Ripple Commits Extra $5M to APAC Blockchain Research, Supercharging AI and Tokenization Projects

Ripple Labs has doubled down on its global blockchain education initiative, announcing a fresh $5 million commitment to support academic research and innovation across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The funds will be distributed through the company’s University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI), which partners with leading universities to nurture blockchain expertise and applied innovation.

In a blog post published on Tuesday, Ripple confirmed that the new funding will expand UBRI’s footprint in the APAC region, particularly in Taiwan and Australia, joining existing programs in South Korea, Japan, and Singapore.

The new grants will bolster Ripple’s vision of an interconnected blockchain ecosystem driven by real-world applications in AI and tokenization. The announcement follows a string of recent education-focused pledges by Ripple, including a $25 million donation in RLUSD—Ripple’s stablecoin—for U.S. education nonprofits, and a $50 million grant to the National Cryptocurrency Association earlier this year.

UBRI’s presence in Asia is already notable. In South Korea, Ripple has committed $1.1 million to Yonsei University as part of a six-year partnership. In Japan, both Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo are benefitting from Ripple’s $1.5 million investment. Meanwhile, in Singapore, over $3 million in total funding has been funneled to Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Academic research is the engine behind blockchain breakthroughs: https://t.co/RnzZiqUB6f

Ripple has been investing in the next generation of blockchain talent for over seven years, and we're deepening that commitment in Asia-Pacific with new UBRI partnerships, including our…

— Ripple (@Ripple) June 10, 2025

At NTU, Professor Yang Liu of the College of Computing and Data Science is leading a cutting-edge project on the XRP Ledger. “With our current grant, we are developing an autonomous AI agent network to create a transparent, modular, accessible, and collaborative AI platform harnessing blockchain technology,” Yang Liu stated. “We believe this innovation will be pivotal in shaping the future of AI.”

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In Taiwan, the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) has joined the UBRI program to explore Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization on the XRP Ledger. Professor Echo Huang expressed optimism: “We’re excited about this new chapter and the potential of RWA tokenization to bring tangible assets onto blockchain.”

Ripple’s expansion into Australia includes continued collaboration with the Australian National University and a new partnership with Victoria University, bringing total UBRI funding in the country to $1.3 million.

The initiative underlines Ripple’s long-term commitment to building a robust blockchain talent pipeline. “Investing in education is about preparing the next generation of blockchain leaders to build innovative and responsible solutions,” said Ripple Labs CEO Brad Garlinghouse.

As crypto adoption matures, Ripple’s blockchain reserach and global education push via UBRI offers a clear signal: the future of blockchain isn’t just about digital assets—it’s about empowering people and institutions to shape the technology’s next frontier.