Meritz Securities, one of the country’s established brokerages, has signed a fresh strategic partnership with Ripple to explore digital-asset custody and tokenization infrastructure for the Korean capital markets.
Sponsored
The deal was formalized on October 1 at Meritz’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, with Meritz CEO Jang Won-jae and Ripple President Monica Long in attendance. It was publicly announced on October 7, 2026.
What the partnership actually covers
The two firms will jointly review how to apply Ripple Custody — Ripple’s institutional digital-asset custody solution — and its broader tokenization infrastructure to South Korea’s capital markets.
The work starts within existing securities and digital-asset rules. Meritz has said it plans to expand the scope step by step as Korea’s regulatory framework develops. This is an exploratory agreement, not a live product launch.
Meritz is already looking at a wider set of digital-asset opportunities, including:
- Spot market digital-asset ETFs
- Fractional investment products
- Security token offerings (STOs)
- Digital-asset trading platforms
- Won-denominated stablecoins
The Ripple partnership fits into that broader preparation.
Why the timing especially matters..
South Korea’s tokenized-securities amendments are scheduled to take effect on February 4, 2027. Both sides are positioning infrastructure ahead of that shift.
Meritz wants global-grade custody and tokenization rails ready; Ripple gets another regulated Korean partner as the local rulebook clarifies.
This follows earlier Ripple moves in Korea involving banks and insurers (including Kbank, Jeonbuk Bank, and Kyobo Life’s tokenized government-bond work). The Meritz deal extends that push deeper into the securities side of the market.
Ripple is steadily building a presence across Korean banking, insurance, and now brokerage channels. Meritz brings capital-markets expertise and a clear interest in ETFs, tokenized securities, and stablecoins.
Custody comes first; the rest depends on how fast the regulations open up.
On The Flipside
- No specific product, launch date, or settlement asset (XRP, RLUSD, or otherwise) has been confirmed.
Why This Matters
That’s another serious Korean institution studying Ripple’s corporate stack as the country prepares for regulated digital assets.Â
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