Ripple Moves to Secure Australian License to Expand in APAC

Highlights:

• Ripple has disclosed its intention to secure an Australian Financial Services License.
• The move aligns with the company’s expansion plan into the Asia-Pacific region. 
• Ripple said acquiring BC Payments Australia Pty Ltd will help accelerate its plans.

San Francisco-based cross-border payment company Ripple is seeking an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL). The payment firm announced the move in a press release on March 11. According to the publication, the license would allow Ripple to expand its regulated payment services in Australia and across the wider Asia-Pacific region. 

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Ripple noted that the license will enable it to provide faster and more reliable cross-border payment services to banks, fintech companies, and businesses that rely heavily on international transactions. By operating under Australia’s financial rules, the cross-border firm also aims to give customers more reasons to trust its payment network. 

Speaking on the move, Fiona Murray, Ripple’s Managing Director, Asia Pacific region, stated: 

“Australia is a key market for Ripple, and an AFSL strengthens our ability to scale Ripple Payments across the region. By leveraging blockchain technology and digital assets, we enable customers to move value globally with greater speed, transparency, and reliability. We remain focused on working closely with regulators to support the next phase of growth for digital asset infrastructure.”

🚨 JUST IN: RIPPLE TO ACQUIRE BC PAYMENTS SECURING AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL LICENSE

Ripple will acquire BC Payments to obtain an Australian Financial Services License, enabling the firm to expand Ripple Payments platform and services across the Asia-Pacific region. pic.twitter.com/0isBtNraG4

— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) March 11, 2026

Pathway to Licensing as Ripple Moves to Secure Australian Operational Permit

In the press release, Ripple highlighted its plans to secure the ASFL. First, the firm intends to purchase BC Payments Australia Pty Ltd, a company with full regulatory approval in Australia. So far, the acquisition deal has progressed smoothly. It is currently in the usual finalization steps before completion.

Completing the acquisition allows Ripple to operate a fully licensed platform that manages the whole payment process in Australia. This includes customer onboarding, compliance checks, funding, foreign exchanges, liquidity management and the final transfer of funds. The cross-border payment firm will also link traditional banking networks and digital assets. This provides customers with more options to send money across borders. 

In addition, the setup allows Ripple to handle transaction settlement and connect clients directly to local payment partners. This will greatly shorten payment completion time, improve visibility during transactions, and reduce risks arising from working through several intermediaries. Consequently, businesses using Ripple’s infrastructure would only need a single system connection rather than dealing with multiple service providers or complex blockchain tools.

Ripple Plans to Take Advantage of the Growing Demand for Cross-Border Payments

Ripple reported that demand for its payment services in Asia-Pacific has grown rapidly. According to the company, its payment volume in the Asia-Pacific region almost doubled in 2025 compared to the previous year. Moreover, Ripple is already working with several financial services providers in Australia, including Stables, Caleb & Brown, Flash Payments, Independent Reserve, Hai Ha Money Transfer, and Novatti Group. Many of these companies are seeking quicker and more efficient methods of moving money across borders. 

Ripple stated that it now holds over 75 regulatory licenses globally, placing it among the most regulated firms in the digital assets and finance space. The company believes this will help it expand services for financial institutions that want to adopt digital asset technology. Ripple is also working on several other initiatives, such as project Acacia, a program led by the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre.

Exciting milestone for @Ripple in Australia! 🇦🇺

Ripple is obtaining an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL). As we continue to bridge TradFi with the next gen of digital infrastructure, regulatory compliance remains the foundation of everything we build:… pic.twitter.com/JNF1iQSyG7

— Ripple (@Ripple) March 10, 2026

Separately, Crypto2Community reported on February 10 that Ripple expanded the reach of its RLUSD stablecoin in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The expansion was in partnership with Zand Bank, a regulated UAE-based digital banking institution. Under the partnership, Ripple’s RLUSD will connect with Zand’s AEDZ. For context, AEDZ is the UAE’s first regulated stablecoin linked to the dirham. The integration aims to bring financial services onto the blockchain. It also supports tokenization and liquidity management.

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