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- Ripple's Portugal Expansion Faster Payments for Europe and Beyond
Ripple's Portugal Expansion Faster Payments for Europe and Beyond
Unicâmbio Partnership & RLUSD Growth Signal Continued Ripple Ecosystem Expansion.

TLDR;
Ripple expands in Europe by partnering with Unicâmbio, a major Portuguese currency exchange.
Brazil-Portugal corridor is boosted for Ripple's payment network thanks to the Unicâmbio partnership.
XRP utility is increased as these partnerships highlight its real-world use in faster, cheaper cross-border payments.
RLUSD minting continues as Ripple creates more of its new stablecoin after recent exchange listings.
Ripple Plants a Flag in Portugal
Ripple just made a significant move in Europe, teaming up with Unicâmbio, Portugal's leading currency exchange. This isn't just any partnership – it means Unicâmbio will use Ripple Payments (formerly known as ODL) to power instant international money transfers for its business clients. Think faster, cheaper cross-border payments, all thanks to Ripple's tech.
Very excited to 1/ add another country (Portugal!) to the Ripple Payments network and 2/ grow the vital Brazil-Portugal corridor with Unicambio joining existing customers including Travelex Bank and Mercado Bitcoin!
— Monica Long (@MonicaLongSF)
2:35 AM • Feb 11, 2025
Brazil-Portugal Just Got Easier (for Money Transfers)
This Portugal deal also strengthens Ripple's Brazil-Portugal payment corridor. Unicâmbio joins existing big players like Travelex Bank and Mercado Bitcoin in using Ripple to connect these two countries with strong economic and cultural ties. For businesses moving money between Brazil and Portugal, Ripple is becoming a key solution.
XRP Gets a Utility Boost
What does this mean for XRP? These partnerships directly showcase XRP's utility in action. Ripple Payments uses XRP to make those cross-border transfers faster and cheaper. More partnerships like this mean more real-world use cases for XRP, which is what many crypto fans are looking for. Interestingly, XRP's price hasn't jumped wildly on this news (up a modest 5% initially), suggesting the market is taking a measured approach.
RLUSD Stablecoins Keep Coming
In other Ripple news, they're still actively minting their new stablecoin, RLUSD (Ripple USD). Big batches of RLUSD have been created recently, following its listing on platforms like Revolut and Zero Hash. This stablecoin is another piece of Ripple's expanding crypto ecosystem.
Takeaway: Building Blocks for Ripple & XRP
Ripple's Portugal partnership and continued RLUSD minting are definitely positive developments. They show Ripple is actively expanding its payment network and introducing new products. For XRP, the Unicâmbio deal is a concrete example of its real-world use. However, as always in crypto, the long-term impact will depend on sustained adoption and broader market trends. Keep watching this space!
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