- The pilot program includes Optimism, Base, Ink and Unichain as part of a multichain expansion strategy.
- An additional chain launch is planned for next year, subject to regulatory approval in the United States.
- RLUSD has a market capitalization of $1.3 billion and has seen growing retail adoption since its launch.
Ripple Labs is working to broaden the reach of its US dollar–backed stablecoin, RLUSD, by testing the token across several Ethereum Layer 2 blockchains as part of a new pilot program.
The expansion arrives while the company awaits regulatory clearance ahead of a wider rollout planned for next year.
By extending RLUSD beyond the initial environments where it launched, Ripple aims to better integrate the stablecoin into decentralized finance and institutional blockchain use cases.
The pilot also reflects a broader industry shift toward multichain infrastructure, where stablecoins are expected to operate seamlessly across multiple networks rather than remain confined to a single ecosystem.
Pilot targets Ethereum Layer 2 ecosystems
The pilot is being conducted in collaboration with Wormhole, a cross-chain interoperability protocol that enables the transfer of assets between blockchains.
Under the agreement, RLUSD will be tested on Optimism, Base, and Ink, a Layer 2 solution developed by Kraken, as well as Unichain.
RLUSD was originally issued on the XRP Ledger and Ethereum. Ripple said that expanding to Layer 2 networks is a necessary step to support scalability, efficiency and interoperability as blockchain activity increasingly migrates to lower-cost environments built on Ethereum.
The pilot phase is intended to evaluate how RLUSD performs across these networks before a broader launch, which remains contingent on regulatory approvals.
Wormhole technology avoids wrapped assets
A key technical aspect of the expansion is the use of the Wormhole Native Token Transfers standard.
According to Wormhole, this approach allows RLUSD to move between 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.
The Wormhole system is designed to maintain a single canonical version of RLUSD on each supported blockchain, with Ripple retaining control over the token contracts.
This structure aims to preserve liquidity and simplify cross-chain use, which is particularly important for stablecoins intended for payments, decentralized finance and institutional settlement.
RLUSD growth and market position
RLUSD launched in December 2024 and, according to CoinGecko data, has a market capitalization of $1.3 billion.
While it remains much smaller than established stablecoins, it is beginning to gain traction among retail users.
For context, Tether’s USDT has a market capitalization of roughly $186 billion, Circle’s USDC about $78 billion, and Sky Protocol’s USDS around $9.8 billion.
Adoption of RLUSD has been supported by integrations with on‑ramp services such as Transak and increasing use across self‑custody wallets, including Xamanu.
Ripple views stablecoins as a key bridge between decentralized finance and institutional adoption, positioning RLUSD as a compliance-focused option in an evolving multichain environment.