Ripple has made a strategic investment in Flutterwave as part of the African payments company’s Series E funding round, deepening the integration of blockchain-based settlement infrastructure into one of the continent’s largest fintech platforms.
The investment, which values Flutterwave at $3.2 billion, underscores growing institutional interest in stablecoin-powered cross-border payments and signals a further convergence between traditional fintech rails and digital asset infrastructure.
Under the agreement, Ripple’s USD-backed stablecoin RLUSD, the XRP Ledger (XRPL), and Ripple’s global payments network will be integrated into Flutterwave’s payment stack. The companies said the collaboration is aimed at improving the speed, cost, and efficiency of cross-border transactions across Africa by reducing reliance on traditional correspondent banking systems.
Flutterwave operates payments infrastructure across 34 African countries, enabling merchants to accept and disburse funds via cards, bank transfers, mobile money, and global payment methods. The company said the integration will extend its existing network with a “stablecoin-first” settlement layer for selected cross-border corridors.
The partnership centers on three core components: embedding RLUSD into Flutterwave’s payment and remittance products, leveraging the XRP Ledger for transaction clearing, and connecting Flutterwave’s API infrastructure to Ripple Payments to facilitate cross-border liquidity flows.
Ripple said the investment reflects its long-term strategy to expand enterprise adoption of blockchain-based payments in emerging markets.
“Stablecoins are becoming a core component of modern payments infrastructure,” said Reece Merrick, Ripple’s managing director for the Middle East and Africa. He said the partnership would help embed RLUSD within Flutterwave’s ecosystem and support faster, lower-cost settlement across regional and global corridors.
Flutterwave chief executive Olugbenga “GB” Agboola described the deal as a step toward building what he called a “payment superhighway” linking African businesses more directly to global markets.
Africa’s cross-border payments market has long been constrained by high fees, fragmented banking relationships, and multi-day settlement times. Companies including Ripple and Flutterwave are increasingly positioning blockchain and stablecoins as an alternative settlement layer to address those inefficiencies.
Flutterwave has raised more than $500 million to date and processed over 1 billion transactions valued at more than $50 billion, according to company data. The Series E round is expected to support expansion of its enterprise payments and remittance products, including Send App.
Ripple, founded in 2012, provides blockchain-based infrastructure spanning payments, custody, and liquidity management. Its RLUSD stablecoin and XRP token are central to its enterprise settlement strategy.
The companies did not disclose the size of Ripple’s investment in the round.