XRPICK

What forces are reshaping the global economy? The 2026 IMF Annual Report explores growing fiscal pressures, AI deployment, strains on still-resilient trade, and new frontiers in digital finance. Read the full report: imf.org/annual-report/2026?c…

Ripple is expanding its business beyond international payments powered by XRP-based On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) toward a global payments infrastructure that integrates traditional banking networks with multiple blockchains. Today, Ripple Payments supports payments and payouts to more than 60 markets worldwide, enabling businesses and financial institutions to move funds across borders through APIs. A defining feature of this expansion is the ability to combine fiat currencies, stablecoins, and existing banking payment networks without relying exclusively on XRP or any single blockchain. ① Ripple Payments — Integrating Banking Networks and Blockchain Payments Ripple Payments provides payment and settlement services for businesses and financial institutions. Through Ripple Payments Direct, banks and businesses can initiate payments via APIs and centrally manage foreign exchange processing, beneficiary information, and payment status. For example, domestic payment networks such as Japan’s Zengin System, ACH and Fedwire in the United States, and PIX in Brazil can be used to deliver funds to recipients in local currencies. The service supports not only business-to-business (B2B) payments but also business-to-consumer (B2C) payments, including international payroll and payments to independent contractors. By integrating Ripple Payments with their internal systems through APIs, businesses can manage payments to overseas suppliers, partners, and employees more efficiently. Ripple Payments Direct primarily focuses on cross-border payments, using domestic payment networks to deliver funds in the recipient’s local currency. However, the publicly available documentation does not sufficiently establish the full scope of commercially available domestic-only payments where both the sender and recipient are located in the same country. In essence, Ripple Payments leverages existing financial infrastructure across different countries to streamline cross-border business payments. ② Multi-Chain Support — Expanding Beyond the XRP Ledger Ripple Payments is not limited to the XRP Ledger (XRPL). It also supports stablecoin payments across multiple blockchains, including Ethereum, Solana, and Tron. For example, supported payment routes can utilize RLUSD on Ethereum, USDC on Ethereum and Solana, and USDT on Ethereum and Tron. These transactions do not necessarily require XRP or the XRP Ledger. In addition, Ripple Mint’s multi-chain expansion of RLUSD is designed to extend the infrastructure for stablecoin issuance, redemption, and management. Ripple Payments facilitates payments across supported networks, while Ripple Mint provides the infrastructure for issuing and managing RLUSD. These functions complement one another. However, supporting multiple blockchains does not mean that assets can move freely between every network. Actual payment execution depends on supported currencies, blockchain networks, available liquidity, and regulatory requirements. ③ The Role of ODL — Providing Liquidity Through XRP Traditionally, ODL uses XRP as a bridge asset to provide liquidity for cross-border payments involving different fiat currencies. Today, Ripple Payments supports multiple payment methods, including fiat transfers through banking networks and on-chain payments using stablecoins. As a result, XRP is not required for every transaction. However, this does not mean that ODL has become unnecessary. XRP can still serve as a bridge asset where rapid currency conversion and liquidity provision are needed. ODL is therefore positioned as a liquidity solution used for specific payment routes rather than as the mechanism underlying every Ripple Payments transaction. This structure allows Ripple to offer payment routes that use XRP alongside alternatives that do not require XRP. ④ Ripple’s Business Strategy — Building a Global Payments Infrastructure Ripple’s business strategy is expanding beyond XRP-based international payments toward a broader infrastructure that connects traditional banking networks with multiple blockchains. Different countries operate their own domestic payment systems, while the blockchain ecosystem includes networks such as XRPL, Ethereum, and Solana. Ripple Payments provides a unified API-based service that enables businesses and financial institutions to access supported payment networks and streamline cross-border transfers, B2B payments, payroll, and contractor payments. By incorporating stablecoins such as RLUSD, Ripple also enables payment flows that combine traditional banking infrastructure with blockchain-based settlement. This strategy allows Ripple to serve financial institutions and businesses that do not directly use XRP, expanding its presence across both traditional and digital finance. Another potential area of expansion involves integrating payments with tokenized financial assets, including government bonds and money market funds (MMFs). However, such integration represents a potential future development. Ripple Payments Direct does not currently support settlement for every category of financial asset. Importantly, increased adoption of Ripple Payments does not automatically translate into increased demand for XRP. Actual XRP demand depends on the adoption of payment routes that utilize XRP and the liquidity required to support transactions through those routes. Conclusion Ripple is expanding from ODL-powered international payments toward a global payments infrastructure that combines traditional banking networks with multiple blockchains. Ripple Payments supports payments and payouts to more than 60 markets worldwide, facilitating fund transfers using fiat currencies and stablecoins. Meanwhile, Ripple Mint’s multi-chain expansion of RLUSD supports the development of infrastructure for digital asset issuance and management. Within this framework, ODL serves as one of several available payment solutions, with XRP providing cross-currency liquidity where needed. The key areas to monitor are the continued integration of traditional banking and on-chain payments, and the extent to which XRP and RLUSD are utilized in real-world financial transactions. Ripple is building a next-generation global payments network designed to connect traditional and digital finance without depending exclusively on any single cryptocurrency or blockchain.

JUST IN - A widespread outage has disrupted 128 Japanese credit unions (known as shinkin banks) across western Japan, disabling automated teller machines (ATMs) and counter transactions - Bloomberg

Por ahí viene la cosa. Solo para entendidos

🚨💰 SANTANDER ALERTA: DÉFICIT MUNDIAL DE FINANCIACIÓN DE 30 BILLONES DE EUROS HASTA 2030. Y, una vez más, nos recuerdan que casi la mitad del ahorro anual europeo se invierte fuera, principalmente en EE. UU. ⚠️ ¡OJO! Cuiden sus ahorros, protéjanlos y estén atentos a lo que está por venir. santander.com/es/sala-de-com…

🚨 ¡ÚLTIMA HORA! Se filtra la nueva portada de The Economist: The World Ahead 2027.

🚨 BREAKING: Hackers are hitting the world's money system in 7 places at the same time. This is what Covid looked like in week 1. A few banks. A few apps. Nobody called it a crisis. 1/ France: more than €118 million (about $133 million) was pulled out of Crédit Mutuel Arkéa over several days and turned into crypto. Today its app was down and EVERY transfer was blocked. The bank says customers lose nothing. 2/ Belgium: on October 28, the federal finance ministry said a cyberattack hit it. The online tax portal was SHUT and tax deadlines will be pushed back. 3/ Eurozone: on October 22, the European Central Bank, the bank behind the euro, confirmed that attackers planted malware on one of its websites. 4/ South Korea: at least 9 banks targeted since late September by an attacker using an AI hacking agent. At Shinhan Bank alone, about 25,000 customers had their names, phone numbers, incomes and loan limits exposed. 5/ Japan: hackers broke into GMO Internet and demanded $50 million in crypto. The prime minister promised an emergency anti-cyberattack package. 6/ At least 14 countries: China-linked hackers used AI agents to attack 200+ organisations in just 11 days. Finance was on the target list. 7/ Crypto: more than $6 billion drained from Binance hot wallets on 11 blockchains on October 29, most of it in about 30 minutes. The FBI says North Korea did it. Now zoom out. Hackers now send AI agents to do the work. The French money left over several days before the bank confirmed anything. Fake IDs passed the crypto exchanges' checks. About $63 million in stablecoins became 27,553 Ether in 4 hours. Part of it vanished into Monero, a coin built to hide who sends and who receives. Covid locked the streets. This time the lock is on the bank app, and €118 million is already gone. Nobody is calling this a crisis yet. But central bankers already plan for the day the hackers get in. The G7 agreed to run drills that simulate AI attacks on banks. The ECB gave eurozone banks until October 31 to hand in AI cyber defence plans. And last month the IMF chief warned we may end up with "lots of people with shoeboxes under their beds." We confirm every attack on banks and exchanges before we post it. Follow for the next confirmed case, and share this with anyone whose salary lands in a bank account.

‼️Breaking - French Bank Crédit Mutuel Arkéa Confirms Cyberattack Amid Reports of $133 Million Theft Details: cybersecuritynews.com/credit… French banking group Crédit Mutuel Arkéa has confirmed a cyberattack that enabled fraudulent transactions, following reports linking the institution to cryptocurrency theft exceeding $133 million. The bank says the incident is contained, operations are gradually resuming, and customer assets remain unaffected. It has not confirmed the reported loss figure. The group notified regulatory and supervisory authorities after detecting the attack. Teams temporarily suspended certain transactions to prevent further fraud while checking systems and adding security measures. According to its statement, customers experienced delays involving some transfers, but their funds remain protected. #CyberSecurity #cybersecurityNews