Ripple backs Flutterwave at $3.2B, supports RLUSD

Ripple participated in Flutterwave’s Series E financing that valued the African payments company at $3.2 billion and supported integration of RLUSD, a Ripple-issued U.S. dollar-pegged token, into Flutterwave’s payments platform.

The participation makes Ripple one of the investors in the round; companies did not disclose the size of Ripple’s stake or the total amount raised.

The planned integration is intended to let merchants and partners on Flutterwave use RLUSD for payment flows, settlement and liquidity functions within the platform.

Technical work for the integration is expected to include support for token issuance, custody arrangements, and on-ramps and off-ramps for fiat currency, along with compliance checks to meet local and international payment rules. Flutterwave will need to adapt merchant onboarding and settlement systems to accommodate a stablecoin option and to ensure reconciliation and consumer protections.

Some analysts note a dollar-pegged token can enable faster settlement and offer a new liquidity corridor for cross-border transfers; actual outcomes will depend on adoption, regulatory approvals and operational details.

Flutterwave began as a payments infrastructure provider in African markets and has expanded into merchant services, remittances and platform tools for global businesses. Ripple develops payment infrastructure and digital assets aimed at cross-border transfers; RLUSD is described by Ripple as a token for payments and settlement.

Further announcements from the companies are expected to clarify timing for the RLUSD rollout and the operational terms for merchants and partners.