Robinhood to add Ripple's RLUSD despite backing rival USDG
Ripple's $2.5B RLUSD stablecoin is coming to the Robinhood app by end-2026 and will settle Bitstamp trades on the XRP Ledger. How it sits next to Paxos's USDG.
CryptoGroup Newsroom · · 3 min read
Quick verdictRLUSD gets a retail channel at Robinhood, but USDG keeps its lending role for now, and Robinhood has not said how the two will coexist.
Jump to the verdict ↓Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin is coming to the Robinhood app before the end of 2026, even though Robinhood co-founded the network that promotes Paxos's rival token, USDG. The two companies announced the partnership on Tuesday; it also covers settlement at Robinhood-owned exchange Bitstamp and Ripple software for Robinhood's treasury, CoinDesk reports.
What the deal includes
- Retail access: RLUSD, already live on Robinhood Chain and Bitstamp, is due in the main Robinhood app by year-end. Robinhood reported 28.6 million funded customers at the end of August, but the companies have not said how many will be eligible.
- Institutional settlement: Bitstamp will use RLUSD on the XRP Ledger to settle trades. Robinhood bought Bitstamp for $200 million in June.
- Treasury software: Robinhood plans to use Ripple's tools for cash management, payments and forecasting.
- Derivatives: Ripple Prime already gives Bitstamp lending and margin financing on about 20 digital assets, and the firms plan to add perpetual futures later this year.
Ripple president Monica Long said the deal reflects "growing institutional demand for integrated solutions." According to the press release, RLUSD has grown past $2.5 billion in market capitalisation since its December 2024 launch.
RLUSD vs USDG at Robinhood
| RLUSD | USDG | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Ripple | Paxos |
| Launched | December 2024 | 2024, via the Global Dollar Network |
| Robinhood's role | Distribution partner (new) | Founding member of the network that promotes it |
| Where it is used | Robinhood Chain, Bitstamp; app by end-2026 | Default lending asset in Robinhood Earn since July |
| Size cited | Over $2.5B market cap | Not given in the announcement |
Why the overlap matters
The Global Dollar Network, set up in 2024, shares USDG revenue with members that distribute it. Kraken, Galaxy Digital, Anchorage Digital and Bullish were also founders, and Arbitrum joined this month. That model gives Robinhood a financial reason to push USDG, yet the RLUSD deal shows members are free to list competitors. Robinhood has not announced any change to its USDG arrangement or said whether RLUSD will get a role in lending products.
The deal caps a busy week for Ripple, which won final OCC approval for its national trust bank on Monday and expanded its custody tie-up with BNY on Tuesday. For a primer on how dollar tokens differ, see our USDT vs USDC comparison.
Our verdict
A distribution win for RLUSD, not a switch away from USDG
Robinhood is adding RLUSD as an extra option for retail and institutional users while keeping USDG at the centre of Robinhood Earn. Watch for details on eligibility, fees and whether RLUSD reaches lending products before year-end.
This article is for information only and is not financial advice. Crypto assets are volatile; do your own research. Read our disclaimer
More from Altcoins
View all →Read next
What is a private key in crypto? A plain-English guide
A private key is the secret number that controls your crypto. How it differs from a public key, address and seed phrase, and how to keep yours safe.
Brazil's companies piled into stablecoins on election day
Corporate accounts made 78% of Mercado Bitcoin's election-day volume as USDT trading jumped nearly 800%. Next day the Ibovespa fell 14% and the dollar rose 8%.
Crypto.com launches US crypto perps with up to 5x leverage
Crypto.com and partner OG.com began offering crypto perpetual futures to eligible US traders, with up to 5x leverage, after registering with the NFA.