Crypto firm Ripple recently announced its mission to be the one-stop shop for crypto infrastructure. This came as the firm highlighted the acquisitions it made this year in a bid to achieve this mission.
Ripple Unveils One-Stop Shop For Digital Asset Infrastructure
In a blog post, Ripple touted itself as the one-stop for crypto infrastructure. The firm noted that it had invested almost $4 billion into the crypto ecosystem through strategic investments and acquisitions. It added that 2025 marked its most ambitious year yet with four major acquisitions pointing toward one mission of being the one-stop infrastructure provider for moving value the way information moves today.
Ripple stated that some acquisitions will plug directly into Ripple payments to give its customers a unified, seamless operating environment with even more capabilities and currencies. Meanwhile, others will operate independently while benefiting from shared infrastructure. The firm noted that together, these companies will bring it closer to owning the full financial plumbing behind global value movement.
Furthermore, the company noted that businesses are operating in real time, but their financial infrastructure still isn’t. The firm believes that its unified offering gives companies the ability to bring their money management and movement up to the expectations of the digital world. It then went on to highlight how its newest acquisitions are critical to powering this change.
Highlighting The Role Of Its Latest Acquisitions
The firm stated that its now-closed acquisition of GTreasury marks a significant expansion into the multi-trillion-dollar corporate finance arena, a market that it noted many predict will lead the next phase of crypto adoption. The firm further remarked that through access to the global repo market via Ripple Prime and Ripple Payments’ real-time cross-border rails, corporate treasury teams can unlock idle capital, move money instantly, and open up new growth opportunities.
Ripple then highlighted its $200 million acquisition of Rail, which it stated will make the firm’s Payments the market’s most comprehensive end-to-end stablecoin payments solution. The firm said that it is compliantly connecting the best of fiat and crypto assets so that businesses can move money faster, save costs, and build to grow.
Ripple stated that its acquisition of Palisade broadens the range of customer use cases for custody, which is one of its central product strategies. It noted that Palisade’s “wallet-as-a-service” technology extends the company’s Custody’s inherent appeal to banks and financial institutions that carry out high-frequency transactions.
Lastly, the payment firm highlighted its acquisition of Hidden Road, which is now Ripple Prime. It stated that this completes the liquidity and execution layer of its one-stop shop vision. The Prime offers institutional-grade prime brokerage, clearing, and financing. This enables clients to execute OTC spot trades for major crypto assets, including XRP and RLUSD. While Palisade custodies assets and Rail moves them, Ripple noted that its brokerage business ensures that they can be traded efficiently, financed responsibly, and accessed through regulated channels.
An effective currency needs to be widely accepted, easy to use, and stable in value. By now most of us have recognized that cryptocurrencies fail at all three things, despite lofty ideals revolving around decentralization, transparency, and trust. But that doesn’t mean that all digital currencies or payment systems are doomed to failure. [Roni] has been working on an off-grid digital payment node called Meshtbank, which works on a much smaller scale and could be a way to let a much smaller community set up a basic banking system.
The node uses Meshtastic as its backbone, letting the payment system use the same long-range low-power system that has gotten popular in recent years for enabling simple but reliable off-grid communications for a local area. With Meshtbank running on one of the nodes in the network, accounts can be created, balances reported, and digital currency exchanged using the Meshtastic messaging protocols. The ledger is also recorded, allowing transaction histories to be viewed as well.
A system like this could have great value anywhere barter-style systems exist, or could be used for community credits, festival credits, or any place that needs to track off-grid local transactions. As a thought experiment or proof of concept it shows that this is at least possible. It does have a few weaknesses though — Meshtastic isn’t as secure as modern banking might require, and the system also requires trust in an administrator. But it is one of the more unique uses we’ve seen for this communications protocol, right up there with a Meshtastic-enabled possum trap.
Crypto firm Ripple has revealed how it is capturing the projected $16 trillion tokenization industry by onboarding several institutions onto the XRP Ledger (XRPL). The firm alluded to security and how its custody service is helping solve this issue.
Ripple Comments On How It Is Capturing The Tokenization Industry Using XRP Ledger
In an X post, Ripple indicated that it has managed to capture some of the projected $16 trillion industry onto the XRP Ledger through the adequate security it provides institutions. The crypto firm stated that it provides a security environment that mirrors the rigor of the banks it serves, combining HSM with FIPS-certified hardware to deliver security that scales. That way, they can protect assets without sacrificing operational speed.
Ripple further noted that legitimate integration with the global financial system requires verification. That is why they adhere to SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 standards, ensuring that the infrastructure of these institutions that tokenize on the XRP Ledger is compliant with necessary regulations.
Commenting on this, Ripple’s Head of Information Security, Akshay Wattal, said that in crypto, security isn’t a feature but the foundation of institutional trust. He added that effective custody requires in-depth architecture, battle-tested cryptography, and the governance rigor of a global financial institution.
Notably, Ripple provides custody solutions to global banks, including BBVA, SG Fogre, DBS Bank, and DZ Bank. However, these banks are yet to tokenize on the XRP Ledger even as institutions move to tap into this $16 trillion industry. The crypto firm continues to propose several ways to onboard these institutions onto the network.
One of Ripple’s proposals is the introduction of Confidential Multi-Purpose Tokens (MPTs) on the XRP Ledger in order to provide privacy for these institutions. The company’s developer, Ayo Akinyele, also recently proposed native XRP staking on the network, which could compel these institutions to build on XRPL, as they can earn yields while doing so.
Progress On Other Sides Of Its Business
In addition to its custody service, Ripple is also making progress in other areas of its operations, which also drives value to the XRP Ledger. The company announced yesterday that it had partnered with fintech company RedotPay, which has integrated Ripple Payments to launch a crypto conversion feature for Nigerian users.
The development also provides a huge boost for XRP, which will be one of the supported assets on RedotPay’s “Send Crypto, Receive NGN” feature. Ripple revealed that there are plans to support its RLSUD stablecoin in the future. Meanwhile, Bitcoinist reported that the crypto firm had scored a major win after the Monetary Authority of Singapore approved an expanded scope of payment activities for the company. This enables Ripple to broaden the range of regulated payment services it offers in the country.
Cash App is making bitcoin more usable for everyday payments. Starting today, the app will let you pay with Bitcoin instantly — even if you don’t hold any — by automatically converting your USD balance on the app into bitcoin for the merchant.
In a series of app features announced today, the app will now spend bitcoin locally, pay in USD over the Lightning Network, and send or receive stablecoins. All these updates are part of Cash Releases, the platform’s first bundled launch of new features, the company shared with Bitcoin Magazine.
With the new ‘Bitcoin Payments with USD’ feature, users can make instant bitcoin payments even if they don’t hold BTC. Cash App will automatically convert USD from a user’s balance into bitcoin for the merchant.
In other words, this makes Bitcoin payments accessible to all 58 million monthly users of Cash App without taxable events or decreasing their Bitcoin holdings.
Square merchants benefit too, with no fees or chargebacks, and the network operates without middlemen. Users can choose any payment path — USD to USD, BTC to BTC, BTC to USD, or USD to BTC — all powered by the open Bitcoin network. It will encourage merchants to ask customers to pay in bitcoin to avoid card fees.
The system works wherever bitcoin is accepted, connecting millions more users to fast, low-cost, borderless payments.
On top of this bitcoin payments feature, Cash App rolled out a Bitcoin Map. Following Square’s bitcoin payments launch, the map shows where local merchants accepting BTC are located, letting customers pay instantly via Lightning QR codes.
About 20% of Americans are open to using bitcoin for daily transactions, the company said, and Cash App wants to make that transition seamless for both consumers and businesses.
In addition to all this, Cash App is introducing stablecoin support. In the coming months, Customers can now send and receive digital dollars globally.
Stablecoins maintain a one-to-one value with the U.S. dollar while enabling near-instant transfers. Cash App will automatically convert received stablecoins into USD.
“Bitcoin was created to be peer-to-peer cash, and Cash App is building tools to make it work as intended — fast, open, and borderless,” said Miles Suter, Bitcoin Product Lead at Block.
When asked about stablecoins and whether they might compete with Bitcoin, Suter told Bitcoin Magazine that “legacy fiat systems are Money 1.0: slow, expensive, closed systems with banking hours and borders. Bitcoin is Money 2.0, the ultimate goal: truly decentralized, open, and permissionless. Stablecoins are Money 1.5, a pragmatic tool and a meaningful improvement from traditional financial rails, but we don’t see them as a competitor to bitcoin.”
Cash App will also enhance their Auto Invest feature, the company said. Scheduled bitcoin purchases now carry no fees or spreads, making it easier and more affordable for users to invest regularly.
“Standard one-time purchases have fees and spreads,” Suter said, “but we’ve built an entire ecosystem of ways to stack sats for free, like Auto Invest, Paid In Bitcoin, and Round Ups. The goal is giving customers multiple options to build their bitcoin position affordably.”
Since 2018, Cash App has helped over 24 million active users buy bitcoin, with features like Paid In Bitcoin enabling automated conversion of direct deposits into BTC.
Bitcoin payments via Square
Earlier this week, Square rolled out Bitcoin payments for U.S. sellers, allowing roughly 4 million merchants to accept BTC through their terminals with no processing fees until 2027.
The system enabled instant transactions via the Lightning Network, first piloted at Compass Coffee in Washington, D.C. Merchants could receive Bitcoin, convert it to USD, or automatically convert part of daily sales into BTC.
When asked about criticism that platforms like Square or Cash App might be centralizing Bitcoin, Suter said, “If you want access to the fiat banking system today, you need a centralized provider. The end goal is self-custody, which is why we built Bitkey. We’re building auto-sweeps to self-custody that will roll out later, and deep Bitkey integration with Square is coming in 2026 for self-custody of funds you receive as payments or convert from daily card sales.”
Through subsidiaries like Cash App, Bitkey, Proto, Spiral, and Tidal, Block is driving Bitcoin adoption across both consumer and developer ecosystems.
The company holds over 8,780 BTC and continues to deepen its integration with Bitcoin, aligning its business strategy with the network’s long-term growth.
According to Suter, the company envisions Bitcoin becoming everyday money and a universal financial infrastructure enabling truly global commerce.
Why AI and Blockchain Are the Future of Digital Payments?
The financial technology landscape is evolving at a breathtaking pace, driven by innovations like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology. Together, these two powerful technologies are reshaping how businesses and consumers make, process, and secure digital payments. From instant settlement to fraud prevention and predictive analytics, AI and blockchain are creating a new paradigm in digital finance.
Digital payments are no longer just about moving money from point A to point B. Today’s consumers demand speed, security, transparency, and personalization. Businesses seek efficiency, cost reduction, and compliance. AI and blockchain jointly address these demands, offering solutions that are scalable, secure, and intelligent. This blog explores why AI and blockchain are the future of digital payments, highlighting the benefits, use cases, and the transformative potential these technologies bring to the fintech ecosystem.
What is AI in Digital Payments?
Artificial Intelligence refers to systems capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. In digital payments, AI powers:
Fraud detection and prevention: AI algorithms can analyze transaction patterns in real-time, identifying unusual behavior and flagging suspicious transactions.
Predictive analytics: AI can forecast spending behavior, payment trends, and cash flow, helping businesses plan and optimize financial operations.
Personalized experiences: AI-driven recommendations and smart financial assistants offer tailored payment solutions for users.
Automation: Routine tasks like payment reconciliation, invoicing, and risk assessment can be automated using AI-powered systems.
What is Blockchain in Digital Payments?
Blockchain is a decentralized ledger technology that records transactions in a secure, transparent, and immutable manner. Its impact on digital payments includes:
Decentralization: Eliminates the need for intermediaries, reducing costs and settlement times.
Security: Cryptographic protocols ensure transactions are tamper-proof and resistant to fraud.
Transparency: Every transaction is recorded on a distributed ledger, enhancing auditability.
Programmability: Smart contracts automate payment settlements and conditional transfers without manual intervention.
Why AI and Blockchain Together Are Game-Changers
1. Enhanced Security and Fraud Prevention
Fraud remains a major challenge in digital payments. According to industry reports, global payment fraud is expected to cost billions annually.
AI’s role: Machine learning algorithms detect anomalies in transaction patterns, account behaviors, and user activity. AI continuously learns from new data, improving accuracy in real-time.
Blockchain’s role: Decentralized ledgers provide tamper-proof records of transactions, reducing the risk of data breaches and fraudulent manipulations.
Combined, AI and blockchain create a multi-layered security framework: AI detects and predicts threats, while blockchain ensures that records cannot be altered or deleted.
2. Faster and Transparent Transactions
Traditional banking systems often require days to settle cross-border transactions. Blockchain’s decentralized system enables near-instant settlement.
Smart contracts can automatically release funds once predetermined conditions are met.
AI algorithms optimize transaction routing, detect bottlenecks, and ensure smooth processing.
The result is speed, efficiency, and transparency, creating trust among users and businesses.
3. Reduced Costs
Payment processing often involves multiple intermediaries, each adding fees. Blockchain reduces the need for third parties, while AI minimizes operational inefficiencies.
✦Automated reconciliations and predictive cash-flow management reduce administrative costs.
✦Smart contracts automate escrow services, reducing the need for manual intervention and intermediaries.
By combining AI and blockchain, businesses can significantly cut costs while maintaining accuracy and security.
4. Regulatory Compliance
Digital payments are heavily regulated. AI and blockchain help organizations comply with KYC (Know Your Customer), AML (Anti-Money Laundering), and other regulatory standards.
✦AI can monitor transactions for compliance issues in real-time.
✦Blockchain provides an immutable audit trail, ensuring transparency for regulators.
Together, they streamline compliance while minimizing human error.
Key Use Cases of AI and Blockchain in Digital Payments
1. Cross-Border Payments
Cross-border payments traditionally involve multiple banks and clearinghouses, causing delays and high fees. Blockchain allows direct peer-to-peer settlement, while AI predicts currency fluctuations and recommends the best payment routes, reducing delays and costs.
2. Digital Wallets and Mobile Payments
AI-powered digital wallets can predict user behavior, offer personalized spending insights, and automatically manage funds. Blockchain ensures that wallet transactions are secure, transparent, and immutable. Together, they create a trusted and intelligent mobile payment ecosystem.
3. Fraud Detection and Risk Management
Financial institutions are increasingly using AI algorithms to detect fraudulent activities in real-time. By combining AI with blockchain’s immutable ledger, banks can verify transaction authenticity and reduce risks.
4. Smart Contract Payments
Blockchain enables programmable money through smart contracts. AI enhances these smart contracts by analyzing patterns, predicting defaults, and automating conditional payments. Use cases include subscription payments, escrow services, and B2B settlements.
5. Cryptocurrency Payments
Cryptocurrencies are gaining traction for digital payments. AI-powered trading bots can automate crypto conversion for payments, while blockchain ensures secure and transparent transactions.
6. Loyalty and Rewards Programs
AI can analyze user behavior to tailor rewards and loyalty programs. Blockchain tokenization ensures rewards are secure, transferable, and fraud-resistant.
Benefits of Integrating AI and Blockchain in Digital Payments
Speed — Faster transaction settlements and real-time processing. Security — Fraud prevention and tamper-proof records. Transparency — Auditable transactions for businesses and regulators. Cost Efficiency — Reduced intermediaries and operational expenses. Intelligent Insights — Predictive analytics for better decision-making. Personalization — Tailored user experiences and automated financial services. Scalability — Efficient handling of high-volume transactions.
Challenges and Considerations
While AI and blockchain offer immense potential, there are challenges:
Integration complexity: Combining AI and blockchain into legacy systems requires expertise.
Data privacy: GDPR and other privacy regulations must be considered.
Scalability issues: High transaction volumes on some blockchain networks can slow performance.
Skill gap: Talent for blockchain + AI integration is limited.
Despite these challenges, careful planning, selecting the right platforms, and partnering with experienced providers can mitigate risks.
The Future of Digital Payments
AI-driven Smart Payments — Autonomous payment systems that predict needs and optimize routes.
Tokenized Money and Assets — Blockchain-based digital currencies and asset-backed tokens.
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) — Peer-to-peer financial systems bypassing traditional intermediaries.
Enhanced Fraud Prevention — Continuous AI learning combined with blockchain security.
Global Interoperability — Cross-chain payments facilitated by AI for efficiency.
The convergence of AI and blockchain will continue to transform the digital payment landscape, making transactions smarter, faster, and more secure.
Conclusion
The future of digital payments lies at the intersection of AI and blockchain. By combining intelligence, automation, and decentralization, these technologies address long-standing pain points in speed, cost, security, and compliance. Businesses, banks, and fintech innovators are already leveraging AI and blockchain to create smarter payment systems, predictive risk management, and personalized financial services.
Adopting AI and blockchain in digital payments is no longer optional — it is essential for staying competitive in a rapidly evolving financial ecosystem. Organizations that embrace these technologies today will lead the next generation of secure, efficient, and intelligent digital payments.
Every business expanding across borders dreams of growth, new customers, and untapped markets. But what many overlook is the invisible cost quietly reducing their global earnings — foreign exchange.
FX-related costs are often difficult to track in real time. While large companies might record realized FX gains or losses on their P&L, the hidden spreads embedded in currency conversions, intermediary bank charges, and settlement markups are rarely transparent. These are the small, hard-to-spot costs that silently erode profitability over time.
Where Businesses Really Lose Money
Each time money moves across borders, it passes through multiple hands. A buyer pays in one currency, but the seller often receives it in another. In between, correspondent banks, payment processors, and local intermediaries apply conversion rates and service fees that collectively eat into revenue.
The result isn’t always visible immediately. Businesses might only notice it weeks later during reconciliation, when the settlement amount doesn’t fully match the invoice value. Over hundreds of transactions, this becomes a recurring drain on global margins.
Why Faster Payments Don’t Fix the Problem
The fintech industry has made incredible strides in making payments faster and more seamless. But instant transfers alone don’t solve the deeper issue — lack of control.
You can move funds across continents in seconds, but if every transfer is automatically converted at unfavorable rates, speed does little to protect value.
True efficiency comes from being able to decide when and in which currency to move your money. Businesses need control, not just velocity.
A New Way to Think About Global Money Movement
Traditionally, cross-border trade meant opening local bank accounts or relying on partners in each market. This created fragmented treasury systems and unnecessary conversions.
Today, a new model is emerging. Businesses can now collect payments directly in their customer’s currency, hold the balance in that currency, and pay out when rates are more favorable. Multi-currency virtual accounts make this possible, allowing companies to operate globally from a single platform.
This shift changes how liquidity is managed. It replaces forced conversions with optionality and turns FX management into a proactive decision rather than a hidden cost.
From FX Leakage to FX Strategy
For years, companies accepted FX losses as the unavoidable price of going global. But forward-looking finance teams are changing that.
They now treat FX as a strategic function. Instead of automatically converting, they hold balances across currencies, time their conversions, and use platforms that provide better transparency over rates and costs.
This approach doesn’t just minimize losses; it improves cash flow predictability and strengthens profit margins. The difference between a cost center and a strategic advantage often comes down to visibility.
Global Money Movement and the Next Decade
Global money movement is evolving from speed-focused innovation to systems built around transparency and control. Businesses are increasingly seeking platforms that unify collections, holdings, and payouts in multiple currencies.
Whether through local payment rails, fiat systems, or regulated digital settlement methods, the future of cross-border finance will prioritize visibility and flexibility.
When businesses can track, manage, and optimize FX decisions from a single dashboard, they unlock not just savings but smarter growth.
Final Thought
Expanding globally shouldn’t mean giving up control of how your money moves. If you operate across markets, every conversion decision matters — because every small spread compounds into something much bigger over time.
Understanding where your FX costs sit, and building systems to manage them intelligently, is the quiet edge that defines the next generation of global businesses.
Fold Holdings (NASDAQ: FLD), the bitcoin rewards company known for letting users earn sats on everyday purchases, has teamed up with iconic fast-food chain Steak ’n Shake for a limited-time promotion that lets customers earn $5 in bitcoin with their meal.
Starting today, Steak ’n Shake diners who order a Bitcoin Meal or Bitcoin Steakburger at one of the 1,200+ participating Steak ’n Shake locations can visit bitcoinmealdeal.com, upload their receipt, and receive a code redeemable for $5 in bitcoin through the Fold app.
Once the Fold app is downloaded and activated, the reward is instantly credited. The partnership marks the first time a U.S. restaurant chain has paired a menu item with bitcoin rewards, blending food, finance, and pop culture in a single bite.
Even the bun carries a message: it’s stamped with a Bitcoin logo, a subtle but unmistakable symbol of how far the orange coin has traveled into mainstream consciousness.
“Bitcoin goes mainstream when it starts showing up in everyday life,” said Fold Chairman and CEO Will Reeves in a note to Bitcoin Magazine. “That’s been our vision from the beginning, and our promotion with Steak ’n Shake is the next step in that journey. For many people, this will be the first time they ever own bitcoin — and it’ll come from something as ordinary as grabbing a burger.”
Steak ‘n Shake loves bitcoin
For Steak ’n Shake, the partnership deepens its ongoing relationship with the Bitcoin community.
Earlier this year, the 90-year-old chain rolled out Lightning Network payments across all U.S. locations, allowing customers to pay for meals using bitcoin with instant, low-fee transactions.
The company even sparked headlines when it publicly scrapped plans to accept Ethereum, declaring its “allegiance” to Bitcoiners.
Now, it’s taking that loyalty a step further.
“Steak ’n Shake has never been afraid to take a bold position, and putting bitcoin on the menu is the latest example,” said Sardar Biglari, CEO of Steak ’n Shake. “Bitcoin is rewriting the rules of culture and commerce, and we want our guests to be part of that future every time they sit down for a meal.”
Fold, which went public earlier this year through a SPAC merger, currently holds roughly 1,500 BTC in its corporate treasury — valued near $160 million — and maintains a market cap just under $200 million.
The company recently launched a bitcoin rewards Visa card powered by Stripe and continues to expand its product suite bridging traditional finance and Bitcoin-native tools.
The campaign — launching today, a date that coincidentally marks the 17th anniversary of the Bitcoin white paper — runs nationwide while supplies last. For both companies, it’s a symbolic nod to Bitcoin’s evolution from white paper to burger wrapper.
Law enforcement authorities from over a dozen countries in Europe and North America have taken part in disrupting the activities of the Hive ransomware group, the U.S. Justice Department and Europol announced. Hive is believed to have targeted various organizations worldwide in the past couple of years, often extorting payments in cryptocurrency.
Captured Decryption Keys Helped Hive Victims Avoid Paying $130 Million in Ransom
Ransomware network Hive, which has had around 1,500 victims in more than 80 countries, has been hit in a months-long disruption campaign, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) revealed. A total of 13 nations participated in the operation, including EU member states, the U.K. and Canada.
Hive has been identified as a major cybersecurity threat as the ransomware has been used by affiliated actors to compromise and encrypt data and computer systems of government facilities, oil multinationals, IT and telecom companies in the EU and U.S., Europol said. Hospitals, schools, financial firms, and critical infrastructure have been targeted, the DOJ noted.
It has been one of the most prolific ransomware strains, Chainalysis pointed out, which has collected at least $100 million from victims since its launch in 2021. A recent report by the blockchain forensics company unveiled that revenue from such attacks has decreased last year, with a growing number of affected organizations refusing to pay the demanded ransoms.
According to the announcements by the law enforcement authorities, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) penetrated Hive’s computers in July 2022 and captured its decryption keys, providing them to victims around the world which prevented them from paying another $130 million.
Working with the German Federal Police and the Dutch High Tech Crime Unit, the Bureau has now seized control over the servers and websites that Hive used to communicate with its members and the victims, including the darknet domain where the stolen data was sometimes posted. FBI Director Christopher Wray was quoted as stating:
The coordinated disruption of Hive’s computer networks … shows what we can accomplish by combining a relentless search for useful technical information to share with victims.
The Hive ransomware was created, maintained and updated by developers while being employed by affiliates in a ‘ransomware-as-a-service’ (RaaS) double extortion model, Europol explained. The affiliates would initially copy the data and then encrypt the files before asking for a ransom to decrypt the information and not publish it on the leak site.
The attackers exploited various vulnerabilities and used a number of methods, including single factor logins via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), virtual private networks (VPNs), and other remote network connection protocols as well as phishing emails with malicious attachments, the law enforcement agencies detailed.
Do you expect police authorities around the world to dismantle more ransomware networks in the near future? Tell us in the comments section below.
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