Ripple brings RLUSD stablecoin to Türkiye through three partners

Ripple has made its USD-backed stablecoin RLUSD available to institutions in Türkiye through new partnerships with BiLira, Bitexen and Bitlo.

Ripple expands RLUSD access in Türkiye

Ripple announced on June 2 that RLUSD is now available to Turkish institutions through BiLira, Bitexen and Bitlo. The company said the move gives local institutional users access to its regulated, USD-backed stablecoin.

RLUSD launched in late 2024 and has grown to more than $1.7 billion in market cap. Ripple said the stablecoin is built for payments, tokenization and collateral management across crypto and traditional finance.

Türkiye becomes a key stablecoin market

Ripple said Türkiye remains one of the largest crypto markets in the MENA region. The company cited Chainalysis data showing nearly $200 billion in annual crypto transaction volume in the country.

The launch also comes after Türkiye introduced a licensing framework for crypto asset service providers in 2024. That framework moved the market toward supervised operations and gave global firms a clearer route to work with domestic platforms.

Moreover, Jack McDonald, Ripple’s SVP of Stablecoins, said “RLUSD has rapidly gained traction” in financial use cases. He said Türkiye is a key market because it connects traditional finance with the digital economy.

BiLira, Bitexen and Bitlo will support RLUSD for Turkish users and institutions. BiLira said the partnership focuses on regulatory standards. Bitexen said RLUSD fits its plan to offer USD-denominated instruments across several regions. Bitlo said users want secure digital dollars to manage wealth and reduce exposure to volatility.

Ripple adds university blockchain link

Ripple also announced Istanbul Technical University as a new partner in its University Blockchain Research Initiative. The partnership will fund blockchain research, graduate fellowships and academic work through RLUSD.

The university will also host an XRP Ledger validator on campus. Ripple said the move will connect academic research with live blockchain infrastructure and give students direct exposure to decentralized systems.

RLUSD is already available through major global platforms including Binance, Bitstamp, Kraken, OKX, Gemini, Bybit, Bitso and LMAX. As crypto.news previously reported, Binance listed RLUSD in January after strong growth in 2025, while later coverage tracked RLUSD’s market cap growth as XRP Ledger activity increased.

The Türkiye launch extends that rollout into a market with strong stablecoin and crypto demand. Ripple has not described the new partnerships as retail-only. Its release focuses on institutional users, corporate settlement and compliant digital dollar access.

For Ripple, the launch adds another local market to RLUSD’s global distribution. For Turkish institutions, it adds another regulated dollar-backed stablecoin option through domestic partners.