Ripple to support RLUSD and AEDZ under expanded Zand partnership

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Ripple strengthens Zand bank alliance

Highlights

Ripple is strengthening its presence in the Gulf region by expanding its partnership with UAE-based bank Zand.
The collaboration will support Ripple USD (RLUSD) and Zand’s dirham-backed stablecoin AEDZ, with AEDZ to be issued on the XRP Ledger.
The initiative reflects growing adoption of regulated stablecoins for onchain payments and local-currency liquidity in the UAE.

Reece Merrick, Ripple’s managing director for the Middle East and Africa, said the companies are widening last year’s relationship to support Ripple USD (RLUSD) and Zand’s AED-pegged stablecoin, AEDZ, as the bank builds regulated digital-asset products, U.Today reports.

Expanded Zand partnership puts RLUSD and AEDZ at the center

In a post on X, Merrick said the partners will broaden the scope from payments into stablecoin support and liquidity. His post stated: “We’re now extending this partnership to explore a range of initiatives, from enabling support for Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin within Zand’s regulated digital asset custody, to direct liquidity solutions…”

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Merrick added that the collaboration will include support for “RLUSD and AEZD” and that AEDZ will begin to be issued on the XRP Ledger, alongside “a whole range of initiatives” tied to the two stablecoins.

Ripple launched RLUSD in late 2024, positioning it as a U.S. dollar-denominated stablecoin aimed at trading and payments use cases across crypto and institutional channels.

Zand positions AEDZ as a regulated onchain finance tool

Zand’s official account described the initiative as part of a broader digital-finance agenda, saying Ripple and Zand are going to “help advance and support the digital economy” using AEDZ and RLUSD. The bank also said blockchain technology, stablecoins and tokenization “can unlock powerful new use cases as traditional finance moves on-chain.”

Zand has separately said the Central Bank of the UAE approved it to launch Zand AED as the country’s first regulated, multi-chain AED-backed stablecoin on public blockchains, underscoring the regulatory framing around the project.

Why this matters

Stablecoins are increasingly being used as settlement assets for tokenized markets and cross-border payments, and the UAE has positioned itself as a hub for regulated digital-asset experimentation. If AEDZ issuance on the XRP Ledger scales, it could broaden local-currency liquidity rails for onchain finance while giving Ripple another route to expand RLUSD utility in regulated custody environments.

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