Ripple has begun live testing of its U.S.-regulated stablecoin, Ripple USD (RLUSD), on four Layer 2 networks — Optimism, Base, Ink, and Unichain — marking a major step toward a multichain rollout ahead of the token’s full launch next year. The tests use Wormhole’s Native Token Transfers (NTT) standard, a cross-chain mechanism that moves assets without relying on wrapped tokens or conventional bridge architectures. That native issuance model is central to Ripple’s pitch: RLUSD can exist natively on multiple chains while preserving issuer control and reducing the risks associated with bridged assets.
Optimism is serving as the initial entry point, with Base, Ink, and Unichain connected through the same NTT infrastructure. Because the NTT framework avoids wrapped representations, Ripple says the approach reduces bridge risk, preserves liquidity integrity, and creates a clearer, compliance-friendly path for institutional DeFi use cases. Ripple’s SVP of Stablecoin, Jack McDonald, framed the expansion as a response to institutional demand: “Stablecoins are the gateway to DeFi and institutional adoption. By launching RLUSD on these L2 networks, we are setting the standard where compliance and on-chain efficiency converge.”
Regulatory positioning is a standout feature of RLUSD. The stablecoin launched under a New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) Trust Charter — one of the strictest regulatory regimes in crypto — and Ripple has reportedly filed for an OCC charter. If that federal charter is approved, RLUSD could become the first major stablecoin simultaneously overseen at both state and federal levels, a dual structure not present for other leading stablecoins such as USDC or USDT. Ripple’s broader regulatory footprint has also expanded: the company now holds more than 75 licenses worldwide, including recent approvals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The multichain push is also meant to bolster XRP’s role in cross-chain liquidity. Hex Trust has issued wrapped XRP (wXRP) to help interoperability, enabling holders to pair wXRP with RLUSD on supported chains for swaps, payments, lending, and yield strategies. On-chain distribution data from DeFiLlama shows RLUSD liquidity is still concentrated on Ethereum, which holds roughly 79.2% of RLUSD (more than $1 billion), while about 20.8% remains on the XRP Ledger.
What this rollout signals is Ripple’s attempt to combine tight regulatory oversight with native, multichain deployment — an architecture intended to appeal to institutional actors who want on-chain efficiency without the counterparty and technical risks of traditional bridging. The NTT-powered tests will be watched closely across DeFi and regulatory circles as RLUSD moves toward a broader launch next year.
Source: AMBCrypto. Disclaimer: AMBCrypto’s content is informational and not investment advice. Cryptocurrency trading is high-risk; do your own research before making decisions. © 2025 AMBCrypto
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