You Won’t Believe What Ripple’s CEO Just Said About Blockchain and Art! 🎉💁‍♀️

So, apparently, Ripple thinks blockchain innovation in academia is the hottest thing since sliced bread, and their CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, is practically doing cartwheels over it. 🤸‍♂️

Enter the University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI), where Ripple shows off its commitment by throwing research funds around like confetti. They’re diving into everything from finance to law—and even the arts. Guess who’s getting in on the action? The University of Kansas (KU)! This place is mixing up some serious interdisciplinary magic with a sprinkle of blockchain, community storytelling, and a dash of contemporary art. Who knew studying could be so hip? 🎨✨

In cahoots with the Spencer Museum of Art, they’re out to discover how blockchain can help communities take back ownership of their spaces, memories, and digital expressions. Because nothing says “community empowerment” like a tech revolution, right? 🙃

“Always exciting to see my alma mater @UnivOfKansas leading the way in pushing the boundaries of onchain use cases.”

“This is exactly why Ripple launched the University Blockchain Research Initiative: to support academic research driving new utility and long-term impact of crypto.…”

— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) July 11, 2025

In case you missed it, Garlinghouse reiterated that this whole UBRI thing is why Ripple decided to jump into academia—because why wouldn’t you want to help drive new utility and “long-term impact” of crypto? Sounds like a fun party! 🎉

Hot Off the Press!

In a spectacularly exciting announcement (cue drum roll), Ripple has teamed up with the Bank of New York Mellon to be the primary custodian for Ripple’s U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin (RLUSD) reserves. Who knew banks could still be in style? 💰

This pairing is set to boost Ripple’s regulatory chops and up the confidence levels in both Ripple and the booming stablecoin biz. BNY’s basically the granddaddy of banks in the U.S., so they must know a thing or two about keeping the money safe.

But wait! It gets better. Ripple’s gliding on over to apply for a national banking charter in the U.S. and a Federal Reserve master account, which basically means they want to keep their cash with the big boys. Just imagine the power moves this could unlock! 💪

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2025-07-12 13:32