Singapore, October 14, 2026 - Ripple, the leading provider of blockchain solutions across traditional and digital finance, today announced a strategic partnership with Meritz Securities, one of Korea's leading securities firms. Together, the two companies will explore how to bring Ripple Custody and Ripple's tokenisation infrastructure into Korea's capital markets. Ripple Custody is a bank-grade digital asset custody platform built for regulated financial institutions. It supports the secure storage, transfer and settlement of digital assets.

For any financial institution dealing with digital assets, institutional-grade custody is essential. Building it from scratch is costly, complex and slow. Ripple's infrastructure gives institutions a proven route to market instead, with the security and control that regulated firms need. The two companies will start within the scope of Meritz's existing securities business and current regulation. They will then widen their cooperation in stages as Korea's digital asset framework develops.

Meritz Securities is currently exploring a range of digital asset-related business opportunities in preparation for the integration of digital assets into the regulated financial system, including spot ETFs, fractional investment and security tokens, trading platforms, and KRW-denominated stablecoins. The partnership with Ripple was formed as part of these broader efforts.

“Korea is one of the most dynamic digital asset markets in the world and its institutions are preparing to move from exploration to real-world utility,” said Fiona Murray, Managing Director, Asia Pacific at Ripple. “Ripple brings the full infrastructure stack across payments, custody and tokenization, backed by more than 85 licenses and a network spanning more than 60 markets globally. We’re excited to work with Meritz Securities, and we look forward to supporting more Korean institutions as the market grows.”

Byungha Kang, Managing Director of the Strategic Planning Unit, Meritz Securities said, "This partnership lays the foundation for combining Ripple's global digital asset infrastructure with our capital markets capabilities. As Korea's regulatory framework evolves, we will prepare safe and trusted digital asset financial services in stages."

Meritz is Ripple's fourth institutional partnership in Korea this year and its first with a securities firm. Kyobo Life Insurance is using Ripple Custody to pioneer Korea's first tokenized government bond settlement on blockchain. Kbank, Korea's first internet-only bank, is deploying digital asset wallet infrastructure through Ripple Custody. Jeonbuk Bank became the first Korean regional bank to adopt Ripple Payments for cross-border remittance. With Meritz, Ripple now works with Korean institutions across banking, insurance and capital markets, which reflects its long-term commitment to the country's institutional digital asset market.

Re-disseminated by The Asian Banker