A senior Russian financial analyst has publicly disclosed that Russia is taking strategic steps to utilize the XRP Ledger (XRPL) as a foundation for settlement infrastructure involving the digital euro, citing its neutral decentralized framework, high transaction speed, and scalable liquidity features.
The announcement follows a growing pattern of BRICS nations moving away from Western-dominated systems like SWIFT and experimenting with blockchain networks that offer instant cross-border settlements, cost efficiency, and interoperability. Russia’s consideration of XRP Ledger for the digital euro—an instrument still in active development by the European Central Bank—marks a potential turning point for both digital currency geopolitics and the adoption of Ripple’s technology stack.
WHY XRP LEDGER? The XRP Ledger boasts:
Settlement time: ~3-5 seconds
Throughput: Over 1,500 transactions per second
Cost per transaction: Less than $0.0003
Energy efficiency: 61,000x more efficient than Bitcoin
Decentralized validator network: Includes universities, banks, and independent parties across the globe
Russia’s financial institutions have previously tested RippleNet for cross-border payments, and the Russian Association of Cryptoindustry and Blockchain (RACIB) has endorsed Ripple for its compliance-friendly infrastructure in several policy papers dating back to 2022.
DIGITAL EURO CONNECTION The digital euro, managed by the European Central Bank, has undergone multiple pilot programs since 2020. In March 2024, the ECB completed its “Phase II” tests, concluding that blockchain-based infrastructures were more transparent, efficient, and secure than traditional centralized ledgers. However, the ECB emphasized the need for a neutral cross-border settlement layer—a role the XRP Ledger appears poised to fulfill.
Recent disclosures suggest that Russia could serve as a proxy testing ground for the digital euro’s settlement architecture, especially for foreign trade invoicing and cross-border CBDC clearing.
BRICS & DE-DOLLARIZATION STRATEGY The report also ties into the broader BRICS de-dollarization strategy, where member nations are building blockchain-based infrastructure to bypass reliance on USD-clearing mechanisms. Key data points:
BRICS share of global GDP (PPP): Over 35% (as of 2025)
Cross-border BRICS trade (2024): Over $8.4 trillion
Current XRP liquidity pools in Asia & Middle East: Expanded 5x since Q3 2023
Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity (ODL): Active in over 70 corridors globally
China, Brazil, and South Africa have also begun exploring integration of XRPL-based solutions for institutional tokenization and real-time settlement across commodities and trade finance.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR XRP If confirmed and implemented, this move could:
Significantly increase XRP on-chain volume across European and Asian corridors
Drive demand for On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) services powered by XRP
Spur adoption of XRP-based stablecoins and CBDC interoperability standards
Position Ripple and BanxChange.com as key facilitators of institutional tokenization
Analysts at Deloitte and Capgemini have long projected that blockchain-based cross-border payments will exceed $10 trillion annually by 2030, with XRP, XLM, and similar technologies leading the charge.
CONCLUSION Russia’s reported move toward integrating the XRP Ledger into its digital euro settlement strategy is more than a technical decision—it’s a geopolitical statement. As BRICS builds a new financial infrastructure centered around efficiency and neutrality, XRP continues to emerge as the backbone of a new cross-border payments era.