opportunities usually reserved for wealthier individuals. Most importantly, tokenisation bridges the gap between traditional finance and the crypto industry.

Related: BlackRock’s RWA Fund on Ethereum Surpasses $500 Million, Achieving 100% Monthly Growth

BlackRock jumped onto the tokenisation wagon earlier this year by launching an RWA fund on Ethereum. In July, the fund surpassed US$500M (AU$767M)  in market capitalisation, which is now above US$522.8M (AU$802.6M)

Source: Etherscan.

Similarly, Goldman Sachs is set to launch three tokenised products in the US and Europe, citing increased interest from clients.

Overall, more institutions are looking to tokenise their RWAs, and blockchain is one of the main types of distributed ledger technologies that allows them to securely manage, distribute, and verify those assets in real-time.

As the narrative gains momentum, Ripple looks forward to bringing RWAs into the XRPL network, as “it provides a strong foundation for RWA tokenization and institutional-grade DeFi,” as stated in the press release.