- The pilot includes Optimism, Base, Ink, and Unichain as part of a broader multichain expansion strategy.
- Additional chain launches are planned for next year, subject to approval by U.S. regulators.
- RLUSD has a market capitalization of $1.3 billion and has seen growing retail adoption since its launch.
Ripple Labs is taking steps to broaden the reach of its U.S. dollar–backed stablecoin, RLUSD, by testing it across multiple Ethereum layer-2 blockchains as part of a new pilot program.
The expansion comes as the company awaits regulatory clearance to move forward with a wider rollout planned for next year.
By extending RLUSD beyond its initial launch environments, Ripple aims to position the stablecoin for deeper integration with decentralized finance use cases and institutional blockchain workflows.
The pilot also reflects a broader industry shift toward multichain infrastructure, where stablecoins are expected to operate seamlessly across multiple networks rather than remaining confined to a single ecosystem.
Pilot targets Ethereum layer-2 ecosystems
The pilot is being conducted in partnership with Wormhole, a cross-chain interoperability protocol that enables assets to move between blockchains.
Under the agreement, RLUSD will be tested on Optimism, Base, Ink (an Ethereum layer developed by Kraken), and Unichain.
RLUSD was initially issued on the XRP Ledger and on Ethereum. Ripple has said that expanding to layer-2 networks is a necessary step to support scalability, cost efficiency, and interoperability as blockchain activity increasingly shifts to lower-cost environments built on Ethereum.
The pilot phase is designed to assess how RLUSD performs on these networks ahead of a broader launch, which remains contingent on regulatory approval.
Wormhole technology avoids wrapped assets
A key technical element of the expansion is the use of Wormhole’s Native Token Transfers standard.
According to Wormhole, this approach allows RLUSD to move across blockchains as the same native asset, rather than relying on wrapped or synthetic versions.
In many multichain models, tokens are locked on one chain while a wrapped version is minted on another, which can fragment liquidity.
Wormhole’s system is designed to preserve a single canonical instance of RLUSD on each supported blockchain while Ripple retains control over the token contracts.
This architecture aims to protect liquidity and simplify cross-chain usage—an important consideration for stablecoins intended to support payments, decentralized finance, and institutional settlement.
RLUSD growth and market position
Launched in December 2024, RLUSD currently has a market capitalization of approximately $1.3 billion.
While still much smaller than established stablecoins, RLUSD has begun to gain traction among retail users.
By comparison, Tether’s USDT has a market capitalization measured in the hundreds of billions, Circle’s USDC is similarly larger, and other stablecoins hold varying shares of the market.
RLUSD’s adoption has been supported by integrations with on‑ramp platforms and increasing use in self‑custodial wallets.
Ripple views stablecoins as a key bridge between decentralized finance and institutional adoption, positioning RLUSD as a compliance‑focused option in an evolving multichain landscape.