Ripple Labs and SBI Digital Community Collaborate to Expand XRP Ledger Usage

SBI Digital Community Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of SBI Group, and Ripple Labs Inc. have announced a strategic partnership aimed at promoting the use of the XRP Ledger (XRPL) within the Web3 community.

According to an official press release dated August 13, the collaboration between these two tech giants will focus on integrating the XRP Ledger into the “Bto3 Web3 community,” a digital platform managed by SBI Digital Community, to enhance its functionality and increase its appeal. The statement reads:

“The XRP Ledger is a Layer 1 public blockchain developed to enable fast, low-cost, and sustainable payments. […] Through this strategic partnership, we will enhance the opportunities for individual users to engage with the XRP Ledger via the Bto3 Web3 community managed by SBI Digital Community, and work towards popularizing the XRP Ledger.”

Ripple and SBI’s New Web3 Venture

SBI Digital Community will begin issuing non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the XRP Ledger. The initiative extends to creating a supportive environment for users to interact with these digital assets, from purchasing to trading on the platform.

This effort will be supported by xrp.café, a marketplace specializing in the distribution and exchange of NFTs hosted on the XRP Ledger. The press release further states:

“As the issuance platform for NFTs on the XRP Ledger, we will utilize xrp.café, a marketplace dedicated to the distribution and trading of NFTs issued on the XRP Ledger.”

Rewards for Contributors and Creators

To further emphasize the potential impact of the partnership, the companies outlined plans to reward community creators and contributors to XRP. This reward mechanism is designed to encourage and support creative and operational contributions to the platform. SBI revealed:

“Additionally, we will enable the payment of rewards to creators and other contributors in the cryptocurrency XRP, based on their preferences.”

Commenting on the partnership’s objectives, the announcement stated:

“We believe that by increasing the number of users of the XRP Ledger, more companies will be able to offer new B-to-C services, thereby increasing real-world convenience.”

The project is backed by a capitalization of 50 million yen, which is approximately $338,000, including capital reserves.

Not the First Collaboration Between the Two Giants

Notably, this partnership is not the first collaboration between SBI Group and Ripple Labs. The relationship dates back to 2016 when the entities formed SBI Ripple Asia, a venture aimed at revolutionizing cross-border payments in Asia using Ripple’s blockchain technology.

Moreover, SBI Holdings has previously integrated the XRP Ledger into various projects, demonstrating the ledger’s versatility and robustness. SBI notably used the XRP Ledger for NFT issuance during major events like the World Expo 2025 and has explored its application in supply chain solutions in Japan in collaboration with HashKey.