Ripple is doubling down on blockchain innovation in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, committing over $5 million in additional funding through its global University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI). Spanning six countries—with renewed partnerships in South Korea, Japan, and Singapore, and new grants in Taiwan and Australia—this investment reflects Ripple’s long-standing dedication to cultivating next-generation blockchain talent and supporting world class academic research.
With the highest concentration of neobanks globally and some of the largest and fastest-growing fintech markets, APAC is an epicenter of digital finance. Several markets have pioneered progressive regulatory frameworks, showing an appetite for experimentation and boasting thriving communities for builders, making this expansive region a leader in the adoption of digital assets and cutting-edge payment technologies.
UBRI has been laying the groundwork for blockchain innovation in higher education for more than seven years. What began as an early bet on the power of academia has grown into a sustained, region-wide effort to equip the next generation of builders, researchers, and entrepreneurs. Across APAC, Ripple continues to work closely with top universities to support hands-on student initiatives, breakthrough research, and real-world experimentation—providing the tools, funding, and strategic guidance needed to turn ideas into impact. And with strong results already emerging, we’re just getting started.
Advancing Blockchain Education in APAC
A renewed six-year, $1.1 million USD partnership with Korea University is emblematic of the deep ties formed by UBRI and serves as a foundation for Ripple to expand its relationships within South Korea and build on the partnership launched with Yonsei University last fall. Similarly, a renewed partnership with Kyoto University continues to advance blockchain research within Japan, where UBRI grants supporting Kyoto University and University of Tokyo now surpass $1.5 million.
In Singapore, UBRI is building upon its already strong network in the country with a grant to Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and a renewed commitment to the National University of Singapore (NUS), bringing its total funding in the region to over $3M.
“Ripple's generous UBRI grant significantly enhances our research and development efforts and empowers us to pursue high-impact projects. With our current grant, we are developing an autonomous AI agent network on the XRP Ledger to create a transparent, modular, accessible, and collaborative AI platform harnessing blockchain technology. We believe this innovation will be pivotal in shaping the future of AI,” said Professor Yang Liu, College of Computing & Data Science at Nanyang Technological University.
“Additionally, this support allows us to involve more students and researchers in the blockchain ecosystem by enabling them to build on the XRPL and contribute to its growth, thereby advancing our blockchain education initiatives.”
A prior grant to NUS-funded initiatives, like the FinTech Lab and the NUS Fintech Society, led to the creation of the first Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) at a university in Asia and tripled the number of NUS FinTech SG graduates in 2021. These milestones contributed to NUS being named the world’s Top Blockchain University in 2021.
UBRI is also expanding to Taiwan through a new partnership with the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST). Led by Dr. Echo Huang, Director of the International MBA Program, the initiative will explore the rapidly growing field of real-world asset (RWA) tokenization. Backed by a research fellowship and upcoming white paper, the project will examine the technical and policy implications of RWA issuance across networks, analyzing XRP Ledger’s cross-chain functionality alongside blockchains Ethereum and Solana, as well as the role of on-/off-ramp providers in enabling institutional adoption.
Kicking off with a six-figure grant and officially becoming UBRI’s 60th partner (13th in APAC), NKUST will tap UBRI for support in launching an XRPL Student Builders Club along with its own XRPL validator to enable grassroots engagement with blockchain technology in Taiwan. This work builds on Taiwan’s national momentum around asset tokenization, including recent initiatives led by the Financial Supervisory Commission and six major financial institutions.
“NKUST is excited about this new chapter, partnering with Ripple’s University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI) to explore the potential of Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization on the XRP Ledger. We believe our work will be instrumental in demonstrating how this technology can unlock new value and opportunities—while also bringing cutting-edge innovation and helping empower Taiwan’s next generation of builders and researchers," said Professor Echo Huang at National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology.
Funding Research
As part of its commitment to its university partners, UBRI supports groundbreaking research and pioneering projects by the world’s leading experts in blockchain, cybersecurity, and information systems. UBRI has brought over $11M in funding into Asia to promote education, adoption, and innovation in the blockchain, crypto, and fintech spaces.
UBRI-sponsored research projects led by Professors Ik Rae Jong and Dong Hoon Lee at Korea University are focused on a range of topics, including enhancing blockchain sharding efficiency, combining blockchain shards with Layer 2 solutions, and NFT privacy based on Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) and Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Arguments of Knowledge (zk-SNARKs). Their colleague Professor Junghee Lee is exploring both a dedicated device for crypto finance and a mixer that hides transaction records while still allowing investigators to audit them as necessary.
At Hanyang University in South Korea, Professor Hyunok Oh leads a number of research projects, including one devoted to improving the efficiency and security of zk-SNARKs, which are crucial for enhancing blockchain privacy and scalability.
Driving Innovation Across APAC
In Australia, UBRI is deepening its commitment to blockchain education and research with a renewed partnership at the Australian National University (ANU) and a new collaboration with Victoria University—bringing the total investment in Australian universities to $1.3 million.
At ANU, the renewed funding will support advanced legal coursework on blockchain, cryptocurrency, and digital payments, as well as faculty research centered around Evernode, a proposed Layer 2 smart contract platform for the XRPL. ANU will also continue operating its XRPL validator and publishing student research through the ANU Journal of Law and Technology.
Victoria University joins the UBRI network with a focus on developing blockchain curriculum and applied research initiatives. Together, these efforts help grow a strong pipeline of blockchain-literate professionals and strengthen UBRI’s presence in the region.
Shaping Global Financial Systems
Ripple’s UBRI program is a key aspect of APAC’s growing crypto and blockchain leadership, empowering universities to explore groundbreaking solutions that drive global blockchain adoption and interoperability. By nurturing partnerships, funding cutting-edge research, and fostering community engagement, Ripple is helping to shape financial systems in APAC and beyond.
“Asia-Pacific has long been a hub of fintech and blockchain innovation, and Ripple has been proud to invest in the region’s academic talent from the very beginning,” said Eric van Miltenburg, Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Ripple. “Seven years into UBRI and with 60 university partners globally, we’ve seen firsthand the impact of long-term, trusted collaboration with these institutions. Strengthening existing partnerships—and welcoming new ones—reflects our continued commitment to supporting the talent and ideas shaping the future of blockchain on the XRP Ledger and at global scale.”
This year, Ripple is hosting its 7th annual UBRI Connect at XRP Ledger Apex, bringing together some of the world’s leading blockchain researchers from 60 universities across 28 countries for a full day of panels, workshops, and academic exchange. The event kicks off with a Pre-Summit hosted at the National University of Singapore (NUS), reinforcing the region’s central role in shaping blockchain education and research.
Explore research and breakthrough academic contributions with Ripple’s global partners in the latest UBRI Research Report.
