Meritz Securities has signed a strategic partnership with Ripple to study bringing Ripple Custody and tokenization infrastructure into South Korea's capital markets. The firm is also reviewing spot crypto ETFs, tokenized securities and won denominated stablecoins as it prepares for new digital asset rules.
Meritz Securities and Ripple signed the agreement on Oct. 1 at Meritz's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, with CEO Jang Won jae and Ripple President Monica Long attending. The securities firm disclosed the partnership on Oct. 7 as it studies several digital asset businesses ahead of further regulatory changes in the country.
Meritz will study Ripple Custody and tokenization
The agreement covers a review of Ripple Custody and the company's tokenization infrastructure for possible use in Korea within existing securities and digital asset rules. Meritz said the work will initially stay within activities permitted under current regulations, with cooperation possibly expanding in stages as South Korea develops its digital asset framework.
Ripple Custody provides infrastructure for institutions to store and manage digital assets, and the company has been pairing it with tokenization services as it works with banks and other regulated financial firms. That institutional business has been growing across Asia Pacific, including a September partnership with SettleMint that combines Ripple custody with infrastructure for issuing and managing tokenized assets.
Ripple has already tested tokenized bonds in Korea
The Meritz deal follows earlier work with Korean institutions, including a tokenized bond project. In April, Ripple and Kyobo Life Insurance agreed to test government bond settlement using Ripple Custody, aiming to move tokenized government bonds onto blockchain infrastructure and settle closer to real time instead of the standard two-day process. That arrangement did not require XRP to serve as the settlement asset.
South Korea's security token amendments are due to take effect on Feb. 4, 2027, giving financial firms a legal framework for tokenized securities as they prepare products around the new rules.
Meritz is also weighing ETFs and stablecoins
Beyond custody and tokenization, Meritz said it is reviewing spot digital asset ETFs, fractional investments, security token offerings, trading platforms and won denominated stablecoins. Ripple already has a stablecoin presence in the country: Upbit listed RLUSD trading against the won, Bitcoin and USDT in July. Meritz did not say whether XRP, RLUSD or the XRP Ledger would be used in any future service developed through the partnership.
XRP showed little immediate reaction to the news, trading around $1.47 on Oct. 7 after slipping over the past 24 hours. The first major resistance sits near $1.48, with a break above that level opening the way toward $1.53.
Source: crypto.news
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