Ripple expands into Bahrain in boost for RLUSD

Ripple is expanding its Middle East footprint through a new partnership with Bahrain Fintech Bay, the Kingdom’s main fintech incubator and ecosystem platform, as part of its push to integrate blockchain and stablecoin infrastructure into regulated financial markets.

The move builds on Ripple’s Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) license obtained earlier this year and underscores growing demand from Gulf institutions to adopt digital asset technologies under clear regulatory frameworks.

“The Kingdom of Bahrain has emerged as an early adopter of blockchain technology, and was one of the first jurisdictions globally to regulate cryptoassets,” said Reece Merrick, managing director for the Middle East and Africa at Ripple. “At Ripple we look forward to working with Bahrain Fintech Bay to continue laying the foundations for a thriving local blockchain industry, as well as ultimately offering our digital assets custody solution and stablecoin Ripple USD (RLUSD) to Bahrain’s financial institutions.”

Under the agreement, Ripple and Bahrain Fintech Bay will collaborate on pilot projects, educational programs, and local accelerator initiatives aimed at expanding digital-asset use cases such as tokenization, cross-border payments, and stablecoin applications.

Ripple is also participating at the Fintech Forward 2025 conference in Sakhir this week, alongside regional banks, regulators, and global fintech firms.

“Bahrain has long been recognised as a financial services hub, and today this legacy is being further enhanced in the digital assets and blockchain space,” said Suzy Al Zeerah, chief operating officer at Bahrain Fintech Bay. “This partnership with Ripple reflects Bahrain FinTech Bay’s commitment to bridging global innovators with the local ecosystem, creating opportunities for pilots, talent development, and cutting-edge solutions that will shape the future of finance.”

Ripple, which operates over 60 regulatory licenses and registrations globally, said the partnership will help position Bahrain as a potential hub for compliant blockchain deployments in the Gulf region.

The company’s RLUSD stablecoin, designed for enterprise use and regulatory clarity, has become central to its strategy of linking tokenized assets with traditional payment infrastructure.