Ripple’s $1.25B Deal Unlocks a New Era for Hidden Road – And You Won’t Believe How!

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Well, look at that—Hidden Road, that little non-bank brokerage, just got a shiny new broker-dealer license, and not even a week after Ripple swooped in with their $1.25 billion acquisition. Talk about timing. Can you say “perfectly executed”? 🤑

So here’s the scoop: Hidden Road—now part of Ripple’s sprawling empire—has been given the green light by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). With this new license, they’re set to roll out a broader range of prime brokerage, clearing, and financing services to institutional investors, especially in the world of fixed-income assets. Fancy, huh? 🚀

Now, Noel Kimmel, the president of Hidden Road, is all smiles, claiming this move will let them “transact a much broader universe of customers.” Sure, Noel, sure. Let’s just hope this ‘universe’ doesn’t start spinning out of control with all the extra responsibility. 🌌

But wait, it gets juicier. The FINRA blessing came just days after Ripple locked in a $1.25 billion deal to acquire Hidden Road. As part of the integration, they’ll be using Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin as collateral for their prime brokerage services. And, they’re moving their post-trade activity onto the XRP Ledger. What a slick transition! 💸

Brad Garlinghouse, the CEO of Ripple, practically started wearing a cape when he said, “This deal marks a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for crypto to access the largest and most trusted traditional markets, and vice versa.” Yeah, okay, Brad. So, they’re going big, and I mean *big*, clearing over $3 trillion annually across 300+ institutions. Now Ripple wants to channel that volume through the XRP Ledger, which is the equivalent of turbocharging the whole operation. 🏎️💨

For Hidden Road, this means faster, cheaper clearing services. Which, let’s be honest, is exactly what every non-bank prime broker wishes for. Gotta keep the competition on their toes, right? 😉

“Instead of waiting for <24 hours to settle trades through fiat rails, Hidden Road will be using XRPL for clearing a portion of trades, and most consequentially, using RLUSD as collateral across its prime brokerage services, including cross-asset (crypto and traditional instrument) trades,” Garlinghouse said. Now that’s some next-level thinking! 🧠

Today, @Ripple announced the acquisition of Hidden Road for $1.25B, one of the largest deals ever in the crypto space. But the price tag isn’t what’s most important – it’s that this deal marks a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for crypto to access the largest and most trusted…

— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) April 8, 2025

Looking forward, Hidden Road plans to expand its product offerings with things like fixed-income repurchase agreements and global funding services. And of course, they’ll be leaning on Ripple’s deep pockets to make it happen. Who doesn’t love a good expansion plan with a side of big corporate resources? 🍔💰

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2025-04-18 15:30