Ripple’s RLUSD Party: Ethereum Steals the Show šŸŽ‰šŸ’ø

Ripple’s RLUSD has ascended to a market capitalization of nearly $789 million, a feat one must admire if only for its audacity. Launched in late 2024 as a savior of cross-border payments and DeFi dreams, this US dollar stablecoin has lured the likes of DBS and Franklin Templeton into its glittering web.

Yet, hidden beneath this gilded growth lies a truth so banal it could make a Victorian poet weep: most of RLUSD’s supply resides not on XRPL, Ripple’s blockchain, but on Ethereum. How ironic, don’t you think? šŸ

Ethereum Dominates RLUSD Supply

Per the alchemists at DefiLlama, over $700 million-or 88% of RLUSD’s supply-dwells on Ethereum, while a mere $90 million simmers on XRPL. One might say Ripple’s native blockchain is the forgotten cousin at a family reunion, left to sip lukewarm tea while Ethereum sips champagne. šŸ„‚

Despite Ripple’s valiant attempts to frame XRPL as RLUSD’s beating heart, new issuances since 2025 have all but abandoned it for Ethereum. A betrayal? Perhaps. A strategic pivot? One can only assume it’s a ā€œstrategic pivot.ā€

This revelation has left XRP holders in a state of existential dread, their hopes of RLUSD boosting XRP’s demand now as fleeting as a duchess’s patience at a bad play. After all, every transaction on XRPL demands XRP fees-yet RLUSD’s Ethereum soiree renders XRP irrelevant. 🤔

Even RLUSD’s adoption by VivoPower, a renewable energy firm, offers little solace. Why? Because XRP plays no role in Ethereum-based transactions. A tragedy, surely, but one that’s become tragically fashionable. šŸŽ­

ā€œThough Ripple issues RLUSD on both XRPL and Ethereum, the majority of its supply has been minted on Ethereum,ā€ quipped a Twitter account with the wisdom of a thousand-year-old owl. Or perhaps a very bored hedge fund manager. šŸ¦‰

Zach Rynes of Chainlink, ever the optimist, noted that XRP’s burn rate from RLUSD transactions is negligible compared to its total supply. A man who truly understands the art of understatement. 🤷

ā€œRLUSD displaces XRP for cross-border transactions. Over 80% of RLUSD is on Ethereum. XRP holders don’t get revenue,ā€ he wrote, as if delivering a eulogy for a token that never stood a chance. šŸ•Æļø

Ripple’s Strategic Dilemma Amid RLUSD’s Limited Impact on XRP

Ripple has marketed RLUSD as a bridge between TradFi and DeFi, with ambitions stretching from tokenized money markets to repo trades. A noble vision, if only the bridge led to XRPL instead of Ethereum. But no-Ethereum, that serpentine rival, has claimed RLUSD as its own. šŸ

Partnerships with DBS, Franklin Templeton, SBI Holdings, and African fintechs have propelled RLUSD’s market cap to $789.44 million. Yet one cannot help but wonder: is this triumph for Ripple, or merely a Pyrrhic victory for Ethereum? šŸ¤”

RLUSD’s Ethereum-centric existence has shattered Ripple’s narrative that XRPL remains its ecosystem’s backbone. As user jfab.eth lamented, ā€œHe later swapped his XRP for LINK and ETH.ā€ A wise move, perhaps. Or a cry for help. šŸ™

ā€œA long-time XRP holder discovered RLUSD lives on Ethereum. He was in awe and wondered what the point of Ripple was,ā€ they wrote. A sentiment as profound as it is devastating. šŸ’”

Meanwhile, RLUSD trails behind PYUSD, BUIDL, and WLF in market cap. One might say Ripple’s stablecoin is the Cinderella of the crypto ball-except Cinderella had a fairy godmother. RLUSD has… Ethereum. 🌟

While Ethereum’s DeFi liquidity is undeniably alluring, it leaves XRP holders in a quandary: celebrate RLUSD’s success or mourn the absence of utility. A dilemma as old as time itself. Or at least as old as 2025. ā³

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2025-10-03 11:43