- The pilot includes Optimism, Base, Ink, and Unichain as part of a multichain expansion strategy.
- Further chain launches are planned next year, subject to regulatory approval in the US.
- RLUSD has a $1.3 billion market cap and is seeing growing retail adoption since its launch.
Ripple Labs is moving to broaden the reach of its US dollar-backed stablecoin, RLUSD, by testing it across several Ethereum layer 2 blockchains as part of a new pilot programme.
The expansion comes as the company waits for regulatory clearance to move toward a wider rollout planned for next year.
By extending RLUSD beyond its initial launch environments, Ripple is positioning the stablecoin for deeper integration into decentralised finance and institutional blockchain use cases.
The pilot also reflects a broader industry shift toward multichain infrastructure, where stablecoins are expected to operate seamlessly across multiple networks rather than remain confined to a single ecosystem.
Pilot targets Ethereum layer 2 ecosystems
The pilot is being carried out in partnership with Wormhole, a crosschain interoperability protocol that enables assets to move between blockchains.
Under the arrangement, RLUSD will be tested on Optimism, Base, Ink, which is an Ethereum layer 2 developed by Kraken, and Unichain.
RLUSD was initially issued on the XRP Ledger and Ethereum. Ripple has indicated that expanding to layer 2 networks is a necessary step to support scalability, efficiency, and interoperability as blockchain activity increasingly shifts to lower-cost environments built on Ethereum.
The pilot phase is intended to evaluate how RLUSD functions across these networks before a broader launch, which remains dependent on regulatory approval.
Wormhole technology avoids wrapped assets
A key technical aspect of the expansion is the use of Wormhole’s Native Token Transfers standard.
According to Wormhole, this approach allows RLUSD to move between blockchains as the same native asset rather than relying on wrapped or synthetic versions.
In many multichain models, tokens are locked on one chain while a wrapped version is created on another, which can fragment liquidity.
Wormhole’s system is designed to maintain a single canonical version of RLUSD on each supported blockchain, with Ripple retaining control over the token contracts.
This structure is intended to preserve liquidity and simplify crosschain usage, which is particularly relevant for stablecoins expected to support payments, decentralised finance, and institutional settlement.
RLUSD growth and market position
RLUSD was launched in December 2024 and currently has a market capitalisation of $1.3 billion, according to CoinGecko data.
While it remains much smaller than established stablecoins, it has begun gaining traction among retail users.
By comparison, Tether’s USDT has a market cap of $186 billion, Circle’s USDC stands at $78 billion, and Sky Protocol’s USDS holds $9.8 billion.
RLUSD adoption has been supported by integrations with platforms such as Transak and increasing use across self-custodial wallets, including Xaman.
Ripple views stablecoins as a key bridge between decentralised finance and institutional adoption, with RLUSD positioned as a compliance-focused option within a growing multichain landscape.
