TL;DR
Ripple announced a partnership with Arf to provide RLUSD-powered settlement liquidity on the XRP Ledger and facilitate cross-border payments.
Arf processes nearly $10 billion in annual settlement volume and offers short-term financing to payment companies.
The company also plans to use XRPL’s lending infrastructure, although implementation depends on the approval of two protocol amendments.
Ripple has partnered with Arf, a Swiss-regulated financial institution, to provide RLUSD-powered settlement liquidity on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) . The agreement aims to make capital more accessible to companies processing international payments.
Arf, which began operating in November 2022, currently processes nearly $10 billion annually in cross-border settlements. Its model provides financing for short periods, typically ranging from one to five days.
Cross-border payment companies often need to pre-fund transactions before receiving the corresponding settlement. Traditional bank loans can require substantial collateral and take months to secure.
Under the partnership, Arf will begin providing liquidity directly in RLUSD, Ripple’s stablecoin , to support higher transaction volumes on XRPL.
Arf is bringing settlement liquidity to the @XRP Ledger.
Cross-border payments move trillions of dollars every year, but the capital needed to move that money often remains tied up across markets.
That’s why we’re partnering with @Ripple to bring RLUSD-powered settlement… pic.twitter.com/M9RQqdITse
— Arf (@arf_one) October 22, 2026
Ripple and Arf Aim to Reduce Pre-Funding Requirements
RippleX’s head of product, Jasmine Cooper , highlighted the XRP Ledger’s fast settlement capabilities and RLUSD’s regulated dollar infrastructure as features well suited to institutional financing.
Arf’s model allows capital to be recovered once transactions settle and reused for new payments. Loans are typically repaid within one to five days.
Using RLUSD for loan disbursements and repayments could expand its institutional adoption , particularly among payment providers that require continuous access to liquidity.
Arf Prepares to Integrate XRPL’s Lending Protocol
Arf also plans to adopt the proposed native lending infrastructure on the XRP Ledger. The system includes Single Asset Vaults for pooling capital and a Lending Protocol for managing structured loans.
The institution will continue to handle risk assessments and credit decisions off-chain, while loans will be managed on XRPL.
Implementation requires the approval and activation of the XLS-65 and XLS-66 amendments. Arf has already developed a preliminary integration and is providing technical feedback on both proposals.
Separately, activity on the XRP Ledger has increased. According to Santiment Intelligence, the number of wallets holding a balance reached a record 8.24 million , with 4,772 new addresses recorded in a single day.
In the market, XRP is trading near $1.32 . The $1.40 and $1.30 levels are technical reference points for assessing potential price movements, although greater institutional use of XRPL does not guarantee an increase in the token’s value.
