In the review of the XRP lawsuit, Ripple is moving full speed ahead with a $1.25 billion deal
In the review of the XRP lawsuit, Ripple is moving full speed ahead with a $1.25 billion deal first published on Coinpedia Financial Technology News
Crypto-related acquisitions and listings in the U.S. have reached $8.2 billion in the first four months of 2025, involving 88 deals — three times the total for 2024. The sharp increase indicates a new phase of integration between traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi).
These deals can be categorized into five main trends: companies purchasing Bitcoin for their treasury (like Twenty One Capital), traditional companies merging with crypto infrastructure providers, acquisitions focused on institutional services (such as Ripple's acquisition of Metaco), integration between crypto and traditional trading platforms, and mergers between token-based projects.
But one deal has been particularly praised — especially by XRP-supporting lawyer John Deaton.
Deaton recently pointed out that Ripple's $1.25 billion acquisition of the major brokerage firm Hidden Road may be the “best example” of the fusion of TradFi and DeFi in the crypto space. Hidden Road handles over $3 trillion in transactions annually for more than 300 institutional clients. By integrating with Ripple's XRP Ledger (XRPL), settlement times are reduced from 24 hours to just 3-5 seconds.
I agree with Chamath. I also believe that @Ripple's $1.25 billion acquisition of Hidden Road may be the best example of the fusion of TradFi and DeFi among all cryptocurrencies. Hidden Road is a major brokerage firm that handles over $3 trillion in transactions annually for more than 300 institutional clients, now... https://t.co/yOJCE7zftk
— John E Deaton (@JohnEDeaton1) April 28, 2025
Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin is now used as collateral for trades, directly connecting blockchain infrastructure to institutional trading workflows. Deaton explained how this move positions Ripple at the forefront of institutional DeFi by combining the speed of DeFi with the reach of TradFi.
He also discussed the importance of Ripple's rapid expansion into crypto custody. In addition to acquiring Metaco, Ripple has also acquired Standard Custody and launched “Ripple Custody” to offer comprehensive services to institutions — from payments and stablecoins to asset storage.
Why push hard for custody?
