Ripple Funds UC Berkeley’s New Digital Assets Research Center with $1.3M in RLUSD Stablecoin

Ripple, a leading enterprise blockchain firm, has committed $1.3 million to establish a Center for Digital Assets (CDA) at the University of California, Berkeley. What sets this funding apart is that it comes in Ripple’s own Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin, signaling a strategic push to expand real-world use cases for blockchain-based financial assets.

This initiative is part of Ripple’s long-standing relationship with UC Berkeley. Since 2018, the San Francisco-based company has supported the university under its University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI). Previously, Ripple’s contributions primarily focused on research sponsorships, student programs, and academic development. However, the new CDA represents a significant expansion of that partnership, positioning the company as a direct collaborator in research and innovation.

Ripple engineers will work closely with CDA researchers, creating a collaborative environment where blockchain expertise and academic insight meet. This move highlights Ripple’s intent to not only provide funding but also engage in joint research and development efforts. The center’s projects will focus on advancing blockchain applications, such as developing non-fungible tokens (NFTs), creating digital “twins” of physical assets, and exploring new practical use cases for distributed ledger technology. One promising application could be blockchain-powered systems for more efficient inventory management, potentially transforming how businesses track and move goods.

The CDA initiative reflects a broader trend of blockchain companies investing in academic research to accelerate adoption and strengthen the digital economy. For Ripple, this collaboration not only deepens ties with one of the world’s top engineering schools but also reinforces its vision of advancing blockchain utility beyond payments into asset tokenization, supply chain optimization, and digital identity solutions.

With this move, Ripple demonstrates how corporate-academic partnerships can drive innovation while positioning RLUSD at the center of emerging blockchain ecosystems.